We REALLY wanted to take a day trip to Sintra (as you know from previous posts), but unfortunately the nearby wildfires caused the closure of the castles, parks and palaces that are up on the hill - and it was closed for the entire time we were in Portugal, so we were unable to go.
But don't worry. There is PLENTY to see in Lisbon! We decided to venture back to the Alfama to see the (now open) Lisbon Cathedral since it had been closed when we got there the day before. The Martim Moniz metro stop features these cute little guys, who are historic figures in Portuguese history! These fellas were Bishops during the second crusade.
We hopped back on the 12E (not so crowded) and went back up into the Alfama neighborhood to visit the Cathedral.
Ooooo that rose window in the Lisbon Cathedral is *chef's kiss*! This rose window was built using fragments of the previous windows (you know... when it was destroyed in an earthquake!)
Don't worry, my phone can still make it look weird!
There has been a church here since 1147, but of course, like many other churches, it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Because of this, it's a good mix of different styles like Gothic, Neoclassical, Rococo, and Romanesque.
Upstairs, you can go out on a balcony and get a nice view of Alfama neighborhood in Lisbon (although very different from the views at the Castle up the hill!)
More great views of the orange roof tops and the 25th of April bridge!
Back inside, they have a small museum dedicated to the various vestments and liturgical items, including the above sedia (chair) and flabella (liturgical fans), all from the 1700s. The Patriarchate of Lisbon is a liturgical church, which is given certain rights and privileges from the Holy See. The use of these items is one of them.
AND... I couldn't take a picture of the Lisbon Cathedral Monstrance (or the King Jose Monstrance as it is known) but this thing was AMAZING! It's made of 17 kilograms of gold, and has over 4,000 diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pink sapphires, emeralds, and other gems! AND it's almost 3 feet high! (Photo: Liturgicalartsjournal.com)
Back inside the church, there are various chapels you can visit with pretty stained glass. I'm a sucker for stained glass.
Kathleen stopped to light a candle and say a few prayers to Mary for the health of Grammi and Bean.
You might miss this room if you blink! You can't go in- you can only see it through glass, but there is a small room of liturgical vestments from the 18th century.
The kiddos lit candles and placed them in front of the beautiful pieta.
The two candles on the far right are Natalie and Grant's candles.
I thought the doors into and out of the Lisbon Cathedral were funny. Watch your step!
Once outside, we waited over by the Church of Saint Anthony for a trolly - not this one tough. This is the famous number 28 tram!
We hopped on the 12 and Todd snapped a cute pic of the kids hanging out the tram windows when we were at a red light.
We made our way back to Praça da Figueira where you get a nice view of the Castle of Saint George (where we were the day before). But at this point, we were on a very important mission!
It was time for A Ginjinha!
What is a ginjinha? It's a sour cherries mixed with brandy and sugar! They have perfected it here at A Ginjinha, which has been open since 1840!
Todd was ready to drink some cherries fermented in brandy!
Felicidades from the adults who are having Ginjinha!
Ahhhh, there you are, you beautiful manhole cover of Lisbon.
At this point, everyone was hungry so we decided to grab some lunch at Figus, which was excellent! From where we were sitting, I could see this cute little lamp hanging with a little decorative boat on it!
They even sold beer by the Maß! Grant looks unamused because he knows what is coming.
Felicidades!
Natalie said her pesto pasta was the best meal she had in Lisbon!
Grant had what we declared was the worlds biggest burger. I think he ate half!
This photo made me laugh. Natalie looks sad (or grumpy?), I'm clearly hanging on every word Kathleen is saying across from me and Lynne might be sleeping! HA!
After lunch, we hit up the famous Confeitaria Nacional for some pastries and coffee.
This delicious bakery was founded in 1829 and used to be the official confectioner of the royal family. Todd enjoyed some Pastéis de Nata and an espresso...
While I similarly had a Pastéis de Nata and a cappuccino! Grant had a Bolas de Berlim (Berlin?) which is similar to a Berliner (or a German jelly donut.)
After our dessert break, we headed up Rua Áurea, which is one of several busy streets that connect Rossio Square with Commerce Square in the Baixa.
The Santa Justa Lift is also just off of Rua Áurea. This elevator takes you from the Baixa area up to Largo do Carmo, but without all of the cardio from the hills or steps you would otherwise have to take.
Interestingly, this elevator (which takes you up approximately 150 feet, or about 7 floors) was designed by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard who was a follower of Gustave Eiffel. It was inaugurated in 1902. Also: Check out the purple statue of the girl on the support beam to the elevator walkway above. This is "Sofia" and is a work of art by an unknown (because that is their preference) artist named Superlinox. I read an interview with them about this statue and they said, "Sofia is a woman full of conviction, self-esteem and self-love, who does not tolerate crumbs!" A girl after my own heart! Notice that she is holding a Dust Buster!
We strolled down Rua Áurea until we finally found Commerce Square and all of the fun things that surround it, including the Ministry of Justice with it's long hallway that leads you to the Arco da Rua Augusta.
I stood under this with Grant and I said, "What does this remind you of?" and Grant immediately responded with "The Arch de Triomphe!" So true! Construction didn't start on the Arch de Triomphe in Paris until 1805, but even though construction started on the Arco da Rua Augusta in 1755 just after the big earthquake - it wasn't officially finished until 1873!
This one isn't NEARLY as big as the one in Paris but the detail is equally as beautiful.
Surrounding Commerce Square is the former Royal Palace of Ribeira, although those buildings were all destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. In the center of Commerce Square stands a statue of King Jose I, who was king of Portugal when the great earthquake, tsunami and fire occurred. Interestingly, the earthquake caused him to become severely claustrophobic, and he never lived behind walls again, instead resorting to tents where his court would be held until he died in 1777.
Grant saw this helicopter and hilariously said, "Look! It's an official helicopter of Romania!" (That's the flag colors!)
As I said, Commerce Square is surrounded by what used to be the Ribeira Palace, home to the kings and queens of Portugal for 250 years preceding the great earthquake of 1755. The palace was never rebuilt as a residence for the monarchy, but they designed these government offices, museums and restaurants to look a bit reminiscent the old royal palace!
You can see that Commerce Square sits right on the Tagus and that it gives rise to the Alfama neighborhood to its east.
Awww, I love this picture of KK and Grant with the statue of King Jose I in the background.
It's so funny when Todd and I take the same picture but from different angles. HA!
At the shoreline of Commerce Square is a small public beach. We stopped at Paço d'Água Bar for a couple of take away beverages (and ice cream for the kids) and walked down to the beach for a closer look.
Here is Grant down at the Tagus River with the Cais das Colunas or the Columns Pier. These columns were completed in the late 1700s but were taken down a few times (and replaced) - most recently replaced in 2008 after an 11 year hiatus for the development of the metro Blue Line nearby. Queen Elizabeth II walked through these columns (via a small boardwalk from her boat to the land) when she visited Lisbon in 1957!
The Columns Pier is aligned with the Statue of King Jose I, as well as the Arco da Rua Augusta.
Naturally, I had to snap more pictures of cool ceramic tiles on the facades of buildings in Lisbon as we made our way back to the Cais do Sodré.
We passed by Municipal Square on our way to the train that we would take back to the apartment. City Hall (just to the right in this picture - sorry, didn't capture it here) is the sight of the proclamation that Portugal was no longer ruled by the Monarchy and had officially become a Republic. You can see the Pillory of Lisbon in the center of the square.
We finally made it to Cais do Sodré with it's fantastic, train station-like decoration in the entrance area!
We had to stop at the grocery store on the way back for a little dinner since everyone was tired and we had to get up super early for our flight to Frankfurt the next morning. Kern had actually taken this picture at some point - but I also took it because the Portuguese are known for their cod! Look at all of that fish!
Alas, I FINALLY found the very last thing on my scratch off food map - JUST IN TIME! You know I have to eat the items IN the country of their origin, so I was able to scratch all three foods off the map.
We had such a fantastic time in Portugal (despite the heat and our besties getting COVID!) and look forward to coming back and visiting more of the country!
Until next time, Portugal!
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