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| San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and Rio de Janeiro's "Christ the Redeemer" in the same picture? |
When it comes to withstanding the test of time, Lisbon does it as well as any European city. It was established in 1200 BC, making it centuries older than Rome, Paris and London. Today Lisbon is a sprawling city that continues to honor it's past while looking toward a positive future.
At the present time there are around 2.7 million residents in the Lisbon metropolitan area. This means that roughly 30 percent of all Portuguese citizens are living here.
As with any large metropolitan area it's broken down into smaller districts or neighborhoods called Barrios. We're staying in the Baixa Barrio, which was established in the 13th century.
Things were going well around here and for Portugal in general in the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese explorers were busy establishing trade routes with Asia, specifically China and India. Unfortunately the city was almost completely destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1755. It was rebuilt and today the Baixa Barrio is considered the central barrio of Lisbon. It's quite lively with numerous pedestrian only streets lined with shops and outdoor cafes, a large plaza along the waterfront, a busy cruise terminal and much more. During our stay we are planning to explore as much of the city as we possibly can. Today was our first full day and I think we got off to a really nice start.
Our game plan was to go to spend the day in the Belem Barrio. This district is located about four and a half miles from where we are staying and is the setting for many of the cities main attractions. There were a couple of options on getting there but we chose the most scenic route, walking. The walk was along the Tagus River waterfront along a paved, flat path which made it very enjoyable. As with any good waterfront path, there were plenty of benches along the way, so we didn't set any records for speed. The walk took us past waterside restaurants and cafes, a marina, as well as numerous museums including an ultra modern building known as the MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology). It also featured something that I think it's safe to say you won't find together any where else on the planet. Across the river there is a statue that is a replica of Rio de Janeiro's famous "Christ the Redeemer". Not only is he overlooking the city of Lisbon, but he is also overlooking the April 25 Bridge, which is a suspension bridge that looks very similar to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
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| The rooftop observatory of the MAAT |
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| The MAAT from the walking path |
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| Springtime in Lisbon! |
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| The Lisbon Marina |
There are numerous sites in Belem not to be missed. Actually most of them are so large they would be hard to miss! These include the Monument of the Discoveries which pays tribute to Portugal's "Age of Discovery/Exploration" which was during the 15th and 16th century. A little further along the waterfront is the Belem Tower (a UNESCO World Heritage site) that served as a fortress protecting both the port and the city. Past the tower is the war memorial that is dedicated to soldiers of the Portuguese army that died in combat. Crossing the street, just off the water is the massive Jeronimos Monastery and church. This structure was originally built in the 15th century. We've been in a lot of churches across many of the European countries and this one is one of the best. Further inland you'll find numerous parks and busy café lined streets, which on a sunny day like today, was filled with locals and tourists enjoying all the Belem Barrio had to offer.
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| Monument of Discoveries |
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| Monument of Discoveries |
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| Monument of Discoveries |
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| Belem Tower |
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| This picture of the Belem Tower was taken while sitting on a park bench...……..not a bad place to rest for a few minutes! |
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| War Memorial-In addition to the monument there is an eternal flame in the middle, and the names of those killed in action are inscribed on the wall in the background |
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| The Jeronimos Monastery and Church |
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| Inside the Jeronimos Church |
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| The Jeronimos Church |
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| Another park, another bench and another monument..........say hello to Alfonso de Albuquerque, a Portuguese general from the 1500's. He was known as "The Great", "The Terrible", "The Caesar of the East", "The Lion of the Sea" and "The Portuguese Mars"........I guess it just depended on who you were talking to! No, Albuquerque New Mexico is not named after him! |
In the middle of the day we enjoyed a nice lunch at a festival that was taking place in a park. We needed the nourishment for the walk back. The pace was a little slower and for the day we easily covered over fifteen miles. Tired, but happy feet!
