According to fanciful legend, Ulysses established Lisbon. Scholars and less romantically inclined observers argue that Phoenician sailors were probably the first settlers - at least they were the first to be documented. Later, explorers led by Vasco da Gama, departed from Lisbon in search of a route to India. Instead, they discovered new lands. Sailors under command of Pedro Alvares Cabral reached Brazil.
In 1755 the majority of Lisbon’s buildings were completely destroyed by a massive earthquake that they continue to talk about today. In 1834 all of the monasteries and convents were ousted with the extinction of the religious orders and they were all confiscated and sold off to private owners.
We have scheduled another tour with Top Day Tours for today. We consist of six plus Antonio, our guide. On our agenda is an overview of Lisbon with its ancient now defunct monasteries, and the towns of Sintra and Estoril. In old Lisboa we encounter steep narrow cobbled streets that are barely wide enough to accommodate our vehicle without scraping the sides of buildings on either side. In some cases pedestrians must turn, back against the wall to avoid our side mirrors. Antonio is not as forthcoming with historic information as our other guides have been. He rushes almost willy nilly from one place to the next with little explanation until both Michelle and I begin to throw questions at him. Some he gives grudging information about, others he just says “it’s a building, nothing to know about it.” Oh boy, this is gonna be a
fuuun day. He seems more interested in showing us all the five star hotels and the million dollar plus condos.
Finally he stops so we can take a few pictures at the top of a boulevard overlooking the city and the sea. It appears to be some kind of commemorative, possibly for Portuguese independence, mind you I speak even less Portuguese than I do Spanish or Italian, but how would we know since all our Antonio says is it’s a good place for pictures and views, nothing more. I have spotted a very old woman and her husband selling dishtowels and other souvenirs on the sidewalk just up from us. Antonio doesn’t look very happy when I approach and start looking at her offerings. He has already said he will take us to a shop in Sintra for our shopping. Still, I like to buy early and at a reasonable price and in most cases have found that local sidewalk vendors off the beaten path and not in a storefront have better bargains. So I buy embroidered dishtowels for E1 each and return to the van. Now it has become a challenge to see how much information Antonio will give without verbal cues. He keeps asking what we want to see and do. We keep telling him we want to see his country and learn as much as we can in this one day that we have. We tell him we consider him the professional and will put ourselves in his hands. He doesn’t want any part of it so he asks again what we want to see and do, but he could take us here or there he says. Ooookay, well we will get it figured out I’m sure by the end of the day. And if not, Lisbon will be here next time and Antonio will not make a very good tip today. Mr Passive/Aggressive will not get the best of us!
That decision made, off we go to Sintra, another cobbled partially walled town that has great architecture and beautiful scenery ranging from gently rolling hills to steep rocky mountains with chasms of sheer rock covered in trees that cling to life by sheer terror and determination. Our ultimate destination here is Parque e Palacio da Pena (The Park & Palace of Pena’) built between 1842 and 1854 by Don Fernando II on the site, purchased in 1838, of one of those “abandoned” monasteries I mentioned earlier. The palace is located at the crest of a small mountain, surrounded by almost 85 hectares of historic gardens that transformed a barren hill into the first Cultural Landscape listed by UNESCO in Europe. The road leading to Pena’ is steep and winding so we ask to stop so we can take a few pictures of the castle. Antonio is very willing and starts to pull to the side of the road. Suddenly he makes a decision! Turning into a driveway leading to what looks like a private home, but is now a five star hotel, he says he knows a great place to get pictures of the castle! Antonio, you may have almost redeemed yourself! The Tivoli is the epitome of a French villa with sculptured lawns, secret gardens with maze-like hedges, and stone arches leading to shade covered benches with views through the arch of the castle atop the mountain. WOW!!! what a great vista point. We get some wonderful pictures before we head out for the top of the mountain and the castle.
Ever heard the saying about having more money than taste or brains? Pena’ Palace, is a five story testimony and the perfect example of opulent overkill using every architectural style and embellishment available, put together by a delusional child with telekinetic powers and a bad temper. ZAP!, a gargoyle! WHAM!, a Moorish arch! BAM!, a turret! WHOOSH!, a tile encrusted arch leading to a tiny courtyard! POW! Knights in armor on handmade 4in x 4in tiles covering an entire wall next to another wall covered in tile depicting acanthus leaves, next to an adjacent wall with tile depicting geometric patterns! You get dizzy taking it all in because your eyes are bouncing around like a ping pong ball in a spinning dryer. Why would someone build something like this you ask? Simply because they can. Don‘t get me wrong. I love this place. It is said that it is the “finest example of 19th century Portuguese Romanticism and the integration of natural and built heritage“. And remember my motto-(or at least one of them) “There is nothing wrong with more.”
After our visit we remind Antonio that we wanted to locate a place to buy tiles from the area, to which he says that we didn’t want to stop in Sintra before and we reminded him of the crowds and traffic. So, almost begrudgingly, back to Sintra for shopping we go. Antonio bypasses several places Michelle asked to stop at saying he knows a better place that will be one stop shopping just up the street. Uh oh, sounds like code for commission paid environment. We agree to meet back at the van in 30 minutes and everyone scatters to the four winds much to Antonio‘s dismay.
I am not going to even talk about the overpriced tourist trap restaurant by the sea we were taken to for lunch. We moved on, without a meal, to the “Portuguese Riviera” city of Estoril. Estoril is the Portuguese equivalent of Monte Carlo. It was the home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor until they became too friendly with the Germans during WWII and were relegated to the Caribbean. Here live the very rich and famous. They also have a casino and yachts. That said, the town is still picturesque and has many beautiful historic homes and buildings.
On down the coast we go back to Lisbon and finally our ship. All day we have been seeing colorful roosters on dishtowels, key chains and all kinds of other souvenirs. We asked Antonio what it represented and got one of the famous non answers about it represents Portugal. Finally we find a local who is willing to tell us the Portuguesa rooster is a good luck symbol. So I buy one for my charm bracelet and we get on the ship in just enough time to head for dinner. We are starving since we have split only a small fish empanada and a beer the entire day since the lunch location didn’t work out. Ummm… dinner was wonderful.
P.S.- Antonio didn't make out well today with tips or a free lunch in the expensive restaurant he took us to.
We love to travel. People tell me I should be a travel agent because of all the things we do,the places we go, and the money we save. Our grandaughter,Sophia,tells everyone that we are on a "field trip" while we are gone, thus the name. I hope you find helpful, interesting information about different locales, ideas on how to get the most for your money, and be entertained in the process. Welcome. Connie
