'... The journey never ends. Only travellers end. And even they can be prolonged in memory, in recollection, in storytelling. When the traveller has sat down on the sand of the beach and said "there is nothing more to see", he knew it wasn't true. One must see what one hasn't seen, see again what one has already seen, see in spring what one saw in summer, see by day what one saw by night, in the sun where it first rained, see the green Masses, the ripe fruit, the stone that has changed place, the shadow that wasn't there. One must return along the steps already taken, to repeat them, and to trace new paths beside them. One must begin the journey again. Always. The traveller returns at once.'
I really like travelling and I'm of the opinion of always seeing new things, new places, new cultures; I often say I'd like to return to a place but usually I don't happen to return to the same place in the short term except for places near home. In the summer of 2002 some friends and I decided to tour Portugal; it was a fantastic holiday from many points of view, a holiday where at the end of the trip, as in most trips, I said to myself.... One day I'll return to Portugal. For a series of circumstances (I took part in a religious meeting held from 28 December to 1 January) HERE I AM! this New Year I went back to Portugal, and more precisely to the capital, the very particular Lisbon and its surroundings, including the little town of Cascais.
In this account of mine I don't have many technical details about the trip to tell because everything referred to a very precise organisation and as for the accommodation we were hosted by a lovely Portuguese family, but I'll try to give you a description of how I see the city of Lisbon in the hope that my account will intrigue you and, maybe, make you want to go there. First of all I have to say that the first time I went to Lisbon was in the middle of August and thinking it would be very hot we actually took very light clothes, whereas being close to the ocean there was a lot of wind. Going around the outskirts of Lisbon we saw lots of stalls selling heavy woollen jumpers and we wondered in amazement why?!?! Well, after two days in Lisbon we understood why.
Returning in a completely different season, that is winter, I thought that since there's a lot of wind in summer it would be quite cold, but it's all false. In winter the climate is much milder, so they explained to us, so we were very comfortable, the temperature was around 18 degrees, there was no wind and... for the second time our clothing wasn't entirely right but, frankly speaking, it was much better that way. What can I say about Lisbon? It's a very colourful city full of colours, maybe it's the typical trams that bring a lot of cheer? The means of transport are very efficient, especially the trams and the surface trains; there are also ferries to reach the other bank of the Tagus, the river that crosses the city. Lisbon is all an up and down of little hills and I advise you absolutely not to miss the ride on tram no. 28.
It's an unforgettable experience because you'll immediately get a view of the typicality of this city with all its narrow streets all going up and down travelled by the tram that takes you from the Bairro Alto district to the Alfama district.
Day 128 Dec 2004
ITINERARY NO.1
After taking a ride on tram no. 28 to get an overview of the city, I recommend some itineraries to do on foot: ITINERARY NO. 1 Reach the square from Figueira and then go to the beautiful Piazza D. Pedro IV also known as ROSSIO where you can admire two beautiful fountains, the statue of Don Pedro and the facade of the Teatro National de Maria II. Turning the corner of the square to the north you can admire a truly particular building that will immediately strike you for its style: the Estacao do Rossio, that is the railway station all in Manueline style, truly spectacular. After a few unforgettable photos at the station you continue to Rua Augusta, it is a pedestrian street that will take us straight to the PRACA DO COMMERCIO. But...
at the first crossing we turn left to go up the Santa Justa elevator, a lift that connects the ground to the hill above and takes you directly to the Convento do Carmo (access was closed for works) but from the platform on the elevator there is a breathtaking panorama of the whole city. Once down we continue along the Rua Augusta where we get a bit lost among the various stalls and finally arrive at Praca do Commercio, a very large and very beautiful square overlooking the Tagus. Once this itinerary is finished, which filled our whole half-day, we decide to stop to eat, venturing into the streets of Chiado until we then reach the Bairro Alto area. We reach on foot the Miradouro (that is the BELVEDERE) of Santa Catarina and to go down we take the Elevador da Bica, a tram that goes down at a very steep gradient and since I like trying all these somewhat unusual things I really enjoyed it.
VIEW OF SAO JORGE CASTLE
Day 229 Dec 2004
ITINERARY NO. 2
ITINERARY NO. 2 From Lisbon's Cais do Sodrè station you can easily reach Belem, where there are 3 impressive monuments to visit that many call the most important in the city: the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, a masterpiece of Manueline art that you absolutely must visit inside as well, where the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Camoes are also found, the Torre de Belem, built within the river as a departure platform for the great explorers, and a little further on the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, a monument dedicated to the maritime discoveries, from the top of which you can see the entire mosaic illustrating the Portuguese voyages and dominions. Returning to the Cais do Sodrè station, you take the ferry that will carry us to the other side of the river to reach the majestic statue of Cristo Rei that stands atop the hill overlooking the city.
From the shore you need to take a bus that takes us directly beneath the statue. Here too we go up onto the platform, from which all the monuments can be seen and, in the foreground, the Ponte 25 Abril.
ELEVADOR DA BICA
Day 330 Dec 2004
ITINERARY NO. 3
ITINERARY NO. 3 Back in the heart of the city, we decide to devote ourselves to the eastern part of Lisbon, so once again starting from Praca do Comercio we reach on foot the Igreja de Sant' Antonio, that is, the house where the famous St. Anthony of Padua (or rather "of Lisbon") was born; we visit the church and right after it the Lisbon Cathedral, called the Sé (which means Episcopal See). We then follow the street on foot and reach the beautiful Miradouro de St. Luzia with its lovely pergola and its beautiful azulejos (the white and blue ceramics typical of Portugal). As it is a fantastic day, we decide to eat outdoors, enjoying the beautiful colours of Lisbon. In the afternoon we reach Castelo S. Jorge, which personally did not enthuse me; it is much more beautiful to admire it from below as it dominates the city.
One thing that struck me instead are the streets surrounding it: we are in ALFAMA, perhaps the most beautiful neighbourhood in Lisbon, with all its narrow alleys with laundry hanging out, the sound of fado in the background, a Moorish atmosphere, hard to describe: you really have to go there.
MONUMENT TO THE DISCOVERIES AND 25 ABRIL BRIDGE
Day 41 Jan 2005
AROUND LISBON AND THE END
SURROUNDINGS OF LISBON Not just Lisbon! The surroundings are worth it too! We are staying in Cascais, a small town facing the ocean. From here you can easily reach Lisbon in 30 minutes by an overground train that arrives directly at the Cais do Sodrè station. The place is fantastic, above all for its seaside-town atmosphere; there is a beautiful view with a lighthouse on the tip of a small promontory and a small river that flows into the sea; following the road that runs along the sea you reach another very beautiful spot called "Boca do Inferno", which is a very striking cove carved into the rock. After thoroughly visiting Lisbon, if you have time left you cannot give up a breathtaking landscape: it is the westernmost point of the European continent and it is called Cabo da Roca! Go there and you will be amazed! There are no words to describe this place.
Unfortunately, on this return trip of mine to Portugal I didn't manage to go there again, but who knows, maybe... next time!
One thing about the Portuguese is that they are a fascinating people, and above all they have nothing to do with the Spanish; moreover, there is no love lost between them and their neighbours, so I strongly advise you not to speak Spanish with them because they take great offence. Speaking of food, the most Portuguese thing of all is "bacalhau", which, as all the tourist guides write, is truly cooked in an enormous number of ways; it is even better accompanied by a bottle of white wine; I recommend the "vinho verde", it's from the north of Portugal but it's very good. During the period when we went, that is around New Year's, we were offered several times a very typical cake, the PANETTONE of Portugal, to make a comparison. It is called "Bolo rei" and it is a ring-shaped cake with a small hole, full of candied fruit and vegetables.
I hope I haven't bored you with my rather long account; I tried to write the essentials, but the enthusiasm for this trip got the better of me! Laura
0 reader comments