Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra





Great sights, interesting history, friendly people and good food.
I will be posting pictures of my trip to Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra.
Hope you enjoy seeing this beautiful country through my lenses. I will also post information on how to get around on your own and staying on a budget while your there.
If you have any comments, suggestions or just want to get in touch with me please send me an email at ericsilvester@gmail.com

Cheers, Eric


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Monday, December 10, 2007

Lisbon : : Lisboa



Toronto to Lisboa

I arrived in Lisbon from Toronto in the wee hours of the morning. Compared to Pearson Airport in Toronto, the airport in Lisbon was a fairly small airport, but then I felt the buzz was different. I always wanted to go to Europe and start from the tip - Portugal. I wanted to know what it would be like.

Born in Bombay and having visited Goa, which was
a Portuguese colony for many years I wanted to experience Portugal. After making a reservation from the Information Desk (not so helpful - but I grabbed the various brochures to find where I wanted to stay) I headed towards the hotel near Rossio station (see map). Right in the middle of the theater area, it was a small lodge run by a family. If you walk into the lobby you will hear the TV playing their favorite sport - soccer. I was informed that the next day was the big match between Porto and Lisboa.

After s
ettling in I was all wound up to go and explore the city. With the map I had I took off for the coast of Lisbon (5 minutes
walking distance) - the Praça do Comércio. From there I went up the Elevador de Santa Justa and you can see the many beautiful sights from the pictures below.


Houses that line the roads leading to the Praça do Comércio


Tiled buildings and murals of Portugal


Azulejos


I was fascinated by the beautiful murals that adorn every street corner and most of the forts and museums. This is what I learned about the history of
the Portuguese tiles, known as azulejos. They adorn the inside and outside of almost every home in Portugal.

Although introduced to Iberia by Moors, the fashion continued after they left. The Moors restricted themselves arabesque geometric patterns of triangles, squares, and diamonds, probably because many of them belonged to the Sunni branch of Islam which prohibited images of living things. Portuguese and Flemish artists began to produce tiles in Lisbon in the 16th Century. Blue and yellow were the favorite color combination and tiles depicted mostly floral patterns or religious scenes. The ever expanding Portuguese empire provided increasingly more exotic themes and colors.

After the earthquake of 1755 there was a return to multi-colored tiles. It was about this time too that the Portuguese in Brazil discovered that tiles were ideal for keeping out the damp. In the rebuilt Lisbon houses were encased in tiles, and this tradition continues today. These are some of the murals and tiled houses I seen in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra.


Sunday, December 9, 2007

Lisboa...View from the top

Views from Elevador de Santa Justa

After visiting the Praca de Commercao, the weather as usually sunny with blue skies inspired me to walk around the city. The hunt was to find the Elevator of Santa Justa.

After asking for directions I found it nestled in between two buildings (if you miss it you may walk up and down the street and find it only after asking a few people) and walked up to the ticket counter. I was wondering what all the fuss was about but once I reached the top it was a different world. You can walk up and down 2 flights from where the elevator leaves you. On the topmost level they have a cafe and you can sit there and admire the view for as long as you want.

From looking out to the south that faces the Tagus River and Algarve to looking down and around at all the different types of rooftops you can spend quite a while and absorb what Lisbon has to offer. Towards the East the view of the Castelo São Jorge and all the houses surrounding it shows how old this city really is.

Historical information on the Elevator
The Santa Justa Elevator is a remarkable masterpiece designed by an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel and makes the connection
between the Baixa (downtown) and Bairro Alto (high neighborhood).

It was opened in 1902, when it was steam powered, then in 1907 it became electrical and was the only vertical elevator in Lisbon in public service. Made entirely of cast iron, and embellished with filigree, the lifts within the tower go up to 45 metres and carry 25 persons in each cabin of which there are two. If in Lisbon, you cannot afford to miss this ride!







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Saturday, December 8, 2007

Se Cathedral in Lisbon


To reach the Se Cathedral from Lisbon it is just a 20 minute drive or you can take the train to Alfama.

Cathedral Se, a large fortress was built around 1150 A.D. by Afonso Henriques. It is the burial place for Lisbon's patron saint, St. Anthony. The length and breadth of the cathedral and its architecture which is pre-Manueline reeks of history. If you are here make sure you visit the cloisters. It was in the midst of repairs when I visited it but once you are in there some of the tombs makes you wonder how passionate those architects or artisans were to decorate them with such intricate detail.

Castelo de São Jorge, Lisbon

ST. GEORGE'S CASTLE (Castelo de São Jorge), Lisbon

From the Elevador of San Justa I walked down the narrow streets leading to Saint George's Castle. It was about 25 mts away, but weaving through the narrow cobblestone roads took me longer than usual. Watching the trams amble past me, I also came across a minor accident as I climbed up the hill. A small car that came zipping down the curves manged to scrape one going in the opposite direction. It was amusing to watch the 2 drivers argue as to who was at fault, but if you are a tourist walking up or down those roads, make sure you use the sidewalks. Narrow but safer.

The Castle can be seen from most of the vantage points in the city. Once you walk up the narrow roads leading to the castle you have to ask a few people before you find the right one that leads into the Castle. Once in you can walk the length and breadth of the Castle surveying the architecture and the magnificence of this piece of history.

Historical information on the Castle
The oldest parts of the Castle date from the 6th century, when it was fortified by the Romans, Visigoths, and eventually the Moors. It served as a Moorish royal residence until Portugal's first king Afonso Henriques captured it in 1147 with the help of northern European crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. It was then dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of England, commemorating the Anglo-Portuguese pact dating from 1371, and became the royal palace until another one (that was destroyed in the Great Earthquake) was built and still survives today.