Lisbon - Lisbon to London - May 11-13, 2025


On this trip, I am traveling with my friend Fran on a 3-week cruise from Lisbon to London.  See the cruise maps to the left.   I have left Chris at home for now but will meet up with him in Berlin at the end of our cruise.  

Fran and I left San Francisco at 12:30 PM for our flight to Montreal where we changed planes for Lisbon after a short layover.  We arrived in Lisbon about 7:30 AM on May 12th.  After walking for miles (or it seemed that way) in the airport, we passed through immigration, collected our luggage and headed out to find a taxi.  

We arrived at our hotel, HF Fénix Lisboa, at around 11 AM and luckily, we were able to check in at that time.  I only slept about 1 hour on the plane and thus was exhausted.

After relaxing, we had lunch in the hotel and then at 3:30 PM Andre, our Tuk Tuk driver/guide picked us up for a 4-hour tour of Lisbon.

 

Lisbon boasts around 1000 years of history and is at the junction of the African, American and North European tectonic plates.  There was a 9.1 earthquake in 1755 that destroyed about 65% of the city.

Our guide, André is from the Azores which consist of 9 islands off the coast of Portugal.  They have at least one island in each of the three tectonic plates.

 


Our tour began in Downtown Lisbon

  • Started at Restoration Square (Praça da Restauração), which commemorates Portugal's independence from Spanish rule
  • Visited Rossio Train Station, built in 1890, which connects Lisbon to Sintra
  • Saw Praça Pedro IV, named after the king who declared Brazil's independence in 1822
  • Explored the Baixa neighborhood, Lisbon's main commercial district
  • Viewed the Santa Justa Lift, an iconic structure from 1902 with a lookout point

Next, we visited the Alfama District...

  • Visited the Church of Saint Anthony
  • Explored Lisbon Cathedral (built in 1148), where we learned about Portugal's Christian conquest of the territory from Arab rule
  • Learned about Lisbon's settlement history: Phoenicians, Romans (3rd century), Visigoths, and eventually Portuguese rule beginning in 1128
  • Stopped at the Santa Lucia Garden lookout point for panoramic views
  • Saw a tile store where traditional handmade Portuguese tiles are created

Church of Santa Engrácia

Overlooking the Lafama District


Then we head to the Graça Neighborhood...

  • Visited the Graça Church from the 1600s
  • Discussed Portugal's neutrality during World War II, maintained through diplomacy and the Treaty of Windsor (Portugal's ancient alliance with England)
  • Learned about Portugal's fascist regime which lasted from 1933-1974, one of Europe's longest dictatorships
  • Visited the Lady of the Hill lookout, the highest viewpoint in the city

Street Art in Lisboa

In Carmel Square and Downtown we...

  • Saw the ruins of the Carmelite Convent, destroyed in the 1755 earthquake
  • Learned about the historical significance of the square as the end point of the 1974 Carnation Revolution that established democracy
  • Passed by the Portuguese Parliament building, housed in a former monastery
  • Discussed Portugal's transition from monarchy to republic in the early 1900s

Along the Tagus River

  • Traveled by the 25th of April Bridge (originally named Salazar Bridge after the dictator) – it looks like the Golden Gate Bridge!
  • Saw the Christ the Redeemer statue replica on the opposite shore
  • Learned about Portugal's maritime history and how Vasco da Gama's voyage to India in 1498 established international shipping routes

The Golden Gate Bridge of Lisbon

Belém District

  • Tasted the famous pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) at their original bakery from 1837
  • Visited the Jerónimos Monastery, an impressive example of Manueline architecture from 1505
  • Saw the Belém Tower, built in 1520 to control maritime traffic
  • Viewed the Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos), installed in 1960 to celebrate 500 years of Portuguese exploration
  • Learned about Prince Henry the Navigator and other important historical figures
  • Saw where the Tagus River meets the Atlantic Ocean

Throughout the tour, Andre shared insights about Portuguese history, politics, and culture, including discussions about Portugal's colonial past, its relatively young democracy, and current political situation.

It was a great tour and gave us a wonderful overview of Lisbon.  After we returned to the hotel, we shared a sandwich and then were glad to collapse into our beds.

 

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