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| Very exclusive |
Our hotel was fabulous (also one of the more expensive ones on our trip).
Only five months old, the Torel Palace sits at the top of a hill between the Avenida da Liberdade and the Castle of São Jorge.
Once we parked the car, we didn't need it until we left. Instead, we used a funicular (the Elevador do Lavra - one of three funiculars in the city).
Otherwise, it would have been s steep hike up.
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| The decor was an interesting mix of modern and classical |
Each room is "inspired" by an Portuguese queen
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| Our room was inspired by Queen Isabel |
The staff was very accommodating -- even greeting us with glasses of port.
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| A nice place for a drink; Photo: Scott Stevens |
About Lisbon
With a metropolitan population of 2.7 million, Lisbon is the
capital of and largest city in Portugal and the 11th-most populous urban area
in the European Union.
It is also one of the oldest cities in the world, and
the oldest in Western Europe.
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| Red tile roofs are the thing |
During the Neolithic period, the region was inhabited by Pre-Celtic
tribes that built religious and funerary monuments, megaliths, monoliths and
dolmen portal tombs that still survive today (although we didn't really see anything that looked that old). The Indo-European Celts invaded
in the 1st millennium BC, mixing with the existing population, giving rise to
Celtic-speaking local tribes. Phoenician
influences date back to 1200 BC, where a trading post occupied the center of
the present city and the sheltered harbor in the Tagus River estuary provided a
secure port for provisioning ships traveling to the Islands of Tin (modern
Isles of Scilly) and Cornwall. The settlement was also an important trade
center for inland tribes, providing an outlet for valuable metals, salt, salted
fish and horses. The area was named Olissipo for Ulysses, who, according to
legend, founded the settlement after he left Troy.
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| Modern buildings in the midst of history |
Following the defeat of Hannibal in the Punic Wars, the
Romans captured the Iberian Peninsula and obtained the alliance of Olissipo by
integrating it into the empire. It was granted self-rule and citizens were
given the privileges of Roman citizenship. Lusitanian raids and rebellions during
Roman occupation necessitated the construction of a wall around the settlement. Many of Roman ruins were first unearthed during the mid-18th century
when the discovery of Pompeii made Roman archaeology fashionable among Europe's
upper classes.
Following the fall of the Roman Empire, Olissipo was ruled
by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century. In 585, it was integrated
into the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo, which comprised all of the Iberian
Peninsula. Lisbon was then called Ulishbona.
In 711, Lisbon was taken by Muslims, who built mosques and
houses, rebuilt the city wall and established administrative control, while
permitting the diverse population (Muladi, Mozarabs, Berbers, Arabs, Jews, Zanj
and Saqaliba) to maintain their socio-cultural lifestyles. Muslim Lisbon was
the home of explorers who penetrated deep into the Atlantic, possibly actually
reaching America, predating by several centuries the role Christian explorers
from the same city would later play. The Muslim influence is still very evident in the widespread use of tile on buildings throughout the city ...
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| Tiles are everywhere |
... as well as in the design of the Castle of São Jorge, which dominates the city.
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| Moorish castle |
In 1147, as part of the Reconquista, crusaders led by Afonso
I of Portugal besieged and reconquered Lisbon. Many Muslims converted to Roman
Catholicism and those who didn't fled to other parts of Islamic world -- mostly
Spain and North Africa. All mosques were either destroyed or converted into
churches.
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| Very classical |
Lisbon became the capital of the new Portuguese territory in
1255. In 1384, the Portuguese repelled a Castilian siege. During the last
centuries of the Middle Ages, the city expanded and became an important trading
post with both Northern European and Mediterranean cities.
Most of the Portuguese Age of Discovery expeditions left
from Lisbon during the 15th to 17th centuries.
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| Monument to the Discoveries, featuring Henry the Navigator |
In the 16th century, the city
was the European hub of commerce between Africa, India, the Far East and,
later, Brazil. It acquired great riches through trade in spices, slaves, sugar,
textiles and other goods.
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| Marquess of Pombal |
In 1755, the city was destroyed by an earthquake that killed
an estimated 15-20 percent of a population (30,000-40,000 people) and destroyed
85 percent of the city's structures.
After the earthquake, the prime minister, who was also the
Marquess of Pombal (that's a statue of him) demolished what remained after the earthquake and rebuilt
the city center in accordance with principles of modern urban design.
The lower
town, known as the Baixa Pombalina (Pombaline central district), followed an
open rectangular plan with two great squares: the Praça do Rossio and the Praça
do Comércio.
The first, the central commercial district, is the traditional
gathering place of the city and the location of the cafés, theatres and
restaurants ...
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| A little Art Deco |
... the second is the city's main access to the River Tagus and point
of departure and arrival for seagoing vessels.
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| A cruise ship |
In the early 19th century, Portugal was invaded by Napoléon,
forcing the rulers to flee temporarily to Brazil. By the time the king returned
to Lisbon, many of the buildings were pillaged, sacked or destroyed by the
invaders.
During the 19th century, tobacconists, cafés, bookstores,
clubs and theaters proliferated.
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| A nice building |
During
World War II, Lisbon was one of the few neutral, open European Atlantic ports,
a major gateway for refugees to the U.S. and a haven for spies. More than
100,000 refugees fled Nazi Germany via Lisbon.
The beautiful Avenida de Liberdade is the main thoroughfare of the historic area.
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| It has a remarkable cobblestone mosaic plus lots of statues peeking out of the foliage |
The city is quite lovely.
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| Lots of charm |
The Alfama
The oldest district of Lisbon, the Alfama spreads down the
southern slope from the Castle of São Jorge to the River Tagus. During the
Islamic invasion of Iberia, the Alfama constituted the largest part of the
city, extending west to the Baixa neighborhood. Increasingly, fishermen and the
poor inhabited the Alfama.
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| Good shoes are a must |
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| Still hanging on |
While the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake caused considerable
damage throughout the capital, the Alfama survived, thanks to its compact
labyrinth of narrow streets and small squares. It is an historical quarter of
mixed-use buildings occupied by Fado bars, restaurants and homes with small
shops downstairs. Modernizing trends have invigorated the district: old houses have
been re-purposed or remodeled, while new buildings have been constructed.
We had quite a treat in the Alfama, when we had dinner at a Fado house. I will discuss this in detail in my next blog post.
Castelo de São Jorge
Santa Justa Elevator
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| Lots and lots of steps |
Lisbon is built on seven hills, so even if you can read a map, you have to be careful because you might find yourself a block away, but 400 feet lower. Then, it is quite a climb.
The hills of Lisbon have always presented a problem for
accessibility, especially when people traveled on foot or by horse. Initially, the issue was handled with numerous staircases tucked in alleyways all across the city.
But, the Industrial Age brought a better solution. They built a series of elevators to get you from one city level to another
The only remaining one, the Santa
Justa Elevador connects the lower streets of the Baixa neighborhood with the higher Largo do
Carmo (Carmo Square).
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| An interesting structure |
Seven stories high, it has two elevator cabins decorated
in wood, mirrors and windows that can each hold 29 people (although, when you ride up, they don't let quite that many people in).
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| Very ornate |
The structure has a
dozen transverse beams, forming a double lattice. On top is a kiosk and
lookout, with panoramic views of the city, while two spiral staircases make
connections to the floors below.
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| This just screams of an earlier age |
A metal bridge crosses to the hill on the side ...
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| The real reason for the elevator |
The bridge and awning were inaugurated in 1901 and elevator cars were added in 1902. Originally powered by steam, it was
converted to electricity in 1907. The elevator is decorated in Neo-Gothic ironwork.
Since iron was a new material at the time of construction, the structure and
elevators were considered a magical innovation and portent of a modern age.
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| An ironwork marvel |
Se Catedral
Lisbon's ancient cathedral was built on the site of an old
mosque in 1150 for the city's first bishop, English crusader Gilbert of
Hastings.
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| The facade |
On the outside, its two bell towers and rose window resemble a
medieval fortress. Inside, it is predominantly Romanesque, with a Gothic choir
and ambulatory (an aisle around the apse or a cloister).
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| From a distance |
We went by, but didn't go in.
Belém Tower
Many of the great Portuguese explorers set off on their
voyages from Belém, particularly Vasco da Gama departing for India in 1497 and
Pedro Álvares Cabral for Brazil in 1499. The neighborhood features the 17th-18th
century Belém Palace, a former royal residence now occupied by the President of
Portugal, and the Ajuda Palace, begun in 1802 but never completed. Most famous the
Torre de Belém (Tower of Belem), which was built between1515-1520 as a
fortified lighthouse to guard the entrance to the port.
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| This is worth the trip! |
Belém's other major
historical building is the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (covered below), which
the Torre de Belém was built partly to defend.
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| Wild! |
When I visited, the wind was so strong that waves from the river were cresting over the walkway. Needless to say, no one was going in the tower!
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| I would rather watch this than go inside |
Monument to the Discoveries
Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) sits on the northern bank of the Tagus River estuary where ships departed to explore and trade with India and Orient. It celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or Age of Exploration) during the 15th and 16th centuries.
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| A magnificent statue |
It was conceived in 1939 as a temporary beacon during the Portuguese World Fair in 1940. The monument was originally a temporary construction that was destroyed in 1943. Between 1958 and 1960, the new monument was constructed in cement and rose-tinted stone and the statues sculpted from limestone. The new project was enlarged from the original 1940 model as part of the commemorations to celebrate the fifth centennial of the death of Infante Henry the Navigator.
The monument features statues of 33 explorers with the figure of Henry the Navigator on its edge. The side that faces the street looks like a sword.
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| CW: Henry, all the explorers, the sword back, close-up of one of the explorers |
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery, (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) is a monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome located in the Belém area of Lisbon.
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| Mosteiro dos Jerónimos |
The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. Construction of the monastery and church began in 1501 and was completed 100 years later. King Manuel I selected the religious order of Hieronymite monks to occupy the monastery, whose role it was to pray for the King's eternal soul and to provide spiritual assistance to navigators and sailors who departed from the port of Restelo to discover lands around the world.
The monastery was occupied by monks until 1833, when the religious orders were dissolved and the monastery was abandoned. It now houses the National Archaeological Museum) and the Maritime Museum.
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| It now houses the National Archaeological Museum) and the Maritime Museum |
25 de Abril Bridge
The suspension bridge that crosses the Tagus River is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and was actually built by the company that constructed the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, but not the Golden Gate. With a total length of 7,450 ft., it is the 27th largest suspension bridge in the world. The upper deck carries six car lanes, while the lower deck carries two train tracks. Until 1974, the bridge was named Salazar Bridge. The name "25 de Abril" commemorates the Carnation Revolution, which overthrew Salazar.
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| Spanning the Tagus |
As you look across the bridge, you can also see the Christ the statue on the opposite shore.
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| The distant statue |
Yummy Food
In addition to touring, we also ate. Our favorite place was the Time Out! Mercado.
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| The food was just as good as the food in Spain |
Time Out! features both fish and flower markets and a number of food-court style upscale restaurants.
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| Time Out! is a very silly name |
I had some delicious pumpkin risotto and Scott had frango assado (grilled chicken) with spicy piripiri sauce.
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| So delicious; Left photo: Scott Stevens |
It's a great place to eat and people watch.
Graffiti and Cleanup
One of the things we found disturbing was the plethora of graffiti - even on statues and historic buildings.
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| Why? |
And, as in most cities we visited, lots of reconstruction is underway.
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| Work in progress |
I highly recommend Lisbon.
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| It is a beautiful city |
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| We enjoyed it |
Trip date: April 25-May 15, 2015
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