Portugal - December 2005

Greta and I traveled to Portugal at the end of December 2005. We were joined a few days after our arrival by our friends John and Rose who live in Burkina Faso in West Africa. We stayed in two different locations in Portugal's capital, Lisbon. The following is a travelogue of our journey.

December 20^th
We arrived early in the morning of the 20th and took a taxi to the apartment we rented. Due to a plumbing problem in the apartment, we were redirected to another apartment that had a much better location. The apartment was located in the Chiado (she-ah-dough) neighborhood which is known for its shopping and cafés.

The view out of the Chiado apartment balcony

After taking a nap we strolled around the Chiado and Baixa (bye-sha) neighborhoods and located the nearby subway station which we would use to get to the soccer game that night. After our walk we returned to the apartment to relax and eat dinner.

We then headed out on the subway to the Estádio José Alvalade to see the home team Sporting play Rio Ave. Sporting and Rio Ave are two of the eighteen teams that play in the Portugese Superliga soccer league. The Estádio José Alvalade opened in 2003 and hosted the Euro 2004 competition. It seats 52,000 and every seat has an unobstructed view due to its unique esign.

The outside of the Estádio José Alvalade

The view from our seats

December 21^st
We walked down to the Mercado da Ribeira in the Cais do Sodré neighborhood. The Mercado da Ribeira is Lisbon’s main market. Built originally on the site of an old fort at the end of the nineteenth century, the current structure only dates from 1930. The main market downstairs has an impressive array of meat, fish, cheese, spices, fruit and vegetables.

Decorative tiles – azulejos – can be seen all over Lisbon, both inside and outside houses, churches, cafés and even metro stations. The word derives from the Arabic alzulecha, “small stone”, and the craft was brought to Iberia by the Moors in the eighth century.

Lisbon is a very steep city with plenty of interesting walkways and streets tucked amidst buildings.

Vendor stalls in the Mercado da Ribeira

From the market we travelled along the Rio Tejo to the Baixa section of Lisbon. We visited two beautiful plazas in Baixa. The Praça do Município houses the nineteenth-century city hall where the Portugese Republic was decalred in 1910. This square is one of many fine examples of the mosaic paving done throughout the city and surrounding villages.

Praça do Município with Christmas light displays at the center of the square

The next square we came to was the Praça do Comércio. The most prominent building in this square is a huge arch, the Arco da Rua Augusta. The arch was built to celebrate Lisbon’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. From here, the mosaic-paved Rua Augusta is the Baixa’s main pedestrianized thoroughfare, filled with shops, cafés, and market stalls.

A giant Christmas tree illuminated at night with Arco da Rua Augusta in the background

Equestrian statue of Dom José, monarch during the earthquake and the period of the capital's rebuilding

Arco da Rua Augusta

Praça do Comércio

From the Praça do Comércio we headed to the Mouraria and Santa Cruz neighborhoods to see the Castelo de São Jorge. The castle was once the heart of a walled city that spread downhill as far as the river. It was originally built by the Moors in 1147 and has been occupied by the Crusaders and Portugese royalty. When we visited the castle an art exhibit by Oliviero Toscani was on display. It was called HARWARE+SOFTWARE=BURROS and featured numerous life-sized images of burros.

Mouraria neighborhood rooftops

Castelo de São Jorge

Jeffrey in front of a part of the HARWARE+SOFTWARE=BURROS exhibit

A view of the Mosteiro de São Vicente and Rio Tejo from the castle

That night after dinner we took a stroll down to the Praça do Comércio to view the Christmas displays at night.

Christmas lights on Rua Garrett in the Chiado neighborhood

Christmas tree in Praça do Comércio with the Arco da Rua Augusta in the background