Day 3: Lisbon

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

After our exhausting journey yesterday and the day before, we awoke to a beautiful fall day in the ancient city of Lisbon, or "Lisboa" as it is known locally. On our first day of sightseeing here, we took a "Hop-On/Hop-Off" sightseeing "windshield" tour to familiarize ourselves with the highlights of this beautiful city. The images below are an attempt to familiarize the reader with some of the highlights of Lisbon.

The Ladies (Sally, Elaine and Carol) ready for the first day of sightseeing in Lisbon. Look closely, because they will not likely appear this rested and alert for the remainder of the trip.
(Post-trip note: Turns out my prediction was spot-on!



Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour Busses

All sidewalks and walkways in Lisbon are made of cobblestone and many are decorated in the fashion seen here. The lighter color stones are limestone and the darker stones are basalt, mined in nearby quarries.

Portugal is famous for its porcelain tiles that decorate many of the  buildings in and around Lisbon. If you look closely you can see an example of this long-held tradition on the face of the second building from the corner.

Another example of the traditional Portuguese tiles. Blue on white is a popular color combination displayed all across the city. According to local legend, it represents the blue sky that is typical of Portuguese weather, and the blue ocean that is the western boundary of Portugal. 

Modern vehicles and historic trams share the streets of Lisbon.

Street lamps recall the illustrious maritime history of Portugal with a depiction of old-time sailing ships used in the 15th and 16th centuries to make great new discoveries and establish the first, and longest lasting of the global empires.

Large cruise ships dock at the Port of Lisbon.

Christ the King monument overlooking Lisbon.
Momumento a Christo Rei, as it is known, was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro, and was erected following World War II to signify gratitude for Portugal being spared the ravages of that war (due to its neutrality).

Lisbon "street art" is over the top!

Lisbon streets are narrow and crowded.

Laundry day, Lisbon style.



Regular gasoline is 142.9 Euros per liter, or $5.41 per gallon. Spain and Portugal rank about 10th or 11th in the cost of gasoline among European Union countries. In other places the cost is a good deal higher.

 

For our granddaughter, Kai'a, and grandson, Ethan, both of whom are big Star Wars fans: Star Wars in Portuguese!