My Personal Experience and Enjoyment
Thirty-eight years back I went to Lisboa on a
scholarship from the Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation for data collection for my Ph. D. in
Indo-Portuguese history. Those were the days when we did not have access or
affordability to own a mobile to capture fond memories or social media
platforms to share fond memories, for that matter even a computer. I only owned
a small camera where I could click some photos. In fact, I bought an Antares
typewriter to type all my chapters and send it via air mail to my guide who was
based in India. I always felt that someday, sometime I will revisit Lisboa and
I got the opportunity to do so.
I strongly believe that all good experiences are
etched in one’s mind come what may if it has been eons. With this background I
decided to travel to Lisboa with my family. The family includes my husband, son
and daughter-in-law. We visited them in the UK and then we planned for a week’s
trip to Lisboa. Kudos to my son and daughter-in-law for planning the entire
trip.
The Journey
We flew from Gatwick Airport (since we were in the UK)
and the flight duration was short.
The momnt we landed in Lisboa I had to have
my pastel de nata (Portuguese custard
tart) at the airport, while the family was retrieving the luggage. Historically, the pastel de nata was made by Catholic
monks even before the 18th century.
It is told that egg yolks were used as starch for clothes and the left
over yolks were made into custard and tarts, by priests and nuns. However, post
the Revolution in 1820 the pasteis da nata was sold by nuns and priests to earn
money. But soon a sugar factory bought the recipe and established the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém in 1983.
We reached the hotel and took some rest. The next
morning, we went walking on the Avenidade de
Liberdidade, the avenue was built
between 1879 and 1886 and is modeled after the boulevards in
Paris. It became the address for people from upper class and the creation was a
landmark in the Northwards expansion of the city. During our walk and we saw
that the roads are dotted with several statues. The pavements known in
Portuguese as calçada portuguesa or calçada (tiny square stones) and is made of
limestone. They are hand laid and represent black and white waves ad include
symbols and images of animals.
On the way we had sweet pineapple juice at Praca dp
comercio-, the uniqueness is the way the pineapple is carved out and the juice
extracted is served in the hollow part of the pineapple and the sliced
pineapple pieces are placed on the rim of the fruit. In fact, this was
available at the touristic spot.
We then went and had lunch at Timeout market which is
the is the first market in the world where the food has
been chosen, tested and tasted by food critics and journalists. It
sprawls over 32,000 sq. ft. with 900 seats
and has 26 restaurants & 6 kiosks. Being a vegetarian fortunately we could
get food.
The next day we went to Sintra by
train which was one the hot destination for the royal family. It was called
glorious Eden by Lord Byron it has gardens, castles colourful villas and is
surrounded by lush forest. When one walks through the forest you are taken back
to fairy tales-Alice in Wonderland, Hansel and Gretel to name a few. In Sintra
the mode of transport is bus or one can drive. But we chose to walk to enjoy
the environment.
The next day we visited The Belém Tower (Torre de Belém). It was built
between 1514 and 1520 by Francisco de Arruda, a Portuguese architect and
sculptor in the Manuelino style. It was classified as a World Heritage Site in
1983 by UNESCO. The Belém Tower is built on the northern bank of the Tagus
river today it serves as a light house and customs house.
Constructed
on the northern bank of the Tagus River, this tower was used to defend the
city. Years later, it was transformed into a lighthouse and customs house. It's
located right by the Jerónimos Monastery, so we recommend visiting them on the
same day. The towers include five floors and all the storeys are connected by a
narrow and spiral staircase. Each floor had a designated usage – the King’s
room, the chapel, family room, audience room and a roof terrace.
The
Jerónimos Monastery is a beautiful structure which includes the Manueline, or
Portuguese style of Late Gothic architecture. It has vaulted ceilings and sophisticated
decorative elements, and the site reflects the clerical ecclesiastical and
royal commissions that characterized the era in which it was built.
What I enjoyed the most was
the huge monument - Padrão dos Descobrimentos situated on the banks of the
Tagus river estuary, in Belém. It commemorates the departure of Vasco da Gama
to India and the Orient in the 15th and 16 centuries, celebrating the Age of
Discoveries
In the
evening we went to the Pink street, which is known as the red light area. It
used to be home for brothels and it is now dotted with bars, fenced cafes and
gambling houses. The reflection of the lights actually gives a pink colour on
the street.
The next day we drove to
Lagos a town in Southern Portugal's Algarve region. It is an old town which has
walls surrounding to include cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean. It is dotted with
wooden steps which leads to the cove of Praia do Camilio. The scenario extends
to a lighthouse, a castle, cliffs of Piedade and a church (from the 18th
century) the Igreja de Santo António.
The next
day we went to the Benagil cave, which is also known as Algar de
Benagil. It is not only famous but has beautiful caves. History says that the
natural caves are more than 20 million years old. Due to erosion the caves have
developed cavities in limestone. The boat ride was for around two hours and the
natural formation of the caves, mountain ridges was fascinating. We were
unlucky to not encounter any dolphins. Our boat “captain” wisely said we do not
bait the dolphins by throwing food into the ocean and I thought that was a good
approach.
Our last leg was Sagres is located in the extreme southwest of continental Europe. (estimated straight-line path over land-11,241 km, ending near Jinjiang in the People's Republic of China.
We visited the Fortress of Sagres – Fortaleza de Sagres. It is a 15th century fort which has strong walls which tower over the cliffs and served as a stronghold from enemies and invaders. Sagres appears to be a small town with a laid back attitude, there is no chaos or hustle-bustle, despite attracting tourists. The São Vicente – Farol de São Vicente, lighthouse was initially occupied by the Franciscan monks and hence the name.
We
went to a restaurant and had lunch and drove to the airport at Lisbon
We spent
most of the day in seeing some sights, since we had to drive back to Lisboa to
catch our return flight to the UK.
