October 28 - Lisbon and Sintra

Fishermen seining on the river as we sailed to Lisbon
The Pena Palace at Sintra
The Plaza of Commerce and Trade with its beautiful government buildings
The 25th of April Bridge with the Statue of Christ overlooking the city of Lisbon
The Monument of the Discoverers commemorating Portugal's many intrepid explorers
The Belem Tower guarding the approach to the city

After a bumpy night as we made the turn around the southwestern coast of the Iberian peninsula to make our way to Lisbon we entered the mouth of the Tejo (Tagus) River for our journey to our next port. Off the port side we saw lots of small fishing boats dragging nets behind. As noon approached we could see the 25^th of April Bridge which spans the river connecting Lisbon to the city of Almada on the southern shore. The bridge is a magnificent suspension structure which people compare to the Golden Gate Bridge because of its similar color. Approaching it is awesome because we had the feeling we couldn’t make it under, but we had at least several feet to spare!

After docking and being cleared for disembarkation we made our way ashore to meet our tour guide Alfredo. When we were all assembled we headed west to Sintra. Along the way he pointed out several sights within Lisbon, including the former home of Portugal’s Viceroy of India when they still had colonies there. The man evidently made a fortune dealing in diamonds and decorated the outside of his home with diamond shaped structures all over the façade.

The drive to Sintra took about 45 minutes. This lovely place is where the royal family of Portugal had atheir asummer palaces. The first summer palace was constructed by a King John for his English wife. She was not accustomed to the heat and humidity of Lisbon, so he decided to build her a place which might more closely resemble where she came from in England. In the mid-19^th century the consort of Queen Maria of Portugal, Ferdinand (a German prince) commissioned the building of the Pena Palace which was our destination today. The Palace sits atop a small mountain and is accessed via a very winding road through a lovely forest. The Palace looks like a fairy-tale castle with its turrets, ramparts, arches and multicolored tile decoration. The last queen of Portugal spent her last night at the Pena Palace before going into exile when the monarchy ended in 1910.

After a short visit we headed down the mountain. Sadly we didn’t stop in the village of Sintra. It is a wonderful traditional Portuguese village with lots of interesting shops. Many are decorated with lovely tiles and many signs are made of copper and brass. We shall have to make a return trip to Lisbon so we can spend some time in the truly charming village.

As we made our way back to the city we stopped briefly close to the Jeronimos Monastery for a traditional Pasteis de Belem. Then it was back to the ship. As we left the dock we had a wonderful view again of the old section of Lisbon including the Commerce Square surrounded by ornate government buildings. The sun was setting and the old city was bathed in a golden light. The church domes seemed luminous as they shone in the twilight below the Castle of St. George at the top of the Hill. The bridge looked even more reddish gold and the setting sun set on the statue of Christ on the far side of the river. It’s a copy of the same statue in the harbor in Rio da Janeiro. A little further down river we passed the Monument to the Discoverers, built and completed in 1940 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Prince Henry the Navigator and the famous Belem Tower. Half a day is not nearly enough to do justice to this jewel of a place.