Saturday, May 8, 2010

Lisbon and leaving continental Europe

Tuesday, May 4, 2010 – Lisbon – departing from Europe and heading home
Lisbon is positioned on seven low hills beside the north side of the Rio Tejo (Tagus) that once lured traders and settlers. On every visit, I enjoy it more and more. Today was a definite highlight and one that reminds me I need to return more often.

Overlooking the south bank of the Tagus River, a 752-foot figure representing Christ the Redeemer towers on a hilltop; this is very similar to the statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

At its heart are wide, tree-lined avenues graced by Art Nouveau buildings, mosaic pavement and street cafes. Seen from the river, it is an impressionist picture of low-rise ochre and pastel, punctuated by church towers and domes. The city is a mix of vibrant blue and white painted tiles, cobblestone laneways, wildly extravagant Manueline architecture, melancholy fado singing, funiculars, fun and more than a touch of the medieval.

We ventured off to the local train and a nice man assisted us in purchasing a 24-hour transportation ticket – the wrong one!! We had purchased a 24-hour ticket for round trip travel between two stops, which were easily walkable! Yech. There were six of us and we went to the customer service center and their first reaction was “Sorry, folks” but we gently persuaded them to refund our money and point us in the direction of the kiosk for the correct ticket.

On we went…on the bus and tram trying to get up to the Castelo do San Jorge, which we finally found four hours later! But we had fun getting there—a tram ride took us to the Royal Basilica da Estrela, the most outstanding 18th century monument in the city, which we were NOT looking for but we did have an interesting visit. It took 11 years to complete with large quantities of grey, pink and ochre marble, houses the Empire-style tomb of Queen Maria the 1st and there are imposing paintings on the sides of the altar. It was magnificent. After walking around the interior, a lady suddenly came up to us and asked us to follow her. In a back room there is a private and impressiveglass-enclosed nativity scene with more than 500 figures by sculptor Machado de Castro. We walked through the impressive gardens across the street from the church.

On the next tram we went to the end of the line, to realize we should have gotten off three stops earlier! So we get on another tram to re-trace our steps and finally found the castle.

Built in the 5th century by the Visigoths, enlarged by the Moors in the 9th century and then modified again in the 11th and 12th centuries when Lisbon was an important Muslin coastal city, the Castelo de Sao Jorge (castle) is now a flower garden. With incredible views of the city, there are several buildings to wander through, a wide wall to walk on, plus a museum and periscope in the Ulysses Tower. It became a Royal Palace but was destroyed in an earthquake in 1755. We ate lunch overlooking the city, seated beside the cannons; the view was impressive with the pastel-colored buildings and clear sky above.

The periscope: Legend has it that the city was founded by Ulysses. The tower, which was named after him and where the Royal Archive was kept in the old days, houses an optical system invented by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 16th century. It is the only one in Portugal and we were one of only 12 people to attend a show (given every half hour) giving a 360 degree view of the city in real time.

On a miniature bus (since the streets are narrow and cobblestone) we rode down the hill and continued on another bus and found our way to the Praca do Rossio, the center of the city, and Praca do Restauradores, both were large wide squares with tall monuments. Shops and cafes surrounded the squares and we rode the Ascensor da Gloria, a funicular/San Francisco-style tram for the fun of it - up and down - a round trip. The tram was probably from the 1950s (or older) with wooden slatted seats and took us up a steep path. There are several trams and funiculars in the city – some are like elevators (up/down in a building) and some are trams (up/down on steep hills).

We were six friends together – 3 men and 3 women – and here we had a slight encounter with two men who apparently were trying to get into a friend’s pocket. The other friend could see the would-be robber put his coat over his arm and work his way closer to the our friend, touching his arm and trying to appear like he was being pushed closer. Our friend hit him on the arm and the man jumped away. The accomplice went up to Gene and got closer and Gene elbowed him in the ribs and that man jumped back and started screaming at Gene. All this as we were boarding a bus. The driver must have seen it but said nothing – which was unnerving. But nothing was taken and no one was hurt. Other passengers have reported robberies, mostly in the larger cities we have visited on this itinerary, so we were extremely fortunate -- good to travel in people-packs and keep an eye out for each other.

We found our way to the Praca do Comercio (Black Horse Square), where the Pope will be preaching next Tuesday. They were busy setting up the TV cameras and scaffolding. The Royal Palace once stood here but was destroyed by an earthquake. It is 630 feet long and 581 feet wide – HUGE – and lined on three sides by classical buildings. One side boasts a 19th century Baroque triumphal arch and there is an equestrian statue of King Jose I (cast in bronze and the reason for the square also being known as Black Horse).

We ended the day in Belem, where the caravels sailed off to conquer the great unknown. Today this riverside precinct is known for their monument to the nation’s Age of Discovery. It is 171 feet tall and erected in 1960 on the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. It represents the prow of a ship with the prince pointing the way to a crowd of important figures.

We went to the Mosteiro (monastery) dos Jeronimos, an impressive masterpiece of Portugal’s power and wealth during the Age of Discovery. It was built in 1502 by King Manuel I to commemorate Vasco Da Gama’s voyage and to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success. It is incredibly beautiful and some passengers from the ship found out a boy’s choir from Newark, NJ was going to be singing there while on their tour to Spain and Portugal and were able to hear them sing – how great that must have been!!
It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nearby is the Torre de Belem, a Manueline tower built between 1515-1519 in the middle of the Tagus River to defend the river mouth and monastery. It now sits on the north shore as the earthquake in 1755 altered the course of the river! It is architectural gem; a Romanesque-Gothic structure with loggias like those in Veniced and small domes like those in Morocco. Facing the sea, there is a statue of Our Lady of Safe Homecoming.

I enjoyed an ice cream and we wandered around enjoying the bright sunshine and soaking up the atmosphere. This is our last port on the mainland Europe – hard to believe it will all be over soon.

We were docked under the 25 de Abril Bridge (named after their day of revolution), a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon to the municipality of Almada on the left bank of the Tagus River. It is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge – 7740 feet long, the 17th largest suspension bridge in the world.

Mike Goddard, a comedian entertained us. The Captain attended both shows so we knew we would enjoy the evening.

We took a quick walk by the marina near the ship to discover (too late!) wonderful restaurants with outdoor dining (heaters and blankets supplied when necessary) and free WIFI, which we discovered too late. Colorful sailaway from Europe

Received pillow gifts from the ship – luggage tags and straps with map of the world pattern.

“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you’ll see obstacles.” – Jon Alama

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 – Venturing into the Atlantic Ocean
Gray and overcast all day with rocky seas, we slept late. Had a small group showing in the theatre of the DVD of the Batumi Georgia folk dancing, lunch with friends, chances to win more dollars at shuffleboard and ping pong, worked, “Young Queen Victoria” movie and dinner with friends, walked two miles.

Where do the hours go??
You tell others on land what you have done on the ship and it today may sound like a carefree or you’ve got to be kidding-type of day, but on the ship, it is all about friendships. The activities keep you young at heart. Many of the passengers are in wheelchairs or use walkers but they are still traveling. Travel is possible if you have the desire.

“Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go and you learn at once how big and precious it is.” - Anonymous

Thursday, May 6, 2010 – Sea day
Dolphin racing and I made it to the semi-finals!
Bocce ball, Stargazing at Sea lecture, production show entitled “Remember When”, Indonesian Tea with batik tablecloths and different sweets with rice and mango (Yum!), Virtual tour of the Bridge, lunch with friends, Haute Chocolate Trivia, walked two miles.
Donnie Abraham, singer from Ohio, was the entertainer. We enjoyed him last year also with this Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers and BJ Thomas songs.

“Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.” - Eleanor Roosevelt