December
25-28, 2014
As our Christmas celebration this year, we drove the 370 miles over to Lisbon,
Portugal. The roads were phenomenal, but at a cost with the tolls. Lisbon is
the capital of Portugal and the westernmost large city is the continental
Europe. It is also one of the oldest cities in the world. Lisbon's golden era
was the 16th century with the Age of Discovery. Most famous from Portugal was
Vasco de Gama's expedition to India in 1497. Lisbon was the hub of commerce
between Africa, India, the Far East and Brazil. The Manueline architectural
style is identifiable with a very ornate maritime decoration. The city was
devastated by an earthquake in 1755 that was also felt throughout all of
Europe. The tsunami that followed destroyed much of the rest of the city. Many
of the small towns we have visited in Spain have had evidence of this
remarkable earthquake. Our main destinations during our visit in Lisbon were
the Jerónimos Monastery, the Belem Tower, the Pena Castle, and the Alfama
district. The monastery and tower are UNESCO heritage sites. The Jerónimos Monastery was first built in 1501 and completed 100 years later. The 1755
earthquake damaged several of the interior columns but they have since been
restored. The building has been used as a monastery and exclusive royal family
monument. The Vasco de Gama's thumb is in the main hall. In 2007, the Lisbon
Treaty was signed that was the basis for the reform of the European Union. The
Belem Tower is also of the Manueline style built as a defensive tower and also
ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. The Pena National Palace is a colorful mishmash
of architectural styles built by the German prince Ferdinand on top of an old
monastery. That monastery was destroyed during the 1755 earthquake and was
originally built in the Middle Ages. The current palace was made a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995. The Alfama district is the oldest in
Lisbon. The name is derived from the Arabic word Al-hamma, meaningful fountain
or bath and is characterized by narrow streets and small squares. The food
in Lisbon was really good. We had some seafood dishes that were exceptional.
We also had some Cheesecake in Sintra that was tasty. Lisbon was a
fun, easy trip. English is widely spoken, and the tour guides Spanish was
so clearly pronounced that even we could understand it. Lisbon was on the
expensive side for what you are getting as the nation of Portugal has a 23%
value added tax on all goods and services.
