COLOURFULWORLD

Sunday 10 July 2016

Portugal - Lisbon III

From Parliament House we walked west again to Bairro Alto district to visit another beautiful lookout.

Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara (St Peter's Lookout)


St George's Castle on top of the hill in the far end
St George's medieval castle on top of one of Lisbon's 7 hills


























The garden below and another view of Lisbon




























































The most romantic of Lisbon's lookouts, it has wonderful panoramic views of central Lisbon to the river Tagus.
At the bottom, reached by various staircases is a geometric landscaped garden with busts of Gods from Greco-Roman mythology,  with the same views at a lower level.

St George's castle and in the centre you can see the Tagus river
Close up of the above photo





















































































Apart from the views there was kiosks selling traditional pastries, cakes and coffee, as well as a small crafts market and other coffee shops where lots of people relaxed while enjoying the view.


Coffee kiosk and people relaxing and enjoyed the view






At this red kiosk we bought a delicious custard tart


This old tiled plaque has a map that indicates all the important buildings that can be sighted from this lookout.


















































Elevador da Gloria (Gloria Funicular)

Right next to the garden is the Gloria Elevator, a funicular operating since 1885, taking passengers up and down the hill between Restauradores Square and Bairro Alto.
Built by a Portuguese architect of French origin - Raul Mesnier du Ponsard, who also designed other funiculars and lifts in Lisbon.


From inside the tram
This funicular travels up and down the hill, a distance of just 265 metres, connecting the two stops at Sao Pedro de Alcantara with Restauradores Square below.
It transports circa 3 million people a year, so avoid rush hour, as this is a means of transport for the locals. 
In 2002 this funicular was proclaimed a National Monument.
The return ride costs €3.60 per person. Don't do like we did, that we walked down the hill next to the lines and after seeing what we wanted to see at the bottom of the hill we caught the funicular up and only then realized that the price was for both ways!
There is a Tourist Office near the stop at the bottom.
If you like murals, there are a few around the stop at the top, near the lookout, but the trams used are also covered in graffiti.

Tram climbing the hill to Sao Pedro de Alcantara

Restauradores (Restoration Square)






























This square located at Avenida da Liberdade (Liberation Avenue) with an obelisk in the middle is dedicated to the independence of Portugal in 1640, after 60 years of Spanish domination. 

The obelisk carries the names and dates of the battles fought during the Restoration war.
The area is surrounded by magnificent buildings from the 19th and early 20th century and Art Deco buildings.



Palacio Foz (Foz Palace) built in the 19th century hosts cultural events and has beautifully decorated interiors.



















































































Our first day in Lisbon came to and end and it was time to return to Cascais.
So we walked until Cais do Sodre Station to catch our train home. 

My daughter's mobile app showed we had walked almost 14km!!! No wonder my feet were tired, but at least I must have lost a few grams...

On our second visit to Lisbon there are more lookouts and interesting monuments.

16 comments:

  1. Dearest Sami,
    Oh my, you are so hilarious in writing and honest... You lost a few grams; yeah when buying such delicious custard tart you manage to offset the walking distance.
    What a fate with that funicular being paid for both ways! It sure made you laugh too.
    Aha, Portugal's Spanish domination ended in 1640, after 60 years. The Dutch were till 1648 under Spanish domination; totaling 80 years!
    For sure that left some very similar culinary marks too, such as the custard tarts and rice pudding, flans etc.
    How history has shaped us all.
    This was again a lovely tour with great photos and I enjoyed being back in Lisbon again.
    Hugs and happy Sunday.
    Mariette

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    1. Thanks Mariette, glad you enjoyed being back in Lisbon. I couldn't visit Portugal without eating those heavenly custard tarts.

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  2. Lisboa / Portugal is high up on my list for places I want to explore. So thanks for the nice posting. I will remember good shoes:)

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    1. Thanks Gunn, you will enjoy Lisbon. And of course there are other beautiful places in Portugal worthwhile visiting. Yes,comfortable shoes are a must if you're going to walk a lot!

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  3. It's been most enjoyable traveling around beautiful Lisbon with you Sami, more so because I didn't have to a plane :)

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    1. Isn't it great that we can travel virtually through other people's blogs, without having to leave the comfort of our house? Glad you enjoyed the visit Grace.

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  4. This has been a genuinely fun and informative blog post. I liked the story of the funicular and the pink Foz Palace. I'm also amazed at all the kiosks and eateries you passed. I really enjoyed everything about this, because it was a wonderful and exciting adventure for me.

    Thanks, too, for your wonderful previous visits while I was offline. I so appreciate them.

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth, glad you enjoyed the trip.

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  5. Congratulations with the Portugese victory at the European Football Championship!

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    1. Thanks Marianne. I didn't watch the match as it was at 3am here, but my husband woke up to watch the whole thing!

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  6. Hi Sami - you must be exhausted did you get up at 5am to watch Portugal's epic win???? Poor Ronaldo! Looks a beautiful city and at 14kms you can say you walked all over the place :) I wonder whether they were planned street arts in the trams?
    Byeeeeee Wren x

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    1. No way, I still didn't get much sleep, because my husband set his alarm for just before 3AM (We are 2h behind Melbourne), so my sleep was disturbed.
      I'm not sure if the "art" on the trams was planned, or if it's just graffiti.

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  7. Lisbon truly is beautiful. Love esp the pic with the people sitting on the ground for a break - guess I´m too old for that, though. 14 km, not bad!

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    1. Thanks Iris. I wouldn't sit on the floor either, there were so many beautiful spots to sit, maybe even the lower garden.

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  8. You did a really good job showing Lisbon! Too bad you missed the street art tour, that would have been great. Maybe next time.

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    1. Thanks Sara. Yes it was a pity I missed the tour....then I had to walk around and find what art I could, still did well I think.

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