Nicolau near Lisbon to Santa Maria de Feira near Porto, Portugal

Friday 2nd December 2022
We woke reasonably early because of the time zone change but still didn’t get away too early. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast included in our accommodation, attempted to chat with our Portuguese/French speaking hostess. It was challenging but we managed to get what we needed. I used google translate to thank her for a lovely stay, beautiful accommodation and breakfast. It always makes them smile. I tried to learn the correct pronunciation of a couple of words, and also that some of the words I was saying had different endings for different gender. Don’t know how they will handle this with the Non-binary people of today’s age. We headed back to the room for DB to formulate a plan for our city walk in Lisboa (Lisbon). I hate the way we change the spelling of places in other countries, so I always try to use the correct spelling. We headed off at about 10am for the short drive to Lisboa, we arrive there at about 11.30am, a little later than we had hoped. We secured a spot in another squeezy underground parking station. It had been tricky getting in to the city centre and as always I am in awe at David’s calmness in the midst of a challenging new city. He does so well. We head down to the esplanade along the waterfront which is surprisingly very crowded with tourists. It is probably the most tourists we have seen all holiday. Our first stop is Commerce Square and the equestrian statue of King José I. We then walked through the main shopping street of the city with boutiques, souvenirs shops, patisseries and restaurants lining the pedestrian mall. We then went to the Santa Justa Lift and then walked a distance to see the Sao Jorge Castle via Rossio Square, unfortunately there was a very long queue to get in and we didn’t really have time to wait. Today’s city visit is to be short as we need to drive at least 500km of our 3000km we still have to get to Ben’s by Tuesday afternoon. We walked all around the castle trying to find a vantage spot to view it from above but we should have realised that it was at the top of the hill and we needed a helicopter or a drone to view it.

“Sao Jorge Castle occupies a commanding position overlooking the city of Lisbon and the Tagus River. The strongly fortified citadel dates from medieval times and is located atop the highest hill in the historic centre of the city.” We should have read this description before we set out this morning and we would have saved ourselves about a 30min walk trying to see it. Oh well, it was a lovely walk through the back streets of Lisboa Old City with its colourful buildings and many mosaic tiled facades. It truly is beautiful. We continued back down to the city centre where we tried some street food from a couple of the Christmas market stalls. David had a suckling pig wrap with lettuce and straws (our crisp french fries) and I had a plate of mixed sausages. We then also had a little pork pie followed by a Portugese tart for dessert. No dinner for me tonight. After walking over 10km in 3.5 hours we decided to get on the road at about 3pm. We will struggle to make the required distance again today. We are definitely making life more difficult as each day goes on. The plan was for David to get us out of the city on to the motorway and then I would have a drive. Unfortunately for David, I was comatosed by then and couldn’t wake up enough to drive. He managed to drive a total of 340km, another fail, we wanted to do 500km today.

“Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2.”

“Commerce Square, which was completely rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1755. It is 35,000m2 with the equestrian statue of King José I.“

“Santa Justa Lift is a vertical street lift which offers views over the downtown area, the Rossio Square and the Sao Jorge Castle.The lift was built in 1902 and was originally powered by steam before being converted to electricity in 1902. It has a neogothic iron lace exterior and is an impressive piece of engineering. “

“Rossio Square has been one of Lisbon’s main squares since the Middle Ages, it is laid out in beautiful wave-patterned Portugese paving with two baroque fountains.”

: As we drive towards Lisbon you can see in the distance the Cristo Rei – a gigantic statue of Jesus – it stands south of the Lisbon city centre across the Tagus River on a hill in Almada..

: As we cross the Tagus River on The 25 de Abril Bridge which is a suspension bridge a bit like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco..

: Bronze statue of the Marquis of Sá da Bandeira in uniform, holding a banner with the word LIBERTAS (Freedom)..

: Time Out Market Lisboa is a food hall. Love the dome.

: An incredible sand sculpture as we walk along the rivers promenade..

: ..Commerce Square – The square is characterized by a square shape of 170m on each side; three of which are boarded by elegant palaces, while the fourth side faces towards the Tagus..

: The Equestrian Statue of King Joseph I is an icon in the Commerce Square..

: Located on the north side of Commerce Square is the Rua Augusta Arch which gives way to the boulevard Rua Augusta.

: ..the ceiling of the arch was so detailed..

: The Elevador de Santa Justa is one of the truly unique tourist attractions of … The lift climbs seven storeys, and up one of the steepest hills in Lisbon.

: Mermaid Statues and Fountain in Rossio Square – The Baroque fountains were added to the square in 1889

: Rossio Square is a vibrant and colourful city square bursting with flower vendors, shoppers and people bustling to and from their jobs..

: ..as we walk through the square with its wavy tiled pathway passed the Christmas Markets to The National Theatre..

: ..the beautiful coloured buildings..

: The amazing facade of the International Design Hotel and its Christmas decorations in the shape of a peacocks tail..

: A bronze equestrian statue of King John I in the Square of the Fig Tree..

: ..beautiful mosaic tiled building..

: ..and some more,

: I love the colours..

: ..and the detail.

: Cityscape of Lisbon from one of the plaza lookouts..

: The statue of St. Vincent is located at the Miradouroda da Senhora do Monte. This is a great location for the patron saint of Lisbon as he get to overlook the city. The marble statue holds a caravel with two crows, symbol of the city of Lisbon and was made by the sculptor Raul Xavier in 1949..

: Church of Santa Cruz is a small and pretty church on a small and pretty square by the castle..

: .. with a long history dating back to the 12th century.

: Riding tram 28 has become one of Lisbon’s most popular activities. It’s a journey back in time, over hills and medieval streets, in vintage trams from the 1930s that are still part of the city’s public transportation network. These charming vehicles go past some major attractions, and guidebooks never fail to recommend the experience. Line 28 of Lisbon’s iconic trams was inaugurated in 1914.

: Martim Moniz Square is a true multicultural pole, since it is in this place that several ethnic groups meet. It is considered the Portuguese “Chinatown”.

: Saint George’s Castle at the very top of the picture can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Its oldest parts date from the 6th century, when it was fortified by the Romans, Visigoths, and eventually the Moors.

: David’s suckling pig wrap..

: ..my mixed sausages.

: Church of St. Dominic is a Catholic church in Lisbon, Portugal. It is classified as a National Monument. The church was dedicated in 1241 and was, at one time, the largest church in Lisbon. Prior to the establishment of the modern Portuguese republic in 1910, the church typically hosted Portuguese royal weddings.

: Hotel Avenida Palace is a 5 star luxury hotel..

: Rossio Train Station is a beautiful old building..

: The Obelisk on Restoration Square – The monument memorializes the victory of the Portuguese Restoration War. The war, which saw the end of the House of Habsburg and the rise of the House of Braganza, lasted from 1640 to 1668.