Tag: Portugal

Lisbon: We hardly knew you

Sadly, our visit with Lisbon didn’t give us opportunity to fall in love with it. Our ship was in Lisbon only from 7 until 2:30; traffic, crowds were terrible; and our tour guide was adamant that we visit the iconic sights. I did enjoy the Lisbon sights which reminded me of our trip to Brazil more than ten years ago; I will share the iconic sights with you (briefly) and the reminders of Brazil.

Belem Harbor, where Vasco da Gama left for India in 1487.
Monument to the Discoveries; honoring those years when Portugal was exploring the world.
Jeronimos Monastery, a UNESCO site.

Brazil taught us to say “Obrigada” for “Thank you”, to really see the incredible tiled walkways, and to laugh at the many jokes about the huge Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janerio. (In Argentina, the snarky joke is that Christ will raise his arms when the Brazilians go to work. Click on the link for more of the Brazilian jokes.) The tile work is laid down by workers, piece by piece, and repaired regularly. Here are some examples:

Tilework near the expensive shopping area.
Here, tilework representing ocean waves.

We saw very little of the tilework on buildings, in contrast to the amount in Porto City. Lisbon experienced earthquake, tsunami and fire in the mid-18th Century, and much of their early architecture (including 150 churches) was lost. Our lecturer also noted that Porto City was more mercantile and less royal than Lisbon, and that merchants were more likely to flaunt their wealth with tilework on their homes.

It seems that a Portuguese priest visited Brazil and decided Portugal should have its own Christ the Redeemer, for which he then raised the money. Sitting across the Tagus River, and beside a bridge strangely similar (and locally called) the Golden Gate bridge, here are some photos of Lisbon’s Christ the Redeemer:

‘Two views of Lisbon’s Christ the Redeemer

Cranes and construction, as in Port City, were everywhere. Again, hotels are replacing banks and transportation is being adjusted to better route tourists to the iconic sites. Unfortunately, another reminder of Brazil were the high-pressure sales tactics of numerous street vendors and the warnings of pickpockets. There was a visible police presence in those crowded areas.

Upon our return to the ship, the Captain announced that Lisbon had been our last port. The planned trip to the Azores would have brought us directly into the path of Hurricane Danielle. Onward to NYC! The sea is beautiful, the sun is bright, and my deck awaits….

Porto City, Portugal – One of tomorrow’s top ten cities?

It would be sooo easy to write the marketing copy for Porto City (as the locals call Oporto). First, I must acknowledge that I know nothing about Portuguese economy or politics…but all of the ingredients for a favored tourist spot are already in place:

Great historical attractions: Forts in beachfront settings, the well-known tiled homes and churches (and lesser known tiled interiors in public buildings).

Tiles on historic church.
Two adjacent churches of very different architectural styles.
A fort to defend against pirates and Napoleon on a gorgeous beach with playground.

Modern architecture and street art.

One of several…
Music theater
Cruise terminal with our ship at the dock.

Construction. 

Skyline photos reveal numerous construction cranes
Construction work in old town. Notice the two tiled buildings on the right
The old historical area of town is currently torn up for subway construction while 20th century banks in 18th century buildings are being converted to huge hotels in the historical district. .

Quirkiness.  What other European town has both a bookstore where one must stand in a very long line to get entry tickets and also a 16th century jail graced with a huge statue of a favored author holding his nude mistress?  (It seems that JK Rowling did some writing in the bookshop and it’s been mentioned in guidebooks as a “must see.” The statues portray a couple who served time in the jail for adultery: he on the nicer third floor; she relegated to the less nice 2nd floor.

In front of museum of Photographic Art, once a jail, the adulterous couple.
Lots of strange tourist attractions.

Stunning beaches.

I love this photo, so you are seeing it twice. This time, notice the beautiful wide public beach.

Of course, there are a lot of tourists taking pictures already….

Looks like a tourist to me!

Porto City is famous as the home of Port Wine, almost an afterthought for this marketing list.  Given that red wines give me instant migraines, we didn’t even pursue a sip. The story we were told about the development of Port by a British fellow (who fell off his boat after a Port Party on his estate and drowned because he had a money belt filled with gold. Seriously….) is just one example of a longstanding bond between the UK and Portugal.  Clearly, the UK is heavily invested in Portugal still. 

Tomorrow, Lisbon and Sunday (Sept 4) the Azores.  Then it’s due West for five 25=hour days to NYC.  We should be totally disoriented to time and place as we leave the ship on Saturday the 10th and grab the train home.