Road to Iberia, III ....... our first day in Lisbon. We slept in until 9:30 which felt glorious. Went down for breakfast which had scrambled eggs, tons of bacon, cereal, fruit, toast, yogurt, juice, several types of coffee, and croissants. Met up with the Sobrinos and talked for awhile catching up. Since it was overcast and slightly rainy we decided to stay in Lisbon and go down to the old sections by the river Tagus.
When we finally got underway and walked down to the metro - very clean and modern. Took it down to Plaixa Chiado got off and when we popped up - there was a
bronze statue of Fernando Pessoa, the only modern Portuguese
writer I know anything about,
thanks to the Wilkes County Library. The statue was on the sidewalk, just as if he were setting at his favorite cafe. Next I saw a statue of the poet Chiado, and later a statue to a sixteenth century writer up at the old castle. Rather than generals and politicians the Portuguese erect statues to their writers. A good start to getting to know Portugal.
We walked uphill from there, figuring that uphill would be the way to go to find the Castelo de Sao Jorge. On our way we found the O Se - the Cathedral. It was poor and rundown looking from the outside, and inside more Romanesque that Gothic or Baroque. It has a certain impressiveness for all that, or rather, perhaps because of the lack of glitter and splash.
Trudged further uphill in the mist and cold rain and found the
Castelo de Sao Jorge. It was a lot of fun walking
the walls and going in and out of towers. From the walls you can look directly down into the yards and rooms of the
houses on the street that circles the castelo.
On the way down the slope we stopped at a pasteleria for a much needed snack and an even more needed rest. The waiter looked like Paul Gaughin. Then back down through the old port area where we passed by a huge
triumphal arch through which we could see the back end of King Somebody or Other's horse. The king was wearing a hugely ostentatious helmet with outrageous plumes. But by then it was raining so hard that we had to duck under the arcades surrounding the plaze.
When we got back to the hotel we both took a nap and then talked to the Sobrinos for awhile. Then went out to a Chinese Portuguese restaurant. A good first day. I think I understand why I like Lisbon so much: it is a modest city of considerable historical interest and charm that does not bustle the way New York does. Work goes on apace, but as we noticed this evening, by 6 pm the buses and subways are no longer packed with commuters. Yet it does not seem to be a siesta type of place.
Other than the castle, my favorite thing today was the statue of Pessoa; Carmen's the old fashioned
street cars that are still in use in the older sections of town.
