Wednesday, May 3, 2023 – Day 133
Monument to the Discoveries, Lisbon, Portugal
The Portuguese were extraordinary ocean-going explorers and made many of the early discoveries we now take for granted. During the 15th ant 16th Centuries, The Age of Discovery, Vasco da Gama, of Portugal, found the sea route to India long before the Suez Canal. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese born explorer, lead a Spanish expedition that is credited with the first circumnavigation of the world. Many more discoveries are memorialized in the statue that stands on the bank of the River Tagus.
Sailing up the River Tagus to Lisbon at sunrise
As the sun rose, we began to see landmarks we would visit later that day. Lisbon is mainland Europe’s westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. Lisbon lies in the western Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the River Tagus.
We passed the site above where a tsunami made landfall in November 1755 killing between 30-40 thousand residents of Lisbon. Much of the city developed further inland after that event.
Belem Tower, aka the Tower of Saint Vincent, is a 16th century fortification from which Portuguese explorers set sail during the Age of Discovery.
This was the view from our cabin on the ship. Lisbon is a colorful city.
Many of the buildings we passed on our travels through the city were covered in beautiful tiles. These are only two examples of the many styles and colors we saw.
Taken through the bus window, hence the weird tint, this is the Cathedral of Saint Mary Major or the Lisbon Cathedral. The first buildings were built in 1147, having been restored, renovated and rebuilt after earthquakes and fires over the centuries.
In recent years the central courtyard of the cloister has been excavated and shows signs of the Roman, Arab and mediaeval periods. Excavations started in 1990 and have, so far, revealed a Roman road with shops on either side, part of a Roman kitchen and a sewage system. They’ve also found a Moorish building related to the former mosque that once stood on this site.
Lisbon is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. It is the second oldest capital in Europe; Athens is the oldest.
Approaching the entrance to the monastery, to the left of the central tower the crowds were beginning to gather. We, along with other groups, got early access, so we didn’t have to wait as long as the hundreds of people lining up to purchase tickets.
This is the entrance to the church, which wasn’t open when we arrived, so we toured the monastery, then planned to see the church second.
The architecture of the monastery is amazing. This is the main passageway to the monks ‘cells’.
A door to a ‘cell’. Either the monks were very short, or they just bent down, but I could have bumped my head on this door frame!
The central courtyard. Our guide said when the monastery was active, the grass areas would have had fruit & vegetable gardens growing to feed the community.
Beautiful tile work on the walls of what was the monks dining hall. The story goes that the monks thought it was too distracting and chose to eat their meals elsewhere.
We got a quick peek into the church, but by the time we planned to enter, the line was so long we couldn’t get in in the time allowed, so our tour guide said not to worry, we would see an even more interesting church later. Some of our group was not pleased, but the majority voted to see the rest of the sites and not spend all day in a line to see this church.
Lisbon has incredible cobblestone walkways all over town. The variety of patterns is stunning.
Another bus picture with the weird tint, but the pattern of the cobblestones is amazing.
Lisbon has even erected a monument to the cobblestone workers. The cobblestones are still laid and maintained by hand.
Near the monument are little surprises. This star is no bigger than the palm of my hand. A little later we walked over a heart of similar size.
In the square outside the Church of Saint Dominic.
This is the church we visited instead of waiting in line for the cathedral church.
The Church of Saint Dominic was first built in 1241. It was once the largest Catholic church in Lisbon and the site of Royal weddings, also instrumental in the Inquisition and the Jewish Expulsion. It is notorious for its role in the Lisbon Massacre of 1506. In the square outside the church, parishioners, inflamed by the preaching that day, killed several people suspected of being Jewish. This escalated into a massacre that killed over 4,000 mostly Jewish citizens. A monument has been placed at the site reminding everyone who passes of the awful event.
The church has had an unusual history since the massacre. In 1531 it was partially destroyed by an earthquake. In 1755 it was completely destroyed by another earthquake. It was rebuilt in 1807. In 1959 the interior was all but destroyed by fire. The ceiling was rebuilt, and the interior left mostly bare, so the effects of the fire are very evident. It is sometimes known as ‘The Naked Church’ for the scared, bare marble walls. It seems fitting that scars of the past are a constant reminder to the current congregation of its history.
A random metro station entrance that looks like it belongs in Paris! Lisbon is a beautiful city full of color and artistic details in unexpected places.
The toilet paper scramble continues.
For some reason, the worldwide availability of toilet paper to stock our ship has been an ongoing struggle in every port. We have not had to go without, but we have had a wide variety of brands, quality and sizes of rolls. The lengths the crew has gone to in order to keep us well stocked has been quite extraordinary. Today they scoured the stores and bought 3 cabs full of toilet paper for the ship. You need a whole lot of toilet paper when you have 900 passengers and approximately 460 crewmates on board.
The logistics of restocking the ship is fun to watch. It is a well-orchestrated operation, but it appears paper products are hard to come by, boxes of Kleenex became scarce for a time.
Settling into one of our favorite places on the ship, Deck 2 aft, we leave Lisbon, sailing back down the Targus River to the Atlantic. On our way down the river, we sailed past the Sanctuary of Christ the King statue that overlooks the city. Inspired by Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro, the project was inaugurated in May 1959. The statue was erected to express gratitude because the Portuguese were spared the direct destructive effects of World War II.
Farewell Lisbon! We’d love to come back and spend more time with you. We now sail for the next two days towards the English Channel and the white cliffs of Dover.