Portugal 2023

January 20, 2023

Portugal is the 10th country in my international journeys.  I have now traveled to Europe for the 6th time.  This is a quick adventure, leaving on Thursday and returning on Monday.   I am traveling with the World Strides company to learn about their programs for students.  It is very common for travel companies to host a teacher training tour, and I selected Portugal because it is a country I have not yet explored.

 

Overnight flights are rough. Arriving in Lisbon, Portugal at 8 a.m., departing from Chicago O’Hare are 3 p.m. yesterday. Tours often pick you up from the airport and start the educational program immediately. Usually starting with a tour of the the arrival city. The itinerary did exactly that. We started with a stop at the hotel to deposit out luggage in a holding room until our rooms are ready. Then we were off for lunch and a walking tour of Lisbon.

 Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monestery)

The Jeronimos Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Belem district. It ws commissioned by King Manuel I in 1501 through funding from the spice trade and celebrating the successful sea voyage to India by Vasco da Gama, it is also where he is buried. This is an important part of Portugal’s history as a world power in naval operations and an economic power through trade. The monastery is also significant because it is Manueline architecture, part of the Portuguese Renaissance, blending Gothic Flamboyant structures and maritime motifs.

Monument of Discoveries

The Monument of Discoveries, Padrao dos Descobrimentos, is on the bank of the Tagus River in the Belem district. A massive concrete and limestone structure standing 170 feet tall. It is to celebrate the “Portuguese Age of Discovery” during the 1400s and 1500s. It’s shape is to give the impression of a ship, with Prince Henry the Navigator standing at the top of the ramp with other significant explorers, cartographers, monarchs and scientists behind him, including Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco da Gama. The castle looking building is remnants of a fort protecting Lisbon from attack by sea. It is built in a Moorish architecture style with many stone carvings, including a rhinoceros.

I always enjoy the many marketing strategies used on tourists. A mobile wine cart is an amazing idea, especially when a chair with a great view is provided.

I always come home with many random pictures. Then I try to reflect back on the trip and try to figure out why I would have taken the picture. Something caught my eye, made me think it was a great photo. Idk!

When we left the restaurant after dinner we walked right into a protest. I am unsure what was the focus of the protest, but it was very large, taking up the street and the sidewalk. We were forced to cram into a doorway and wait for the mob to go by. With the size of the protest, I am glad it was peaceful.

The Aguas Livres Aqueduct, commissioned in 1731 by King John V, was built to solve the water shortage problem in Lisbon. It survived the devastating 1755 earthquake that destroyed most of Lisbon. No longer used after 1960. It is now part of a museum where you can walk across the top for a great view of the city.

Sintra, Portugal

Pena National Palace (Palácio da Pena) located on the hills of Sintra and built in the 19th century as a summer home for King Ferdinand II and his family. It red section was constructed around the ruins of a 16th-century monastery. The monastery was damaged by the Great Lisbon earthquake of 1755. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site as an example of the 19th-century Romanticism architecture. The Palace has a rich history. Most notable that Queen Amelia, married to King Louis, escaped from the palace to leave the country in exile during the Republican Revolution of 1910.

The Quinta da Regaleira built between 1904 and 1910 in Gothic, Renaissance, Manueline revival style by a wealthy Portugal businessman named Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. Due to a fascination with secret societies, there are hidden symbols throughout the estate. (Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, alchemy, and the Rosicrucians. There is an inverted well that is famous for the spiral staircase the goes 27 meters into the earth. It has never been used as a well. But has been used for ceremonial activities for tarot and Masonic initiation. It was way to narrow and closed in for me to descend down the spiral stairs. There were a few brave travelers in our group that made the trek downward toward the center of the earth.

Cascais

Cascais is a coastal town with beautiful beaches, 19th century architecture, and upscale vacationing only 40 minutes west of Lisbon. What to see and do? Cascais is known for its fishing history. So eat fish! Relax on the beach. Tour a working lighthouse. Visit museums focusing on cultural history. Really you should just sit on the beach!

Food

A cultural adventure is not complete without eating amazing foods. So when you embark on a travel adventure make the commitment to yourself you will try different foods. You can always eat a hamburger at home. Eat the local foods, try the odd looking dishes. You never know you may find you like foods beyond those boring American foods you eat.

It was a very fast 5 day trip, with only 3 days in Portugal. I learned so much about this country that once controlled the sea and trade. The country suffered a devastated earthquake and survived as a stronger nation. Kings and queens, conquerors, and revolutions are all part of the rich history of Portugal. I experienced the culture but know I missed a true deep understanding of the people and their lives. Someday I plan to return to Portugal to spend more time and see more of the country. Of course, I will also eat more of the delicious foods.

Até eu te ver de novo, Portugal