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Portugal

November 9, 2022 I left San Diego, California for Lisbon, Portugal the beginning of a month long journey on land and sea, visiting many countries on the west side of Africa, ending in Cape town, South Africa on December 9, 2022. After traveling for 26 hours, via London, approaching the landing into the beautiful city of Lisbon, Portugal.

The first morning we set out in Tuk Tuks across the city of Lisbon. Our hilltop hotel in one of Lisbon's most exclusive neighborhoods is the Olissippo Lapa Palace Hotel.

Our tour of the city of Lisbon begins in a Tuk Tuk small electric vehicle zipping in and out of the narrow streets on the hills above the city to down into the city.

Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. It looks like a Roman fortress. The oldest church in the city, it is the seat of the Patriarchate of Lisbon.

Built in 1147, the cathedral has survived many earthquakes and has been modified, renovated and restored several times. It is nowadays a mix of different architectural styles. Next to the Cathedral is Jeronimos Monastery ,The Jerónimos Monastery replaced the church formerly existing in the same place, which was dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém and where the monks of the military-religious Order of Christ provided assistance to seafarers in transit.

Lisbon was conquered by the Moors and stayed under Arab control from the 8th to the 12th century, although Christians were allowed to live in Lisbon and its surroundings. In the year 1147, the city was reconquered by an army composed of Portuguese soldiers and North European crusaders taking part on the Second Crusade . An English crusader named Gilbert of Hastings was placed as bishop, and a new cathedral was built on the site of the main mosque of Lisbon.

To the left of the Cathedral is The National Museum of Archaeology. It is the largest archaeological museum in Portugal and one of the most important museums devoted to ancient art found in the Iberian Peninsula.

Monument of the Discoveries is a monument on the northern bank of the Tagus river estuary, in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon. The Monument to the Discoveries stands 170 Feet tall. This stunning monument was designed to commemorate the Age of Discoveries in Portugal. It was inaugurated in 1960, on the fifth centennial of one of the country’s great discoverers, Prince Henry the Navigator, who discovered the Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde.

The Monument to the Discoveries is made up of a group of sculptures that represent the bow of a small sailing ship constructed by the Portuguese to explore the Atlantic Ocean. Leading the ship is Prince Henry the Navigator and behind him are many other great Portuguese discoverers.

The northern bank of the Tagus river with the 25th de Abril Bridge spanning the river in the distance. The monument is located along the river where ships departed to explore and trade with India and the Orient, the monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery, "Age of Exploration", during the 15th and 16th centuries.

On either side of the slab are ramps that join at the river's edge, with the figure of Henry the Navigator on its edge. On either side of the Infante, along the ramp, are 16 figures, 33 in total, representing figures from the Portuguese Age of Discovery. These great people of the era included monarchs, explorers, cartographers, artists, scientists and missionaries. Each idealized figure is designed to show movement towards the front, the unknown sea then, projecting a direct or indirect participation in the events after Henry.

Tower of Belém, located very close to the Monument of Discovery, was officially the Tower of Saint Vincent, a16th-century fortification, located in Lisbon that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. The tower was built as a fortified lighthouse, 1515–1520, to guard the entrance to the port.

The views of the monument and the city’s western neighborhoods are impressive, but the most beautiful view is a marble mosaic at the foot of the Monument that represents a compass, with a world map in the center. You can see a portion of it in the foreground of the photo.

Driving around Lisbon we came across a protest. Never found out what they were protesting. I was told there is always a protest somewhere daily.

A tourist shop in the downtown area.

View from São Jorge Castle of Lisbon from a look out point above the city.

In the distance is the Cristo Rei Lisbon, next to the 25 de Abril Bridge. The Lisbon statue of Christ the King stands facing the city with open arms in the form of a cross on a 435-foot bluff on the left bank of the Tagus River.

Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 3 million people making it the third largest metropolitan area in the Iberian Peninsula, after Madrid and Barcelona.

Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world and the second-oldest European capital city,after Athens, predating other modern European capitals by centuries.

Among European capitals, Lisbon ranks among those with the warmest winters and has the mildest winter nights out of any major European city.

Lisbon is recognized as a global city because of its importance in finance, commerce, fashion, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education and tourism.

Most of the Portuguese expeditions of the Age of Discovery left Lisbon during the period from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century,

In the distance is the Cristo Rei Lisbon – a gigantic statue of Jesus – stands south of the Lisbon city center across the Tagus River on a hill in Almada. The 92-foot-tall statue of Christ stands on a 269-foot-tall base and is one of the most recognizable of all the Lisbon statues and monuments.

Rossio Square you find the Column of Peter IV, built in 1870, the former King of Portugal. It is located in the Pombaline Downtown of Lisbon and has been one of its main squares since the Middle Ages. It has been the setting of popular revolts and celebrations, bullfights and executions, and is now a preferred meeting place of Lisbon natives and tourists alike.

Shops on both sides of the walking street with outdoor seating in restaurants as you walk the Chiado area.

The Santa Justa Lift ,Elevador de Santa Justa, also called Carmo Lift, is an elevator, in the civil parish of Santa Justa, in the historic center of Lisbon, Portugal. Situated at the end of Rua de Santa Justa, it connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo, Carmo Square.

Walking downtown streets there was this bakery calling. Look at all the sweets just waiting to go home with you.

The Praça do Comércio is a large, harbour-facing plaza in Portugal's capital, Lisbon, and is one of the largest in Portugal,

The Rua Augusta Arch is a stone, memorial arch-like, historical building and visitor attraction in Lisbon, Portugal, on the Praça do Comércio. It was built to commemorate the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake

Arches surrounding the Praca do Comercio.

Does this mean what I think it means? Yep it is the Bastard Fish Bar.

The turn of the 19th century architecture of the buildings to the south of the Rossio Square. The Baixa Pombaline, Downtown is a neighborhood in the historic center of Lisbon, Portugal. It consists of the grid of streets north of the Praça do Comércio, roughly between the Cais do Sodré and the Alfama district beneath the Lisbon Castle.

The Rossio has been a meeting place for people of Lisbon for centuries. Some of the cafés and shops of the square date from the 18th century, like the Café Nicola, where poet Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage used to meet friends.

The building of the Maria II Theatre, behind the Column of Pedro IV in the distance and the Public Gardens to the north of the square only made the area more attended by Lisbon high society in the 19th century. Nowadays it is constantly populated by Lisboners and tourists. The undulating tiles give you the sensation of waves underneath as you walk.

Driving the narrow streets in the hills of Lisbon

The next morning we leave Lisbon and drive to Mafra for the day. Mafra is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, on the west coast of Portugal. Here you see the front of The Palace of Mafra.

Inner gardens of the Palace of Mafra and the Royal Building of Mafra is a monumental Baroque and Neoclassical palace-monastery.

Construction began in 1717 completed in 1755.

The palace, which also served as a Franciscan friary, was built during the reign of King John V.

The ceilings in just this one room are incredible works of art for the time period it was built.

The palace was conveniently located near royal hunting preserves, and was usually a secondary residence for the royal family.

The palace was built symmetrically from a central axis, occupied by the basilica, and continues lengthwise through the main façade until two major towers.

Talk about a short bed length wise. They definitely were not tall in stature.

View from the second floor toward the coast line close by.

Corridors after corridors walking through room after room.

This room was trophies from the hunting nearby.

Mock up of the palace. The facade is 660 feet long. The whole complex covers 113,370 square feet with about 1,200 rooms, more than 4,700 doors and windows, and 156 stairways.

This is the huge library with 30,000 books, embellished with marble, exotic woods and countless artworks taken from France, Flanders and Italy,

The building consisted of a friary capable of sheltering 330 friars, along with a royal palace. The chapel or church included six monumental pipe organs and the two carillon.

Elegant hallways

Elaborate tile front entrance work facing the city and Atlantic Ocean.

The palace was not occupied permanently by the royalty, who considered the rooms too gloomy. Nonetheless, it was a popular destination for the members of the royal family who enjoyed hunting in the nearby game preserve,

The church, built in white marble, is located in the center of the main façade, symmetrically flanked on both sides by the royal palace.

After visiting the palace we drive to a nearby large winery Quinta d Almiara. This is the outside of the main building of the winery. Very modern in design.

The vineyards of the winery.

The family winery we visited.

We were very fortunate to sample reds and white wines from the Quinta da Almiara winery, Very good wines. In addition we had a delightful lunch overlooking the vineyards surrounding the winery. Later we had a tour of the winery.

Departing the winery through rolling hills of grapes and agriculture. A great day in the Portuguese countryside.

The next morning driving out to the countryside again we see the famous bridge 25th of April with the statues closer than we have seen before and the Cristo Rei Lisbon in the background.

We also pass the Monument of Discoveries

Passing also the Tower of Belem. A different view than we saw the second day we were in this area. Much less congested from this view.

Driving along the spectacularly scenic coast route.

Beautiful beaches

Surfing is very popular here in Lisbon. If I did not know it I would think I was back in Southern California and not Portugal.

We arrive in the town of Sintra a beautiful town nestled in the forested foothills of the Sintra Mountains. A major tourist destination famed for its picturesqueness, the municipality has several historic palaces, castles, parks and gardens.

Narrow and steep steps lead to a number of tourist shops, a cantina or two and magnificent views.

Stairs wrap around the entrance to a cantina.

Narrow entrance to a corner Cantina after climbing a number of stairs with more to go higher also.

The buildings in the central square of São Martinho, across from the Sintra National Palace and Museum in the village of Sintra.

Outside Restaurant for eating and a coffee

Different view of the Palace Museum.

The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra,

It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world

The castle's history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra.

For centuries Pena was a small, quiet place for meditation, housing a maximum of eighteen monks. It was the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 that destroyed everything. .

For many decades the ruins remained untouched, but they still astonished young prince Ferdinand. In 1838, as King consort Ferdinand II, he decided to acquire the old monastery, all of the surrounding lands, He then set out to transform the remains of the monastery into a palace that would serve as a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family.

In 1889 it was purchased by the Portuguese State, and after the Republican Revolution of 1910 it was classified as a national monument and transformed into a museum. Notice all the different styles of tile used on the walls and floor of the patio area..

Dining room

Looking down at the patio area from the floor above.

Looking out across the countryside from one of the outdoor patios.

Photo of myself at the top of the Palace with the view in the background of the countryside.

View of the countryside from the Palace.

View from the Palace patio.

Tourists line up for more than an hour waiting to get into the palace to see it.

Tourists below waiting in the line to get in after purchasing admission tickets.

Walking around the interior..

The kitchen is very unique

The evening of November 12, 2022 we boarded our Regent ship, SS Voyager, in Lisbon, Portugal and set sail for Portimao, Portugal. The next morning we arrived in Portimao and boarded buses and drove inland to the Algave region and the unique Village of Silves with its white washed houses set in narrow streets.

Walking the cobble stone streets of Silves.

It is early Sunday morning in Silves and the town is just waking up as we arrive by uses from the ship.

The Se Cathedral - The mighty Gothic cathedral that was constructed on the site of a Moorish Mosque, and was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1755.

The Castle of Silves is a castle in the civil parish of Silves in the municipality of Silves in the Portuguese Algarve.

From archaeological excavations, it is assumed that the first fortress on this site around 201 B.C. The Romans conquered Silves, transforming it into a citadel of their occupation, and commercial center that prospered for the next five centuries.

The fortress would go from the Romans to the Moors, to the Christians, to the Greeks, and back to the Moors and then to other rulers and to a number of other conquers through the many centuries. The castles internal water catchment, and large rain fed underground cistern were used to provide freshwater for the surrounding dwellings to as late as the 1920s.

View from the Castle towers looking down at Silves.

Another view of Silves from the castle walls and towers.

A stork nest

Within its courtyard are various subterranean structures, with accesses at soil level

Inside the Se Cathedral

The Plaza in the old part of town next to the Castle.

Narrow streets with little parking in the old part of Silves

A great way to display fresh oranges for orange juice on a Sunday Morning.

The castle to the left in the photo on top of the hill

Photo of the Se Cathedral in the distance on the hill

Village of Monchique

A Sunday market open for fresh fruit and vegetables in town.

Across the narrow street from the market in Monchique a white washing home with beautiful colored plants.

Train for children to play on while parents shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at the open market.

Driving back to the ship we stop and walk through a small area hidden in a nearby canyon, Caldas de Monchique, with mineral springs and steaming mineral water. Small hotels abound in the area. This is one of small hotels. .

We return to our ship and set sail for our next stop in the Canary Islands.

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