April 28, 2024 2nd day Lisbon, Portugal, 7 days left of 138 days

 We stayed overnight in Lisbon. The staff is very happy, as they have not had an overnight in a while, and they like to go out together and party. We expect some sleep deprived staff this morning.

This morning our Cabin steward Edison also left the ship. We said our goodbyes several times over the last weeks. He and his wife will enjoy a month of resting up before Edison will be taking another contract. They usually get 2 months off, but Edison says they are short of employees in his level, so he has to meet his new ship in a month. He and his wife will not be on the same ship next contract. That is extra tough. The staff on the ship is the best. They all will do almost anything to make us happy, and they all do it with a smile. 

This is some buildings in Lisbon as we travel through the city to our first stop. Today we are visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites around Lisbon.

This is our first stop, and why it helps to have someone planning these visits for us. The site has just opened for the day, and look at the lines of people waiting to enter. We have a priority passes, so we avoided most of this line. This is Jeronimos Monastery and cloisters. This is Manueline architecture noted for its richly sculpted stonework. This represents work done between the 14th and 16th centuries. This is even before Columbus came to America, and made America known to Europeans.

The sculpted stonework is impressive, but so are the heavy wood doors.

This is a carved stone ceiling. I can't remember ever seeing something like this. The amount of detail in every part of the church and cloister let you see the amount of hours, days, weeks, years, and centuries to build these buildings.

The Monks who entered here, never left the walls of the building. Their only contact with the outside came when they entered a room to hear confession. Parishioners would enter from the other side, and never would the two meet.

There were amazing sights from every angle, and around every corner you turned.

These buildings are constantly under restoration, or preservation. Here are pieces that have been removed or fallen off. Sometimes they will attempt to copy, other times they restore. It is a puzzle.

The lion is in statues, pictures, and tapestries. There is a story that a lion entered the monastery where St. Jerome resided, causing his fellow monks to flee, but Jerome recognized that the beast was injured and he cured it by removing a thorn from its paw. St. Jerome is known as one of the four doctors of the Church, he lived 341 - 420 AD.

St. Jerome is also known for his translation of the Bible into Latin. Prior to this, people only heard what the Priests read and explained to them. Following the translation they were able to read the Bible for themselves.

Above and below are taken in the monks dining room. It was a large room, and had a secret door to the monks kitchen. I think Mike is looking for his next meal.

Anyone who has come to Europe knows there is a lot of walking. Someone is helping to provide transportation from your car to the church/cloister, or the other nearby attractions. It is a good way to make the horse pay for its upkeep. It also provides a great picture.

This is the Belem Tower, a watchtower built in 1515 to defend the harbor entrance; from here, Portuguese explorers set forth on adventures to new worlds. 

This actually was only part of the protection. There was an exact replica on the other side of the river, and the cannon fire from both towers would stop any ship that tried to get by this area with out paying a toll. The tide was out, so you could walk closer to the tower, but when the tide is in, this tower is surrounded by water.

This sculpture was originally done in wood for the World Fair held in Lisbon in 1998. It deteriorated and was removed, but was so loved it was replaced. It is called the Monument of the Discoveries.

This is to commemorate Gago Coutinho who was an early Portuguese aviation pioneer. He was one of the first pilots to fly across the South Atlantic Ocean. It took 79 days.

I'm surprised Mike didn't try to climb in the cockpit as he loves to fly.

Below are views from our travels across the city

They are very proud of their accomplishments, and explorers. Statues are everywhere. I don't remember who these were for, but they do add to the landscape. Note the area around the statue. They decorate the cobblestone, and I love their creativity. 

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Fountains are also showcased. They love to drink coffee, gather and enjoy their city.

Who wouldn't want to live in an apartment with a tiled front?

Today was a a 6.5 hour tour, we already were cutting it short to get back to the ship on time. Our tour took off late, so we arrived back a little late. We were the last back on the ship, so we left shortly after we boarded.

I am really trying to catch up on my blog, so hang in there I am getting there.

April 27, 2024 Lisbon, Portugal, 8 days left of 138 days

 

Lisbon, Portugal day one. Mike took some pictures as we were coming up the river. On the left is Christ the King statue.  It was fashioned after Brazil's Christ the Redeemer Statue. This is just a glimpse of the bridge they say was fashioned after the Golden Gate bridge.

Once the pilot reaches our ship it won't be long before we are tied up. The buses are usually lined up to take us off to places to see.

We are off today to the Medieval Obidos. It is a hilltop city that has a labyrinth of narrow warrens and whitewashed houses. When King Dinis married Isabel of Aragon in 1282 this city was her wedding gift. 

We entered through the 14th century gate.

Below was the view as we drove into the city surrounding this walled city.

The aquaduct brought water to the residents of the city. This was built by the Romans. Mike and I took our picture just out side of the wall with the end of the aquaduct.

We entered the gate to the city, and could hear this pair singing Opera. She was very young, and he was either her father or voice  coach. The acoustics here were amazing, and both their voices made for beautiful music. Everyone stopped to enjoy their talent. Mike had to drop some bills in the hat.

They told us not to walk up to the top of the wall as it was dangerous. I only walked up this far, and it was enough for me, but I had to have the picture. There are people going up and down, and no handrails. Mike was at the bottom to give me a hand down.

In the middle of the walled city is Santa Maria Church. It is known for its frescoes, elaborate hand-painted tiles and stately Renaissance columns. In 1441 Afonso V famously married his cousin, eight year old Isabel here. It was a different time. 

This is considered one of a sculptor, that we can't remember the name of, greatest works. They were very proud of it.

We made it to the top of the castle, and this is the view of the surrounding area. The day looks cloudy, but the weather was predicted to be raining, and we had a little rain as we drove to the city, we were able to do our full tour in perfect weather, and it started raining shortly after we got on the road back to the ship. Perfect!

This is a pastry the area is famous for. We did not try it here, but had it for dinner later back on the ship. The crust is flaky, and the filling recipe dates back to the earliest times. The Nun's would use the egg whites to starch their habits. This left them with a surplus of egg yolks. They came up with this recipe, and each area or town has a slight variation of the recipe. One particular bakery has the original recipe, and the owner and a few employees who sign a confidentiality contract to never share the recipe. It is custard like, but seems to have more spices in it.

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We found these working phone booths. I asked Mike to step in and look like he was using it. As I was setting up the picture, this family stopped by to place a call to Grandma so they could teach their kids how to use it. Mike had a good time talking to the kids.

Our guide Phillip was excellent. They are responsible to keep track of us, move us from place to place to make sure we see all we can see, and how they keep the dates, Kings, and history all in their heads makes mine spin. We are enjoying our day.

This is a cork tree. The bark is removed to make corks. Here in Portugal they have expanded their use, and they make purses, bags, placemats, shoes, and any number of other items. It filled a whole little shop.

Our drive home was beautiful rural area with grapevines, and other crops.

They are working to harness the wind for power, and seemed happy with the wind turbines. Note the picture below, there is a small Dutch windmill between the two larger wind turbines. Look closely.

Once back on the ship we took off for our next port. We are hoping for calmer seas tomorrow.

Here was our view of their Golden Gate bridge look a like as we sailed by.