During my stay on the island of São Miguel in the Azores I had a few stopovers in the lovely old city of Lisbon during my travels between the island and Cape Town. I grew to love Lisbon and relish my all too brief visits, so when Elle and I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days there en route to the Azores, we jumped at it. I badly wanted to share at least a bit of this great place with her. We both thoroughly enjoyed our brief sojourn, even though the second day was rather wet because of an autumn rain!
The Rua Augusta, looking towards the arch called the Arco da Rua Augusta.
Looking along one of the cloisters facing the Praça do Comércio, on the left as one comes out from under the arch.
Arco da Rua Augusta as seen from the Praça do Comércio.
One of Lisbon’s famous trams, called eléctricos.
The oldest parts of the city are quaint and medieval, such as can be seen here, looking up the Arco de Jesus in the Alfama district.
One of the city’s most famous look-out spots is the Miradouro da Santa Luzia, from where this view was taken. We look east, past the twin-towered church of São Vincente de Fora towards the dome of the Panteão Nacional.
The River Tagus (Rio Tejo) lies in the background of this view over the Alfama, with the church of Santo Estêvão on the left.
Zooming in on the dome of the National Pantheon, formerly known as the Church of Santa Engrácia.
Further west along the Tagus, in the suburb of Belém, one finds the memorial to the Portuguese dicoverers, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.
This map in the square shows the extent of Portuguese discoveries worldwide.
Another view of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.
Nearby is the Torre de Belém. The tower was commissioned by King João II to be part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus river and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. Erected in the early part of the 16th century, it is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Looking down from the top of the tower onto the ramparts.
Just to the west of the Torre de Belém is the memorial to the Portuguese soldiers who died in the wars in Angola and Mozambique.
Here we are looking from the ramparts of the Castelo São Jorge, just above the Alfama district. The view is roughly west towards the river and the Ponte 25 de Abril, the bridge in the distance. Also visible on the far left is the statue of Christ the King at the Santuário de Cristo Rei.
The western ramparts of the Castelo São Jorge.
From the Castelo we look don on the Praça da Figueira (middle distance, right) and beyond it to the modern roof of the Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio (the Rossio station, not to be confused with the Rossio Metro station.)
We zoom in on the previous view to get a better look at the Convento do Carmo (ruins of the Carmo Convent), with to the left of it the Elevador de Santa Justa, a lift to get people from the lower level of the city in front of the convent to the higher level behind it. On the right of the ruins is the church Iglesia do Carmo.
Late afternoon, and we are looking west from the castle ramparts we see the distant dome and towers of the Basilica da Estrela.
Castelo de São Jorge. This is the entrance to the central keep of the castle. The castle was built by Moorish forces during the 10th century.