Lisbon Day 23
Bom Dia! Yawn & Streeeeeeeeetch.
Late, lazy start. Last day in Lisbon and no distinct plan other than a sunset sail this evening. We finally decided to strike out for the Jerónimos Monastery by bus but changed our minds halfway there. Hopped off and walked back toward the Miliary History Museum.
Walked 9-10 blocks toward the Metro Station we used on our Fado night. That was when we discovered the Museum. Finding the entrance, we walked into a dimly lit, slightly musty and formerly elegant room. Senior status allowed us entry for one Euro apiece. The woman behind the counter spoke no English but smiled, took our money and directed us to a small display room on our right. Looking around I saw we could go there or climb a grand set of stairs to a second level or go left into an exhibit lined corridor, I chose the latter, but I was immediately assailed with “NO-NO-NO! Allá – Allá! As she pointed determinedly to our right.
Sheepishly, I followed orders.
We found there, old uniforms, old cannon, 17th century weaponry, ship models and a handful of flags. Didn’t see much rhyme or connecting reason to the displays. The room itself with its magnificent murals was far more impressive. Dispensing with that room, we tip-toed out and ascended the stairs into one large display room after another. Artifacts covered the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The eclectic displays were similar to the first room but on a larger scale – uniforms, weaponry, medals, models, more flags and a wide array of military accoutrements to include a WWI cemetery cross. And, as before, the rooms themselves were simply spectacular.
English translations to Portuguese descriptions were spotty.
Initially we thought this to be a small museum, but turning one corner we were shocked to find the museum appeared to stretch on forever. For could now see through open doorways into a dozen or more linked display rooms, one after another all in a straight line. The rooms themselves were all about the same size, each more gaudily decorated than the last. Sprinkled about in each were statues of Greek Gods and intricate military murals. Again, there seemed to be little order to the progression of displays but the focus did seem to be focused on the rich period following the discovery of the Americas.
The number and variety of military relics we found to be amazing as well as the deceptive size of the museum – it is huge. Most memorable, however, is the incredible quantity of historic artillery it possesses. Jen and I visited Copenhagen’s Military Museum some time ago where we were amazed at the number of cannon there on display. I believe Lisbon has them beat. Room after room after room of artillery and when one least expected, one is shunted into a large courtyard where 70 to 80 more iron behemoths line all four interior walls. Stunning.
We left the military behind and grabbed a bus, again intending to go to the Jerónimos Monastery. However, when our bus stopped just outside the Lisbon carriage museum (Museo de Carruajes) we changed our mind. A tour guide had told us that the carriage museum was her favorite attraction in the city. Indeed! It is fantastical! Located in a brand-new building near the river Tagus (the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula), it houses over a 170 historical vehicles. Carriages for emperors and Kings, for their wives and their consorts, for Bishops and clerics for businessmen, commoners, and kids, for convicts and for corpses.
Also on display there is the harness for the animals, alongside the livery and trumpets of the attendants. I was drawn to pairs of silver and gold stirrups- well, you would have been too. Also fascinated by the mythological paintings and carvings on the fancy coaches and the evolution of carriage design as well. It appears that Paris held a large market for carriages, which was improved upon and expanded by Germany, Berlin in particular, so much so that one popular design that improved upon suspension came to be called the Berlin Carriage. England saw profit to be made and expanded carriage manufacture even further. Hard to believe that such expensive and elaborate conveyances were on occasion given as gifts – it speaks to the enormous fortunes socked away by the elite.
From the carriage museum we took a break and ordered burgers at an Italian restaurant, MASSIVE burgers. Afterward we walked several blocks through a large park to finally arrive at the Jerónimos Monastery I mentioned twice earlier. One can only stand in awe at the beauty and grandeur of this enormous structure. Begun as a church, it was instituted a monastery in 1496 for the Order of St. Jerome, and soon became a necropolis for the ruling house of Aviz. The Monastery was visited by Vasco da Gama just prior to his historic voyage to India. He was later buried there. It has also become the resting place for many poets and heroes, even a soccer star.
Tickets were five Euros apiece and the attraction was raking in the cash that morning. The line to obtain tickets at the far end of the monastery was relatively short. The line to enter the building was not. I counted over a hundred people. The line moved quickly though and there was good reason for it. Although the majestic structure was enormous, visitors are only allowed to roam the two-storied arched hallways surrounding the central grass courtyard, as well as a few attached surrounding halls and compartments.
The courtyard alone, however, was worth the ticket price and worth the wait. We wandered along walkways beneath 20’ high vaulted ceilings. Stone carvings everywhere. Interspersed between the arches were 70+ chiseled columns. Jenny noticed that each one was unique. Multiple masons used a variety of designs, sometimes reflecting nature, sometimes simple linear decoration, sometimes whimsical, sometimes serious. We made a game of seeking out the dragons that sometimes lurked at their bases.
One enormous side hall held the tomb of a famous poet. Another contained a series of murals depicting the life of Old Testament Joseph – where the artist(s?) painted each Biblical character in medieval garb. At one point, I stood in line for a while to see the monk’s side of a stone confessional. Afterward, I had to laugh, for it was nothing more than a dark closet with a stone seat. As we departed, we witnessed an even longer line waiting to get into the church portion of the Monastery – for free. Neither of us wished to stand in another long line.
Having a couple hours to kill before our 5:00 pm sunset sail, we explored the nearby park we passed through earlier. We visited a tall memorial to a medieval man (tall memorials to medieval men - ubiquitous in Lisbon). With no discernible inscription, we determined the man to be associated with sea exploration and I promptly named him Vasco da Gama. We later passed a tour guide whom we asked to confirm my guess. No, the statue was Henry the Navigator. This Portuguese hero is remembered for sparking the country’s sea exploration, wouldn’t go to sea himself … he got sea sick, or so we were told.
Stumbled on what turned out to be a huge outdoor rummage sale. Hundreds of booths selling antiques, religious statues, used toys, clothing, shoes, glassware, art and the same touristy knick-knacks we had seen in almost every store. One common item we found on many booth tables were bowls filled with foreign coins. The coins were now worthless reminders of Portugal’s far-flung colonial empire. We strolled and perused and when we were done, sat on a bench in the shade. It had grown hot so I walked to a gelato stand and bought a triple scoop of various fruit flavors. We then headed off for our evening sail.
Our meeting point, and rightly so, is the riverside site of the gargantuan monument to Portuguese Sailors nicknamed “The Sail” but properly called the Padrão dos Descobrimentos. This commemorates Portuguese exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries. The current stone and cement structure was completed in 1960 replacing a similar wooden structure just in time for the fifth centennial of the death of Henry the Navigator. The Sail contains a small museum and allows visitors access to a viewing deck near the top of the structure. Neither Jen nor I wished to pay for another arial view of the city.
Instead, we inspected its exterior and explored the plaza surrounding it. Streams of people arrived and left. Some took notice, stopped and studied the great map of the world spread across the surface of the plaza. This was situated in the center of a huge stylistic compass. It reflected the voyages of early Portuguese explorers and eventual Portuguese possessions. Tour guide after tour guide stopped to use it to instruct their tourist bands while Jen and I collapsed at the base of the monument to wait on our boat.
Nearing or boarding time we approached a van by the nearby docks heralding the tour we were to take, Lisbon By Boat. The van was one of several advertising a variety of tour-by-boat companies, Ours was the least impressive. The young man who exited his van and greeted us was reserved and nervous. He seemed unsure of himself and did not inspire confidence. While waiting, the number of his customers grew into quite a crowd. Our cruise was looking less and less promising. But then a cheerful, husky captain, who did inspire confidence, arrived to divide the group in two. He directed half of those gathered to board his boat, leaving the rest of us to await the next captain. We were told he would be along shortly – I had my doubts.
Our captain breezed in a short time later and quite literally made the evening magical. We boarded a 50’ Bavaria race/cruise sailboat and were directed to either join the Captain in the cockpit or perch up near the bow. We chose the cockpit along with two Michigan couples. Our Portuguese captain introduced himself as Sebastian Mello and his first mate as Carl. Within minutes later we were underway.
Sebastian had an easy way about him, an independence and assuredness that put everyone at ease. He told us historical details about the Sail Monument, about Portuguese exploration and about the importance of sailing. When he spoke about his love for the sea and for boating in general, his words fairly danced across the deck. Hearing that our fellow passengers hailed from the Great Lakes area he told us sailing the Lakes was on his bucket list. When Jen mentioned that she sailed the Chesapeake, he grilled her on the conditions there too, saying that too was another of his hoped-for destinations.
The cruise was lovely, cool and quiet. The mainsail went up but because he was on a schedule, we motor-sailed most of the way. He talked about the history of the bridge we passed under and it’s connection to American engineers. He described the history of the Christ the King Statue (similar and only slightly smaller than the Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro. I was unaware of it prior to the trip, so seeing the 25 meter statue atop its 82 meter pedestal located on a cliff 170 meters above the River, came as a shock.
As we admired the divine colossus, our captain turned off the engine and we began tacking, waiting for sun to set. While we waited. Carl served up wine and beer and a popular Portuguese snack, pickled Lupin Beans called Tremoços. Tasty little things about the size of a large almond. You bite them until the meat slips out of its thin skin then spit out the skin. As we drank and ate, Sebastian told us of his dream journey. He’d purchased a cruising sailboat, gutted her and was in the process of refurbishing her for a five-year world-wide trip on which his family would accompany him. He spoke with so much excitement he had us all cheering him on.
Gradually the sun sank in the sky, a gold orb burning a hole through the evening mist. It descended lower and lower until it disappeared beneath the horizon. In near darkness Sebastian glided us into a different dock from the one where we embarked. He said the area was a restaurant mecca and pointed out several of his favorite places. All in all, we considered it the perfect way to end to a perfect day on a perfect European trip. Smiling ear to ear we shook Sebsastion’s hand and wished him safe travels. He responded in kind.
After that, we scared up an interesting seafood dinner … but I think I’ll skip the details and simply end my three-week travelogue here - with that perfect, perfect sunset cruise.
Bom Noite, dear readers and obrigado for taking the time to share this wonderful experience with me. Obrigado as well to Portugal Trails for helping us create so many beautiful memories.
POSTSCRIPT: Made it home safely but American Airlines managed to destroy one of our suitcases and send another to Cleveland. Heavy sigh … but still smiling over Iberian Peninsula memories.
I am posting a selection of the thousands of pictures we took on Facebook. Look me up there and see what we saw!