2024 in Portugal (Lisbon)

the Celebrity Equinox ship docked at Lisbon (Portuguese: Lisboa) on August 30:

the ship would dock on the River Tagus, overnight for us to see both newer and older parts of Lisbon:

day 1

the ship docked at the Lisbon Cruise Terminal (Terminal de Cruzerios de Lisboa) at the foot of the old town of Alfama

had a few hours before a free sightseeing walk:

• bought a 24-hour "pass" to ride the Metro:
• started from Terreiro do Paço ("Land of Peace")
• had time to enjoy their underground train system
  • seats had cushions made of cork (!)
• rode north to Restauradores ("Restorationists")
  • went inside the Igreja de São Domingos ("Church of St. Dominic") at noon to cool down from the hot August sun
  • a few on this Friday went there for a mid-day worship
  • outside the church was Memorial às vitimas judias ("Memorial to the Jewish victims")
• had lunch at a nice (but empty) restaurant Sebastião:
  • not the type who had those "hungry waiters" standing outside
  • they had no one waving menus with drawings of food with words in many tongues ... no! but the food was great:
    • bacalhau (cod fish) dish
    • Super Bock beer

met up with the "free" sightseeing walk back at Restauradores to see:

• Monumento aos Restauradores
  • a marker to the "restorationists"
• Elevador de Santa Justa
  • a lift between a higher and lower part of town
• Rossio train station
  • gateways with carved "gargoyles"
• Rua Augusta
  • Lisbon's shopping street, "newly" made after an earthquake in 1755
• Arco da Rua Augusta
  • gateway between Rua Augusta and Praça do Comércio
• Praça do Comércio
  • a big meeting hub right by the river Tagus

day 2

woke up early to make use of the 24-hour "pass"

Tram 28

• rode on the old-school Elétrico 28 ("Tram 28")
  • the pass comes with the tram ride
  • felt like a "hop-on hop-off", but without the "sightseeing chit-chat"
  • went through the hills of Lisbon, but cut short the ride at Baixa-Chiado (about halfway through the long route)
• on the Metro back to Terreiro do Paço
  • the "chimes" of the Metro loudspeakers truly have a soothing sound to them!
• needed to get back in time to catch the sightseeing walk of Alfama

Alfama

now Alfama had many "miradouros" (belvederes) which offered great views (what the word belvedere literally means), some of which included:

• Miradouro Santa Luzia
  • saw the Celebrity Equinox ship at the Terminal de Cruzerios from here
• Miradouro das Portas do Sol
  • "gates of the sun"
• Miradouro do Recolhimento
  • "the recollection" or "the gathering"

Elétrico 12 (Tram 12) also passes through Alfama:

• often better to ride than Tram 28
  • fewer riders at "rush hour"
  • goes in a handy circle around Alfama

other sights in Alfama worth seeing:

• Sé de Lisboa
  • the "Cathedral of Lisbon"
• Castelo de São Jorge
  • the "castle of St. George"
• Largo do Chafariz de Dentro
  • Alfama's old town hub

sail away

the ship sailed westward on the Tagus passing through:

• Padrão dos Descobrimentos
  • the "Monument to the Discoveries"
• Torre de Belém
  • the "Tower of Saint Vincent" (of a 1500s stronghold)