Lisbon, Portugal

After leaving Southampton, England and then two days at sea, the Queen Mary 2 approached the port of Lisbon.  We have never been to Portugal so we were eagerly awaiting the time we would spend here!  If you are reading about our trip you know we are continuing our World Voyage.  I'll be posting about each port and I do hope you will join us on this amazing journey as I recall our time spent traveling to places we have only read about.

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal.  It is the second oldest capital city in Europe with Athens being the oldest.  The port of Lisbon is very busy because of its location between Europe, Africa, and the Atlantic.

When the ship cleared customs, we boarded our tour bus to start our adventure called "Leisurely Lisbon."  We had a very informative tour guide that guided us through her beautiful city.

Right away our guide wanted us to know that Lisbon is Lisboa to her in Portuguese and wanted us to know it as well.  So from now on I'll refer to Lisbon as Lisboa!  

The first area of Lisboa we visited was Belem (Bethlehem).  This is the port from which Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama left as he journeyed around the Cape of Good Hope and then on to India finding a sea route east.  The beautiful Jeronimos Monastery was our first stop. 

Jeronimos Monastery was built in the 1500s.  The monastery was built with funds from profits of the tax of the yearly Portuguese India Armadas.  Da Gama's remains were moved into a tomb in the nave of the church in 1880.

We walked through a lovely park across from the monastery.

The Monument of Discoveries is a tribute to those that left the Tagus River on their way to India and the Orient trying to establish trade routes.  The overhead lines support the extensive tram system that runs through Lisboa.

As we continued with our tour our guide pointed out the lovely square.

People were beginning to gather at the tables to have a noon meal.  The charm of European squares lives on in Lisboa.  The  mosaic patterned tile walkways are everywhere we look.

Our guide mentioned to us that the tiles are the pride of the artisans and the locals of Lisboa.  She reminded us not to walk here in heels though!  I had on my walking shoes and I rarely wear heels.  

This Monument to the Restorers memorializes the victory of the Portuguese Restoration War from 1640-1668.  This resulted in the end of the rule of the House of the Habsburg and the rise of the House of Braganza.

Walking with our guide through the quaint streets of Lisboa we stopped to enjoy a favorite drink of the area, Cherry Brandy.

I must admit that my sweetheart enjoyed this liqueur more than I did.  It's made with the Ginjinha cherry (Ginja) and is a sour cherry and not a sweet one.

After boarding the bus again we took a little ride to Almada, Portugal.  This is a very lovely place that overlooks the Tagus River and is connected to Lisboa by the 25 de Abril Bridge.  The 25th of April was the day the Carnation Revolution overthrew the Salazar regime in 1974.  It is also known as the Tagus River Bridge.

On this foggy afternoon we were still able to take in the sights that surrounded us. Christ the King statue looks over this imposing view of Lisboa.

The Sanctuary of Christ the King was begun in 1949 and completed in 1959. It was patterned after the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

This is our photo taken when we were there in 2020. Though Christ the King statue is similar to Christ the Redeemer there are differences as one can imagine.  You can also see we had a much prettier day in Rio than in Lisboa.

This imposing statue was built in gratitude to God with funds raised by the women of the area because their sons were spared during World War II.  Portugal was a neutral country and did not participate in the war.

I found photographing this statue very difficult, but so meaningful.  

The grounds of the Sanctuary of Christ the King is really in the clouds as you can see with the bridge in the background of Grayden.

As we boarded the bus again for our ride over the bridge we saw Queen Mary 2 waiting for us in the distance.

Viewing Igreja de Sao Vicente de Fora Monastery as we boarded the ship left us with a beautiful sight.

This lovely tour of Lisboa made us so happy to visit such an interesting place!  

I'll leave you with this tiled heart of Lisboa.  We will always remember the beauty we experienced.  Thank you for sharing our joy as we remember our World Voyage.