Lisbon Day 20
Today we are energized. We have a six-hour tour of Lisbon this morning and early afternoon, followed by a communal Portuguese meal and a Fado performance this evening. Rushed to breakfast and hurried back to the Rossio Square where we wandered about waiting for the tour to begin. This seemed to be the central location for tours to start as there were many groups forming. We approached several before finding our own beneath the statue of Dom Pedro IV, the first Emperor of Brazil. We were fascinated by the four female figures that surrounded the base of his statue, learning later that they represented: Justice, Wisdom, Strength, and Moderation, qualities attributed to the King. Rumor is that his statue was originally designed to represent Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.
Met our guide, Margarite, and formed a group of eight with three other couples. She began by telling us about the catastrophic earthquake that destroyed Lisbon in 1755. We had already heard about it but were astounded by the circumstances and the effects. Occurring on All Saint’s Day, the churches were packed and thousands of candles were lit in remembrance of family members. The earthquake, considered one of the deadliest in history, destroyed 85% of Lisbon’s structures and as many as 60,000 people, a third of the population. All those candles cause massive fires and this was then followed by a tsunami that drowned many of the survivors. We were told again that the wave like pattern of the square’s cobblestone surface is in remembrance of all that destruction.
Our guide walked us over to a large building that she said was used by the Inquisition to imprison and torture its victims. The royalty used to come here and watch the executions. A later Portuguese queen used the building for tamer entertainment – stage performances, plays, operas, concerts and the like. Margarite then had us turn around where she pointed out a small liquor shop displaying advertisement for a traditional, local liquor called Aginjinha. She said it tastes a bit like cherry cough syrup and was originally prescribed for coughs and colds – “Six shots a day,” she told us. Eventually it was prescribed for every illness imaginable.
We walked to Lisbon's elaborate Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio (Railway Station). There Margarite told us about the statue of the young king featured at its entrance, Sebastion the First. The young man went off to fight the Moors in Morocco but never returned. Portugal declined after his death in 1578. Legend has it that he will return in a foggy dawn in Portugal’s greatest hour of need. We were also told that the statue we saw was a replacement the Original was destroyed when a drunken Brazilian boy climbed up and toppled it to the ground. Our group entered the station here to ride several escalators to the top where we emptied out into the Alfama hill district behind the Station - on the same level as the roof.
The first thing we saw was the Elevado de Santa Justa. Originally built as part of the public transport network, it took people from the Baixa District to the Largo do Carmo. Helpful to the residents of the hill district, it has ultimately been turned into a fee driven tourist attraction. From our perch we had some magnificent views of the city.
Marching on we were treated to pasteis de nata (custard tarts - crisp, creamy, and decadently sweet) at an amazing pastry shop. Elsewhere on our tour we were treated to two other Portuguese treats,, Codfish croquetts and green wine. As we progressed, it commenced to rain, gradually increasing until we all had to take shelter beneath a store overhang ... it so happened that the store sold umbrellas. It was a windfall for the store owner. He sold umbrellas to six of us. Note, walking on the slick, sloped, cobble and smooth stone walks of Lisbon can be treacherous. We’d been warned of this back in Porto.
Stopping to see a trio of beautiful tile pictures featuring St. Anthony of Lisbon, we were told of the reverence with which he is held in the hearts of the populace. St. Anthony was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He is the saint people pray to so that he might find their lost or stolen items. Our guide told us that When prayed to and an item is not found, some people break the arm off their St. Anthony statue. Today, many people bury St. Anthony statues on property they are hoping to sell. Even here in the U.S.
Ultimately we marched to Rua Augusta Arch on the Praca do Commercia. The largest plaza in Europe. The arch stands over 100' tall and acts as a welcoming entrance to Lisbon for visitors debarking ships on the Tagus at the other end of the plaza. Begun in 1755 the same year as the earthquake, it took over 100 years to complete the arch. This Triumphal Arch represents not a military victory but a victory over nature. Even after the disastrous earthquake, Lisbon still stands.
In the center of the square stands the equestrian statue of King Joseph the First. He was the King during the great earthquake. Apparently he took to his heels after the disaster and didn’t do a great deal for his people in the aftermath. Our guide referred to him as the "Sissy King."
After a rest at our hotel, we traveled by subway back to the Tagus where we enjoyed a wonderful communal Portuguese meal and a Fado performance (See my recordings on FaceBook) We arrived early, passing the Portuguese Military Museum on the way. (I hope to visit there before we depart) and spending a wonderful hour in a lovely little wine bar sampling recommended port.
The communal meal was splendid and included a steady supply of red wine. Once the Fado performers arrived, had dinner themselves, and set up, they gave us an amazing performance. Fado, we decided is the heart and soul of Portugal. It is telling stories through emotional song. I just wish we could have had an interpretation for what seemed to be some incredibly moving experiences.
I left the room at the end of the first set. When I returned, three quarters of the room had emptied along with the other folks at our table. Apparently the majority were not as taken with the musicians and the singer as we were. When the performance ended it was not the end of our adventure.
We took the subway back to our hotel only to learn that Jenny had left her purse (holding our passports) at the dinner table. We rushed back to the station to take a train back only to realize that I had left my wallet behind at the hotel. I had no money and no transport pass. Jen went on alone. I waited for her at the station until it closed then went back to the hotel and waited in the lobby. By two o'clock she arrived WITH her purse. When the station shut down, she decided to walk back. Luckily she enjoys walking. Luckily she made it back safely. Another eventful day in Portugal.
Boa Noite.
I am posting a selection of the thousands of pictures we took on Facebook. Look me up there and see what we saw!