To the other end of Europe
Two weeks ago we were in Istanbul, which sits on the Eastern edge of Europe. Now we have traveled as far West as you can go in Europe, to the Portuguese city of Lisbon (or Lisboa in Portuguese). We actually didn't know a whole lot about Portugal, but it has been on our list of places to visit and it makes a good winter trip since it is a bit warmer there than most of the rest of Europe.
Portugal is quite small (about the size of Indiana) and is the least visited and poorest of the EU countries. This means it's less touristy and the prices can't be beat! The pace of life here is a bit slower and they still keep their traditional economy of fishing, cork and wine production. People here also speak less English than most other places we have visited, so I brushed up on Portuguese during the flight over. We started our weekend in the port city of Lisbon, Portugal's capital.
The city is quite beautiful with three distinct neighborhoods, which we started exploring as soon as we landed at about 8am. We started in the Bairro Alto neighborhood where the Port Wine Institute is located (it was too early to sample) and then, thanks to Rick Steve's, we stumbled upon the Convento do Carmo. It was once the largest church in the city, but was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1755, now the ruins are an open air museum with most of the arches still standing. It was one of the coolest sights I have ever seen. Inside, there is a little museum with some odd South American relics, including two shrunken humans. Strange.
We continued on to the sailor's quarter of the city, Alfama. Overlooking the Tejo River, this was the only part of the city to survive the quake of 1755. It still has the Old World feel, with skinny cobblestone streets that lead up to the São Jorge Castle, the highest point in town. It was from here that we first saw the 25th of April Bridge. The bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, and looks EXACTLY like the Golden Gate Bridge. (It was built by the same architect and painted the same color.) I couldn't take enough pictures of it! Every time I saw it I felt like I was in SF!!!! I loved it.
Once I pulled myself away from the view of the bridge, we toured the Chiado & Baixa districts (the main shopping areas in town) before heading a couple miles away to Belém, which is full of sights from Portugal's Golden Age. By now we were tired and hungry. We grabbed dinner and headed back into town to check into the hotel. We stayed in a lively neighborhood on a pedestrian road with a circus across from us and a theater next door, which was putting on a Portuguese rendition of The Sound of Music.
The next day we headed to the enchanted little town of Sintra, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. For centuries it was the summer escape for Portugal's Kings. It's magnificent, with picturesque castles and palaces perched on the Western edge of the country. We visited the National Palace, the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle. Our favorite was the Pena Palace, the magical hilltop palace that looks like it came right out of a Disney movie. (The prince that built it was the cousin of "Mad" King Ludwig of Bavaria that built the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle.)
We also loved the thousand year old Moorish Castle, which is now little more than ruins, but is embedded in an enchanted forest and is absolutely beautiful. It's a two mile hike through the woods to get there. We then scaled the castle walls for an amazing view of the Atlantic and the countryside below. I would have liked to stay longer, but we had to get back to Lisbon for our flight home.
Once back in town, we had a little time to kill. As we walked around we discovered these funky little shops that sold nothing but ginjinha, a favorite Lisbon drink made from the sour cherry-like ginja berry, sugar and schnapps. It was SO sweet, but tasty! As we drank we were entertained by all the festivities in the streets around us, singing Native American bands (G's favorite... we have seen them all over Europe), smoking roasted chestnut stands, and accordion players with little dogs perched atop their instruments. All very entertaining. Overall it was a fantastic weekend and we are happy to have finally explored this little corner of Europe. Hopefully we can return to relax on the beach and visit the city of Port, where the famous sweet wine comes from.
Overlooking the port from the Alfama quarter
The ruins of the Convento do Carmo, once Lisbon's largest church
Is that Santa driving the trolley?!? Christmas spirit is alive and well in Lisbon.
Our first view of The 25th of April Bridge (sister bridge of the Golden Gate Bridge). For a better picture, click here.
At Praça do Comércio in the Baixa district of Lisbon
The Sound of Music musical playing next to our hotel
Overlooking the countryside from Pena Palace
At the Pena Palace
The thousand year old Moorish Castle wall
A shot of traffic with The 25th of April Bridge in the background. Couldn't this have been taken in SF?!? Okay, I was a bit obsessed with the bridge, but it made me feel like I was back home! :)
Portugal is quite small (about the size of Indiana) and is the least visited and poorest of the EU countries. This means it's less touristy and the prices can't be beat! The pace of life here is a bit slower and they still keep their traditional economy of fishing, cork and wine production. People here also speak less English than most other places we have visited, so I brushed up on Portuguese during the flight over. We started our weekend in the port city of Lisbon, Portugal's capital.
The city is quite beautiful with three distinct neighborhoods, which we started exploring as soon as we landed at about 8am. We started in the Bairro Alto neighborhood where the Port Wine Institute is located (it was too early to sample) and then, thanks to Rick Steve's, we stumbled upon the Convento do Carmo. It was once the largest church in the city, but was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1755, now the ruins are an open air museum with most of the arches still standing. It was one of the coolest sights I have ever seen. Inside, there is a little museum with some odd South American relics, including two shrunken humans. Strange.
We continued on to the sailor's quarter of the city, Alfama. Overlooking the Tejo River, this was the only part of the city to survive the quake of 1755. It still has the Old World feel, with skinny cobblestone streets that lead up to the São Jorge Castle, the highest point in town. It was from here that we first saw the 25th of April Bridge. The bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, and looks EXACTLY like the Golden Gate Bridge. (It was built by the same architect and painted the same color.) I couldn't take enough pictures of it! Every time I saw it I felt like I was in SF!!!! I loved it.
Once I pulled myself away from the view of the bridge, we toured the Chiado & Baixa districts (the main shopping areas in town) before heading a couple miles away to Belém, which is full of sights from Portugal's Golden Age. By now we were tired and hungry. We grabbed dinner and headed back into town to check into the hotel. We stayed in a lively neighborhood on a pedestrian road with a circus across from us and a theater next door, which was putting on a Portuguese rendition of The Sound of Music.
The next day we headed to the enchanted little town of Sintra, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. For centuries it was the summer escape for Portugal's Kings. It's magnificent, with picturesque castles and palaces perched on the Western edge of the country. We visited the National Palace, the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle. Our favorite was the Pena Palace, the magical hilltop palace that looks like it came right out of a Disney movie. (The prince that built it was the cousin of "Mad" King Ludwig of Bavaria that built the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle.)
We also loved the thousand year old Moorish Castle, which is now little more than ruins, but is embedded in an enchanted forest and is absolutely beautiful. It's a two mile hike through the woods to get there. We then scaled the castle walls for an amazing view of the Atlantic and the countryside below. I would have liked to stay longer, but we had to get back to Lisbon for our flight home.
Once back in town, we had a little time to kill. As we walked around we discovered these funky little shops that sold nothing but ginjinha, a favorite Lisbon drink made from the sour cherry-like ginja berry, sugar and schnapps. It was SO sweet, but tasty! As we drank we were entertained by all the festivities in the streets around us, singing Native American bands (G's favorite... we have seen them all over Europe), smoking roasted chestnut stands, and accordion players with little dogs perched atop their instruments. All very entertaining. Overall it was a fantastic weekend and we are happy to have finally explored this little corner of Europe. Hopefully we can return to relax on the beach and visit the city of Port, where the famous sweet wine comes from.
Overlooking the port from the Alfama quarter
The ruins of the Convento do Carmo, once Lisbon's largest church
Is that Santa driving the trolley?!? Christmas spirit is alive and well in Lisbon.
Our first view of The 25th of April Bridge (sister bridge of the Golden Gate Bridge). For a better picture, click here.
At Praça do Comércio in the Baixa district of Lisbon
The Sound of Music musical playing next to our hotel
Overlooking the countryside from Pena Palace
At the Pena Palace
The thousand year old Moorish Castle wall
A shot of traffic with The 25th of April Bridge in the background. Couldn't this have been taken in SF?!? Okay, I was a bit obsessed with the bridge, but it made me feel like I was back home! :)
posted by Swiss Miss | 15:00
1 Comments:
Merry Christmas!
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