Portugal last day: Tue 25/1/11: Lisbon: Belem and Alfama

I had only one day for Lisbon hence no chance to visit Sintra, Setubal nor Cascais. After a good breakfast in Old Lisbon Hostel, I set out early to explore Lisbon. Crossing Praca Duque de Terceira to get to Cais do Sodre gave me an adrenaline rush. The buses, trams and cars were crisscrossing nonstop that I had to run for my life. Lisbon is a city that was built on seven hills hence the roads are steep and there are even elevators to help people get up and down these roads. It has very good public transport network but it is not easy to navigate your way if you cannot read nor speak Portuguese. Thankfully, I managed to get maps of trams, subways and buses from the tourist office in the airport on the night before. Hopped into tram no 15 with the rest of the morning crowd towards Belem.

Arrived near Torre de Belem (Tower of Belem). It is free entrance with Lisboa Card. Unfortunately, it is only open at 10am. Waited outside the door patiently. Even at 10minutes past 10am, the staffs still did not open the door despite a small group of tourists waiting outside the entrance. When knocked on the door, a staff appeared and gave an angry rebuff before slamming the door shut again. Such an attitude! Time is precious hence I gave up on the notion of entering the tower and took a bus to Centro Cultural de Belem. From there is a short walk to Praca do Imperios, a beautiful square in front of Mosteiro dos Jeronimos ( Jeronimos Monastery). Just across the road from the square is the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, a monument erected to mark the Portuguese Age of Discovery in 15th century.

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos is massive and is a must visit place in Lisbon. Founded in 1501, it boasts fine carvings and Manueline architecture. It also houses the tomb of Vasco da Gama, Luiz Vaz de Camoes and Alexandre Herculano. When I studied history of Portugal invasion in Malacca during school days, never would I imagined that one day I would be able to see the tomb of Vasco da Gama...

Mosteiro dos Jeranimos

Luckily, I was not too lazy to walk to Museu Nacional dos Coaches from the monastery because I found the Antiga Confeitaria de Belema !!! It has the best pasteis de nata (is named Portuguese tart in Msia) in Portugal. The taste of the custard tart is just out of this world and to eat it with cinnamon powder and icing sugar sprinkled on top is just amazing. After gobbled down two tarts at one go, I joined the long line again to buy other types of pastries though I must say only the pasteis de nata is truly memorable...

Happy with custard tarts in my stomach, I walked to the Coaches Museum. It is nothing like any museum I have visited before. Really one of its kind. It is fun to see all different types of coaches, litter, sedan chair and cabriolets. Reminded me of Cinderella and its pumpkin coach. Just near the exit is the landau used by King Carlos during his assassination in 1908 with bullet holes visible at the door.

Museu Nacional do Coaches

Left Belem with a bus to go to Praca de Figueira and from there took bus 737 to Castelo de Sao Jorge (Castle St George). It was founded in 11th century and it was here, King Manuel I welcomed Vasco da Gama upon his return from India. It has at least six towers and the view of Lisbon from top of the tower is great. There is also archeological site of iron age and moorish quartes and the ruins of the ground floor of the Palacio dos Condes de Santiago (Palace of the Counts of Santiago). The museum inside was built on the ground of former Royal Palace of the Alcacova which was severely damaged by earthquake in 1755.

Lisbon view from top of Castelo tower

 

Museu Nacional do Azulejo (Portuguese Tiles) is also a must see place. The only problem is there is no direct way to reach this museum. I took a subway from Praca de Figueira to Santa Apolonia and then bus to a nearby stop. Walked quite a bit and with help from a kind Portuguese man, found it alas. I absolutely love this museum. It is housed in the former Madre de Deus Convent so besides the massive collection of azulejos from mid 15th century to present days, it also has a church, Mannerist cloister, St. Anthony's chapel and Sacristy. The famous azulejos are Panel of Our Lady of Life, Great View of Lisbon (most complete iconography on the city before the 1775 earthquake) and Sao Bento staircase. The modern and contemporary azulejos are very interesting and is an eye opener.

By the time I finished, it was getting late. Rushed back to Cais do Sodre and climbed the steep Rua de Alecrim again to go back to my hostel. Then walked down again with my rucksack to catch a bus to the airport. Got down at the wrong stop because the driver did not understand what I was saying and I had to half run-half walk to the airport...

Safely boarded the plane and reached home late....

Next trip is Eastern Europe from Zagreb travelling south towards Greek Islands :)

Portugal Day 3: Mon 24/1/11: Braga, Nazarre, Obidos

Being part of northern Portugal, Braga was as cold as 2-3 degree at night. I could not sleep well because the heating in the hostel room was not warm enough. Woke up in the middle of the night to add another layer of thick blanket. The breakfast was great though: 2 big bun with jam, milk and cereals, yoghurt and hot chocolate. Although the hostel provides free indoor parking at night, I had to remove my car from the courtyard by 9am to park at a nearby private car park. 


Braga is reputed as one of the most beautiful city in Portugal hence the crazy idea of driving up north despite having only 4 days to cover Portugal! It is a also a religious city with many sanctuaries nearby.


It was a short walk from the hostel to the city centre. The Praca de Republica is a large scenic square in front of the Igreja e Convento dos Congregados, Arcada and tourist office. The famous Braga cathedral is just few minutes away.  No photography allowed inside the Se though.


Left Braga early to visit Bom Jesus, a hilltop pilgrimage site with famous stairway. One can choose to climb the long staircase (pilgrims sometimes climb on their knees!) or hop into a funicular train to reach the top. It has few chapels, allegorical fountains, a church and a panoramic view of Braga. The fountains signify the five human senses. Inside the church is very beautiful sculptures on the altar depicting the event of crucifixion. 
Santuario do Sameiro is located just nearby and is the second largest Mary sanctuary in Portugal after Fatima.

Bom Jesus

 Nazarre

Obidos at sunset

Next, was a long drive down south towards Obidos. There was not enough time to visit Fatima, the place where the Virgin appeared in 13 May 1917 to three children on top of a tree and revealed three secrets to them. The virgin appeared every month for the next successive 5 months and on the last apparition was on 13 October 1917,  when the Miracle of the Sun took place. Every year, million of devotees come to Fatima on 12-13 May and 12-13 October for pilgrimage.


Stopped by Nazarre, a place reknown for its gorgeous beach. By the time I reach Obidos, it was near sunset and all places of interest were closed. Obidos is really a very charming walled village with romantic atmosphere. The rustic charm and the lush green landscape really help to relieve stress.It is after all, a wedding gift from Dom Dinis to his wife, Dona Isabel. Outside the Igreja de Sao Joao Baptista , there is a stall that sells sweets. I bought a Bombokas (chocolate crusted ball with marshmallow filling) and ate it while climbing the wall to get fantastic view of the city. The wall is high and the staircase has no railing so is definitely not for altophobic or the faint hearted. It is a lovely walk cruising through the small alleys to reach the hilltop where the Castelo is. Behind the castle is the medieval market which is closed of course.  Near the St Mary church, there is a square and row of shops that sell Portuguese handicrafts. 


After sunset, it was time to drive to the Lisbon airport to return the car and then took a bus to the city. Due to the obvious scratch, I had to pay some money to the car rental agency :( Wasted significant time at the car rental agency because of that.
It was a nightmare waiting for the bus in the airport. Waited for more than hour for the bus to come which never appear. Later I board another bus that go to Santa Apolonia and change to another bus to Cais do Sodre. It is a good thing I bought Lisboa Card that is valid 24hr so all public transport was free. I could have taken an aerobus but it is not free though one can get discount with Lisboa card. It was very late near 11pm when I reach Cais do Sodre and I had to climb the steep Rua do Alecrim and Rua do Ataide to reach my hostel. All with my limping right leg....Except for the hidden location, my hostel is a lovely stay. Free internet, warm room, good breakfast  and I had an empty room all by myself is more than I can ask for. Tried using my new Garmin for pedestrian mode and it worked! Cool...