Wed 9/4/19 – Well it was a scorcher today in Lisbon. 97 degrees and high humidity! So I ventured out between about 8:30 and 1:30. Then found relief in my hotel’s a/c. Then ventured out again later in the day after it cooled off. Dang global warming!
But that didn’t stop me from seeing this beautiful city. I walked around parts of the city I hadn’t seen yesterday. Then took the trolley to a suburb about 5 miles west along the river bank called Belém. Belém was the point from which Vasco da Gama and company turned the country into Europe’s wealthiest power. It was the sending off point for voyages in the Age of Discovery. Saw some amazing sites there and took the trolley back.
Chilled at the hotel for awhile, then did a few fun trolley rides around town. Up and down all the hills and around the narrow streets. I really did think I was in San Francisco.
Then I went for a truly traditional Portuguese dinner (more on that later).
Let me walk through the pics for you. The first two are showing a sample of the tiled sidewalks with their interesting patterns. They say they can be slippery when wet but with no rain in the forecast for the whole week so I’m glad I won’t get to experience that.
Pic 3 is called the Elevador de Santa Justa. In 1902, an architect who had studied under Gustav Eiffel (yep, that Eiffel!), completed this 150 foot high iron elevator to connect the lower and upper parts of town.
Pic 4 is the Arch of Triumph (patterned after the one in Paris). This was the original gateway into the city.
Pic 5 is looking over to the port town of Cacilhaus. On the left up on the hill you can see the Cristo Rei Statue (Christ the King) that is patterned after the one in Rio de Janeiro (called Christ the Redeemer on Mount Corcovado). You can also see the 25th of April Bridge. This suspension bridge, which is 1.5 miles long, bears an uncanny resemblance to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge (it was built by the same company!). The name comes from the day in 1974 of Portugal’s revolution and liberation.
Pics 6, 7, and 8 are the Monastery of Jerónimos. This giant, white limestone church and monastery stretches for 300 yards along the Belém waterfront. It was built over 100 years and was erected as a “thank you” for the discoveries made by early Portuguese explorers. This is considered a “Pepper Monument”, financed in part with “pepper money” due to a 5 percent tax on spices brought back India. See they even had tariffs back then! Lol. The tomb inside the church is that of Vasco da Gama. On the night of July 7, 1497, in the small chapel that once stood here, Da Gama prayed for a safe voyage. The next day, he set sail from Belém with four ships and 150 men to find the direct route to India. He arrived back home in September 1499 after a successful journey.
Pic 9 is the Monument to the Discoveries. It was built in 1960, the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator, who was responsible for setting Portugal on the path to exploration. It takes the shape of a huge caravel ship, in full sail, with Henry at the helm and the great navigators, sailors, and explorers on board behind him.
Pic 10 is the Belém tower. It was built in 1515 and was the last sight sailors saw as they left their homeland, and the first they saw when they returned, loaded with gold and spices.
Pics 11 and 12 are all about the food. Pic 11 is what the salted cod fish looks like before making it into the many different dishes the Portuguese use it for. Pic 12 was my dinner tonight. It was Arroz de Polvo… which in essence is Octopus stew!! As they say, when in Rome! Octopus is used in a lot of dishes here. This one was a hearty stew of octopus, rice, onions, garlic, parsley, and some type of beef based broth. It was really tasty. I thought the octopus might be a little chewy like calamari (squid) but I guess since it was simmered in the stew it was really tender. Tastes like chicken! Lol.
Well that’s all for today. I hear it’s cooling down tomorrow to a balmy 95 degrees!
Hope everyone had a good Hump Day! And those in the Southeast, I’m praying for you all to not be affected too bad by Dorian. Stay safe!
PS: I also need to give a shout out to my Dad who passed a few years ago. Today was his birthday and I honored him by exploring the world and getting out of my comfort zone and eating octopus. I know he’d be proud!
The Wandering Italian 