I’ve always been intrigued by Portugal, don’t ask me why, but today I finally got to see a little bit of it in person. Lisbon, where we docked, is the country’s capital and largest city, with a population of more than half a million, and another 2.5 million in the greater metropolitan area. And here’s your trivia fact for the day. Portuguese speaking people are known as lusophones. Don’t ask me why. That would be a second trivia fact.
One of the benefits of being an early riser is that I often get to watch us sail into the next harbor, and today’s sail-in was pretty cool. Lisbon lies at the mouth of the Tagus River, and to reach the pier we crossed under the 25th of April suspension bridge, and just past it, high on a bluff, the Sanctuary of Christ the King, a 92 foot tall statue of Jesus Christ standing atop a 269 foot base. The bridge looks a lot like the Golden Gate Bridge, and the statue was inspired by Christ the Redeemer in Rio, Together they made an impressive sight.
Lisbon was pretty much flattened by an earthquake in 1755, so the city’s old town is relatively new by European standards, but it still has an old world feel. One caution if you visit: the city goes uphill pretty quickly once you leave the pier and the river, so bring your climbing shoes.
Today we scheduled a walking tour of the old city, and to my delight the tour began right on the pier. Often we have docked either at a large industrial pier or are far from the city center, requiring a shuttle to get from the ship to any destination we wish to visit. Here we walked straight off the ship and into the heart of old Lisbon, giving us the freedom to come and go effortlessly after our tour.
So we walked and we walked and we walked, past pretty churches, down narrow lanes, through impressive squares, and by an endless string of gift shops, restaurants, cafes, pastry shops, and even a shop selling only sardines. Apparently the Portuguese love sardines.
We took a break halfway through the tour at a cafe, where we were served local delicacies, including pastel de nata (a custard filled pastry) and bolinho de bacalhau ( codfish cakes). The Portuguese love codfish too.
Afterwards, we were given some free time to explore and shop, which worked out well since it gave Michele an opportunity to buy a postcard, fill it out, locate a post office, buy a stamp, and mail the card home, continuing her streak of doing so in every country we have visited.
That mission accomplished, we met our guide at the assigned place and time, and walked downhill along Rue Augusta, the old town’s main street, past more shops, restaurants, etc., until we reached Lisbon’s massive main square along the waterfront. There we passed under the Rua Augusta Arch, a triumphal arch commemorating the city’s rebirth after the 1755 earthquake. Curiously, the square is dominated by a large statue of Jose I, who was king during the 1755 earthquake, but who developed claustrophobia as a result and ruled mostly from tents until his death in 1777.
And there our tour ended, but I wasn’t finished. Lisbon is the home of a locally beloved alcoholic beverage, and I wasn’t getting back on the ship until I tried some. We had to hike back up the hill on the Rue Augusta and do some searching, but eventually we found it—the one, the only, the legendary, A Ginjinha, the tiny, standing room only ginjinha bar that serves ginjinha and nothing else.
Ginjinha is a sweet cherry liqueur, laden with Ginja cherries, and is served in a slightly oversized shot glass (to my delight, mine included three of the small cherries), for 1.5 euros, about $1.65 US. A Ginjinha opened in 1840 and has been in the same family for five generations. If you visit Lisbon and want to do something truly authentic, find A Ginjinha and buy yourself a shot.
Both of us having achieved our goals for the day, we slowly retraced our steps down the hill to the waterfront and back to the ship, doing some souvenir shopping along the way. The only thing left to add is that sailing away, past the Sanctuary of Christ the King statue and under the 25th of April Bridge was spectacular.
We both really liked Lisbon, and it’s easy to see why there are so many American expats here. The city is charming, the weather is great, and the food is delicious. Would I visit here again? Yes, definitely. But first we have more to see on this adventure, starting tomorrow with Porto, our second Portuguese port of call. If it’s anywhere near as nice as Lisbon I’ll be happy. In any case, I’ll be back to tell you all about it, so stay tuned.
Lots of pretty street views as we climbed the hill that starts just a block off the pier.
Old world charm.
People decorate their homes for a festival in June. They say it gets competitive.
Should we go left or right?
First sighting of the famous Portuguese blue tiles.
You can actually see our ship in the background behind this home’s decorations.
Like I said, a lot of climbing. Those are grapevines on the trellis.
We were starting to get high enough to get some great views of the city.
And there’s our ship.
Lisbon’s cathedral.
Pretty shot of another church.
We’ve see a lot of bougainvillea in this part of the world. At least I think that’s what this is.
Poor St. Vincent was once the patron saint of Lisbon, but was replaced by St. Anthony. There’s a story there somewhere.
In English, that’s King John I, one of Portugal’s great kings.
There are lots of monuments in downtown Lisbon.
Lots and lots of monuments.
And fountains, and festival decorations.
But what really caught my attention in this plaza was the tiles, which create the optical illusion of an uneven, wavy surface. It’s flat as it can be.
Sardines are a very big deal in Portugal. In here you can get all kinds and even aged from different years.
The obligatory castle/fort on top of the hill.
Pretty view of the Jesuit Church up on the hill.
Huge plaza down at the waterfront, reachable from the city through the triumphal arch. In the foreground is the statue of Jose I, who was king during the terrible earthquake of 1755.
Closeup of the triumphal arch. Through it is the main street up the hill into the old city. And yes, those are bubbles. There was a guy right behind us making bubbles, and the wind was carrying them towards the arch.
And back up the hill we went, in search of this—the original, legendary ginjinha joint. That’s the entire place. You buy a shot of the stuff at that counter, drink it, and return the glass. You can also buy a bottle to take with you.
Yes I did, just like the Portuguese do.
Maybe it was the effects of the ginjinha, but I tried to engage these two in conversation. I didn’t have much luck, probably because they didn’t speak English.
Back down at the very pretty waterfront.
Gorgeous building overlooking the waterfront. I loved the widow’s walk on the roof.
A photo of me taking photos as we sailed away.
The Sanctuary of Christ the King, inspired by the breathtaking Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, stands high above the Tagus River. The statue itself is only six feet shorter than the one in Rio, but has a 269 foot high pedestal, whereas Rio’s pedestal is only 28 feet high.
The 25th of April suspension bridge is reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. What a beautiful sail away from Lisbon.
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