Well, we certainly didn't let any grass grow under our feet today! It was a bit noisy outside on the street last night as people were eating and drinking at restaurants with outside seating right below our windows but we still managed to get some much needed sleep. By 8:30 a.m. on Monday we were up and out heading for a nearby plaza to catch a taxi to the top of one of the seven hills to Eduardo VII Park to meet our tour guide to bike around the city for four hours Theresa, our Portuguese guide, was wonderful and took us down the hill to the flat part of town to follow the river out to the sea. She was very informative and a true pro.
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| pastel de nata |
We did stop for some
26% alcohol to sample some ginjinna made with bitter cherries. Quite tasty, but I only had a little. After all it was only 10 o'clock in the morning. We pedaled along until our next food stop near a plaza close to our Air B + B down by the river for some traditional Portuguese custard tart called pastel de nata-quite yummy. I am certain we will be sampling more to see which shop makes the best in the country.
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| Belem Tower |
Belem Tower was built around 1515-1520 to protect Lisbon's harbor and along with the church across the way is an example of Manueline architecture with carvings of various shields, ropes to represent the voyages, and coat of arms that made Lisbon a prosperous place many years ago,This was a sight that sailors saw as they left on voyages and the first tower they saw when they returned with god and spices.
When the four hour plus bike tour was over, we rode a tram like sardines in a can to the cloisture (picture on the left) next to Monastery of Jeronimos which was closed today. Then we traveled up a funicular (think cable car) and wandered around the top of yet another hill for a scenic vista.
To the right is a marble map down by the waterfront which was a gift from South Africa following Portugal's explorers as they headed south and eventual west and southwest. Some notable explorers include Eanes, Dias, and Vasco de Gama, From their travels eventually spices from India and Java such as black pepper, cinnamon and curry powder were used to support Portuguese economy through trade. Ivory, diamonds and slaves came from Africa, and more ivory, sugar cane, and gold came from Brazil.
South of Lisbon across the river Tejo is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world built by the same company that built the Golden Gate Bridge, with an additional train deck below the road. We had our lunch down by the river.
For dinner we tried some bacalhau- dried and salted cod that was mixed like a fish cake with melted cheese and fried. It's right on the corner where we are staying.
They have several elevators in the city in case you don't want to walk up the steep streets. We visited the Eleavador de Santa Justa that was 150 feet tall made of iron with Neo-Gothic motifs that connected the lower and upper parts of town. This was built by by an architect in 1902 who studied under Gustav Eiffle
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| Elevador de Santa Justa |
As you can see it was a very fun-filled active day!
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