Sunday, April 12th, 2009, Lisbon, Portugal
Bob:
The discouraging thing about waking up in the morning tired, aching, and with a sore throat is that you realize this is the very best you will be feeling all day. For me at least, as my energy level sags during the course of the day I almost invariably feel worse. But I did pry myself out of bed and onto the deck for a few minutes to watch the sunrise. Curiously, as we slowly steamed eastward up the Tagus River the full moon was setting just off our stern at the same time the sun was rising off the starboard bow.
I watched our ship slowly and quietly slide sideways up to the dock in Lisbon just as the sun was rising. To my surprise, we docked much closer to the center of the old town section than on our previous trips. We had a wonderful view of the town from the Lido deck where we could see the beautiful buildings of old Lisbon marching upward to St. George's Castle on the hill above us. It was a very pretty sight in the morning sun and gave us plenty of opportunities for taking pictures. So there I was in exotic Lisbon, docked right at the downtown pier in the center of the city, and all I could think about was going back to bed. Arrrgh! As much my spirit was willing to walk around Lisbon, my flesh was weak and after breakfast I just crawled back to the cabin and slept until lunch.
Monika:
While Bob was taking his morning nap, I did an initial foray into Lisbon. I first stopped in the Vista Lounge to see Phyllis and Lois off and wish them lots of fun on their shore excursion, a bus trip through Lisbon and on to Estoril.
Our ship was docked upstream from the main square right across from a train and Metro station. I decided to walk to the main square at the riverside, the Plaza Commercial. The streets were quiet on this Easter Sunday morning. Across from the train station was a War Museum with a fierce looking statue over the entrance. It was closed, not that I had any desire to go inside. I did enjoy the tiled architecture I saw while ambling along. One house had a Moorish looking extension built on top of an older building. The Plaza itself had a big area closed off for some type of construction, so I got only pictures of the arch that lead to the main road going up to the park at the top. Once I walked through the arch, I could see street vendors setting up stands selling scarfs, belts, pictures, etc. I decided, I better start heading back so that Bob would not get too worried. I walked a different street back, enjoying the different architecture. Only a few stores were open, but I did not stop.
Bob: After lunch I did manage to join Monika for a short hike into the eastern side of Lisbon, a section we had not seen before. But as it turned out the neighborhoods we passed through were not too great, mostly modern apartment complexes or older, fairly run-down row houses with only the occasional tiled front building that we found so fascinating. I started to flag after a couple of hours and we hopped the Metro system to get back to the ship. That cost only 1.30 Euro and was a pleasant surprise: clean, modern, and efficient, with the trains running just a few minutes apart even though it was a Sunday. Some of the stations were simply utilitarian, but other stations were quite nicely decorated with patterned tiles and so forth. I was happy to get back to the ship, however, so that I could turn in for yet another nap, have dinner, and then go right back to bed for the night. As Balzac (?) might have put it, my day was "the short and simple annals of the ill!" |
Monika: Back on board, Bob was just waking up. We decided to have an early lunch, and then Bob felt strong enough to do some walking. First we investigated the train and metro station, finding out that a one way ticket on Metro was only 1.30 Euro. The city map I had gotten from the information in the terminal showed all the metro lines. So we thought, we just start walking with map and GPS, so what can go wrong? We walked in a north-easterly direction away from the city center. The neighborhoods became poorer and more industrial and in theses sections no stores were open. After walking for an hour or more, we checked the map and decided it would be quicker to head for the next Metro station rather than walk back to the ship. Another 30 minutes and there was supposedly a Metro station. We were at a round-about with roads going every whichever. We must have looked like lost tourists, because a car stopped and the driver asked us in perfect English, whether he could help. When we asked where the Metro station was. He directed us 50 feet further along the road, where we indeed found the entrance. The ticket machine had an English option, so we had no problem. The station itself was very beautiful with nice tile designs. The whole Metro system was very clean and efficient. Although we had to switch trains twice, we had no trouble finding the correct platforms and never had to wait more than 3 or 4 minutes. So the whole trip took no longer than 20 to 25 minutes and we were back at the ship. I certainly hope that next time we come to Lisbon we dock there again. I would be fun to take a regional train up into the mountains. |
Monika:
In our cabin, Bob was ready to hit the sack again. But I had not fulfilled may main mission, finding some local beer. So I headed out again. I first stopped at the cafeteria in the train station for a small (.2 liter - less than a cup) cold one. Now I felt ready to tackle the hills. From the ship I could see a massive copula half ways up the hill. I was curious what it was and so climbed up to it. It seemed to be part of a rather large and massive church. The church was closed, so I could not go inside but I was happy taking pictures from the outside. While walking back down the street I enjoyed the tiled walls around the stores, which were mostly closed. But then I saw a little hole in the wall that seemed to be an open sundries store. Indeed he did have a small refrigerator that among other things contained some beer. For 70 cents I had what I needed and headed back to the ship. Holland America does not seem to be concerned with smuggling of liqueur, we were only checked for metals, so there was no problem bringing the bottle back on board. Before settling in our cabin to work on the Sunday crossword puzzle, I went up to the Lido deck for some Nachos and salsa to go with the beer.
Monika:
Bob woke up (again) for dinner, where we met Lois and Phyllis and heard all about their bus tour through Lisbon, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Dinner recognized that today was Easter and the desert was especially nice. After dinner we went out on deck to watch as we sailed past the Henry the Navigator memorial. Back in our cabin, the creature of the day was, of course, a bunny who we decorated with easter eggs. But Bob was wilting, and there's nothing worse than a wilted husband, so it was back to bed for both of us.
| Index |
| Prolog | Map of Transatlantic Cruise | Map of Northern Italian Bus Trip | Map of Eastern Mediterranean Cruise | Epilog |
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