Friday, April 19, 2019

Day 3 Lisbon, March 2019

I try to capture my memories right away otherwise it just doesn't get done.  There are so many trips I didn't finish telling you about that I regret-especially Tibet and Japan.  For now they will have to stay in my head.  Here's the end of the Lisbon trip.

I was dying to take the historic tram 28 through the winding small streets of Lisbon.  Concierge gave us a great tip--take a cab to the end of the line and get on there instead of waiting on the long lines at the beginning.  We took a cab to Cemiterio dos Prazeres (cemetery).  We had a great Uber driver who warned us of pickpockets.  There wasn't a person who didn't warn us of pickpockets when we asked about the tram.  You can learn a lot about local culture from cab drivers.  He said although Brazilians shared a language with Portuguese people, they secretly (or openly) aspire to be like Portuguese people.  He also said since Portugal joined the EU, many Romanians have flooded in.  These are the pickpockets, beware, they have different values and lifestyles.  He said when they enter, the tram driver cannot announce, "pick pocket, pick pocket".  That's not allowed.  I smiled.  He also said it was appropriate we were going to a cemetery (the end) of the tram and gave us instructions on which one to take.  The people of Lisbon are so friendly.

TRAM 28

This is the beginning, not the end.
Are you a pickpocket?  You?


Everywhere you go, you see these beautiful tiles on the building.


Mosteiro de Sao Vicente de Fora

We took the metro to the famous Sao Vicente de Fora church.  We paid $5 to view the Monastery which the lady in a little coffee shop across the street told us was beautiful.  Just amazed at how breath-taking each set of tiles were, only to find more and more & more.  Glad we did it, as the Church was "just another church".  Plus it always pays to have a bathroom handy!




We climbed to the top to see the beautiful view. You can see the Palacio Nacional where famous Portuguese legends are buried behind us.

Practice that jump!
Also saw the Lady of the Mountain viewing area where we were a few days ago

 LUNCH AT RAMIRO'S


Read about this restaurant and then a local Portugese native from my conference recommended it.  Luckily we went at lunchtime & had to wait in line about 15 minutes.

No words necessary


David was cracking his crabs too hard and the waiter came over to show us how its done

We tried the local snack-barnacles!  Reminded me of eating steamers, you have to take the skin off the edge.  Crunchy!
TRAM
Lisbon is famous for trams, funiculars, metro and buses as it is a hilly city.  Tons of scooters (the ones where you pick them up in one location, and leave them on the street when done) all over.  We found the Tram at Bica and took it three stops up.  Everyone said we could have walked but the novelty of the tram is intoxicating.  People do crazy things like get in front of the tram as it comes to take pictures.  Luckily we familized ourselves with the buses that went to our hotel.  You can get on a small local bus instead of the tram which is 100% less crowded and you get to see cute old ladies & men.






Cafe Brasileira

We went to the famous Coffee Shop where writers, poets & artists used to hang-out before taking the Metro back to our hotel

You can even see some writers writing in their journals to the right while having coffee

Museum of Tile

I'd heard so much about Sintra, a castle 40 minutes away from the city, good day trip.  While I was intrigued, I didn't want to leave the city.  Didn't feel I had enough time to explore.  Most of the time I was inside at the conference.  I wanted to get lost in the city and discover little shops and winding streets.  The Museum of Tile, (Museu Nacional do Azulejo) was featured under "unique museums", and since Lisbon is famous for tile, thought it would be worthwhile to see.  Boy was I glad we went!

Downloaded the museum app which told a great story by each work, how tiles are made, history, etc.

Add caption


Wish I had taken more pictures.  This is beautiful.  Bottom half is tile, top a traditional "Italian-like" church.  Isn't it amazing?

I sat for quite awhile admiring this beautiful church.  You get the feeling you are actually in the tiles.

In this panorama, you can see David sitting on the left, while a person walks down the aisle.  Cross over the alter & see the tiles on the right.

There weren't many people at the museum at all but couldn't wait any longer until there was no one in the way.  Get out of my picture tourist! I wanted this angle, walking up the stairs in to the church because there are no words to capture the surprise you see when you enter.  Dark, top half totally expected & typical of a church while the bottom is typical of tiled Lisbon!  Mix and Match but it doesn't match.  That's what makes it so unique.


Can you imagine how hard it is to do this?  Each tile in of itself is difficult to paint, but then to put them all together in a scene/story is remarkable.
This is a mural of Lisbon long ago.  It depicts landmarks we still know today and some destroyed by the earthquake.  The detail is magnificent.

This is the name of the church attached to the museum.




Passed the Commercial Square where we started our bike tour.  Didn't get many good pictures.

Time Out Market (Mercado da Ribeiro)

Grilled Octopus

Suckling Baby Pig sandwich with crispy skin
Our typical snack back at the hotel

Famous Cheese--didn't want to take a chance and bring it home, even vacuum sealed








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