Mediterranean Cruise 2019

"Seen from the Red Bus.
Top left is the Campo Pequeno Arena, a bull-fighting ring that also houses a shopping center. During the bull-fighting off-season, the arena itself turns into an event and concert hall. The bullring was built in the moorish style.
Top right is part of the Águas Livres Aqueduct which was commissioned in 1744 and built to cope with Lisbon's shortage of water. Considered a masterpiece of 18th-century engineering, it spans nearly 58 km. with arches around 65m high.
Bottom right was until the start of this year Lisbon prison and it is planned to convert it into university residences.
Bottom left is a small park next to the bullring."

"Seen from the Red Bus.
Top right our ship, the Aurora.
Bottom right is the monument to the Marquis of Pombal (more next slide)
Top left is the The Military Museum which is on the site of a 16th-century cannon foundry and munitions depot, built as stands in 1905."

"Seen from the Red Bus.
Top left is the national flag of Portugal.
Top right is the Basilica da Estrela, constructed as a religious obligation by Queen Mary I of Portugal after she gave birth to a healthy heir to the Portuguese throne. The lovingly designed Basilica proved an insufficient offering, as Jose died two years before the final completion of the Basilica da Estrela. Mary grieved till her death and the miserable queen was buried in the basilica dedicated to her son.
Bottom left is the front of the Military Museum."

"The São Bento Arch in Praça de Espanha was actually part of the Águas Livres Aqueduct (built 1598-1615) and was originally located in front of São Bento Palace which was a monastery and is now the Portuguese Parliament. It was dismantled in 1938 and the pieces moved to the gardens of the Royal Palace, where it stayed until moved to its current site and put back together in 1998.
The photo top left shows the arch circa 1908, just before WW1 and top right around a year before it was disassembled; this latter photo shows how water was carried through it as part of the aquaduct. It looks to me that the Arch was rebuilt smaller than the original, probably as a consequence of the damage to some of its structure and subsequent loss of some of the stones."

"The Praça do Marques de Pombal Lisbon is a plaza right in the centre of Lisbon dedicated to the the great politician who was the main driving force behind the reconstruction of Lisbon after the devastating 1755 earthquake.
Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, popularly known as Marquis of Pombal, was Secretary of the State of Internal Affairs (the equivalent of a Prime Minister today) from 1750 to 1777. He is considered to have been its de facto head and was notable for his swift and competent leadership in the aftermath of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. His reforms were instrumental in weakening the grip of the Inquisition. He is depicted standing next to a lion, a symbol of power and leadership."

"On the left is one example of street art that Lisbon is well known for; I saw quite a few examples but as we were on the red bus it was difficult to take photos. On the right is the entrance to the Military Museum."

"Parque Eduardo VII named after British monarch Edward VII who toured Lisbon during a 1903 in a state visit to Portugal to reaffirm the Anglo-Portuguese alliance."

"The upper terrace of the park, to the right hand side of where the previous photo was taken, is a monument to the Carnation Revolution. This combination of a military coup and civil resistance overthrew the longest-lasting European dictatorship on April 25, 1974. No lives were lost. "

"Gago Coutinho was an early Portuguese aviation pioneer who along with Sacadura Cabral were the first pilots to fly across the South Atlantic Ocean in his biplane, the Santa Cruz. Their flight of 8,400km departed from Lisbon on the 24 March 1922 and arrived in Rio de Janeiro 79 days later on the 6th June 1922. The seaplane monument in Belem, close to the Torre de Belem, is an exact replica of their Fairey seaplane and it was from this parkland the plane took off from. During a storm, as they travelled down the Brazilian coast, the plane ditched into the Atlantic and was lost; they were rescued and were loaned a plane by the British to complete the journey to Rio. This does explain why the monument is a replica."

"Belem Tower is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built in 1515 it was the site from which explorers such as Vasco da Gama departed on their ‘voyages of discovery’. It was originally sited in the middle of the river but due to the change in the watercourse over the centuries it is now close to the bank and reached by a short walkway."

"This is a fine example of a Welshman on holiday."

"Rather than simply a museum the The Museu Do Combatente pays tribute to and honors the members of the Portuguese armed forces who have given their lives for their country in various conflicts from their bloody involvement in WW1 through equally grisly conflicts in colonial Angola and Mozambique. It is located in an 18th century fort guarding the approach to Lisbon on the River Tagus and right next to the Tower of Belem. is dedicated to the men and women killed in action among the Portuguese armed forces.
The Museu Do Combatente displays a collection of uniforms, arms, a tank, the cockpit of a Fiat G91 aircraft, widely used by the Portuguese Airforce during the Guerra do Ultramar (Colonial Wars) in Africa, many World War II vintage model aircraft and a number of pieces of artillery."

"It's noticeable how important the armed forces regard this monument by the seriousness with which they take their guard duties. We watched the changing of the guard but due to time constraints we didn't actually go inside."

"Instead, as per norm on a hot day we sat down and had a nice refreshing bear in the cafe by the Tower."

"An electric Uber bike - first time I've seen one. I'm not sure how this works, I guess you hire it from your app and when you arrive where your going just leave it?"

"A UNESCO World Heritage Site the 16th-century Jerónimos monastery, also known as the Hieronymite convent, was commissioned by King Manuel I in 1501 and built to honor Vasco da Gama's epic 1498 voyage to India, during a period known as the Age of Discovery. Construction was mostly funded by trade in the spices brought back by da Gama whose tomb lies just inside the entrance to Santa Maria church which forms part of the monastery."

"This beautiful building is the Praça do Comércio. The earthquake of 1755 destroyed most of Lisbon’s lower town (what we now call downtown) including the Paços da Ribeira, the royal palace at the time. The new urban plan reshaped the whole area using a rectangular grid of streets, with the main avenue ending at the monumental Praça do Comércio. Buildings surround the three sides of the rectangular square which opens itself to the River Tajo. Finally, the large triumphal arch, Arco da Rua Augusta, crowns the central building opposite the river. "

"The Praça do Comércio leads on to the famous water-front plaza, still commonly known as Terreiro do Paço and right in the centre stands the equestrian statue of King José I of Portugal of the royal house of Braganza who defeated the Spanish Invasion during the Seven Years War whilst the country was governed the Marquis of Pombal. From the angle the photo was taken you can't see that the horse is actually trampling over snakes."

"As per norm we found a nice 'al fresco' brasserie ( the Populi) at the edge of the Terreiro do Paçofor our customary light lunch and alcoholic beverage. Our waitress's name was Nilda but I thought she looked like Rihanna, which impressed her sufficiently to feature in a selfie with me. It paid off as I gave her and the restaurant a good write-up on TripAdvisor. I must remember this chat up line for the future, LOL."

For our visit to Lisbon we decided to take a 'Red Bus' tour which is a good 'lazy' way to see the main sights, although the downside is that unless you hop-off, hop-on as the service is designed to be used, you probably miss many of the more interesting sights, but for us 'old gits' it is the most practical way to get a feel for the city. We 'hopped-off' at the Belem Tower which is a favourite tourist spot and is in fact the second time we had been there (previously in 2017 when we went there with John and Tony). The Tower is a Unesco World Heritage site and the place where Vasco de Gama and other Spanish sailors left for their adventures on the high seas.

King José I of Portugal

Nilda at the Populi

As per norm we found a nice cafe for the obligatory refreshments before watching the changing of the guard at the military museum (Museu Do Combatente) before taking the Red Bus back to the centre of Lisbon, or more precisely the Terreiro do Paço which is dominated by an equestrian statue of King José I of Portugal in recognition of his leadership during Lisbon’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake and subsequently the defeat of the Spanish Invasion during the Seven Years War of 1762.

We had an afternoon lunch at an 'al fresco' cafe (the Populi) on the edge of the square, which was notable for good food, fine ambience and good company and also by the presence of our waitress (Nilda) who looked just like Rihanna (a chat up line I must use again) and kindly posed with me for a photo. I repaid this by writing a good TripAdvisor report with the photo of Nilda and myself attached (as above).

We walked back to the ship along the waterfront after yet another great day ashore.