15,000 Steps 2 Ubers 1 Bus Tour
April 22 2025
After breakfast at your hotel, enjoy a half-day guided tour of Lisbon. You will begin with stunning views from the Edward VII observation deck, then explore Avenida da Liberdade and the vibrant downtown areas of Rossio and Praça do Comércio. You will continue to Belém, where the Portuguese explorers once set sail. Visit the Tower of Belém, the Monument of the Discoveries and the Jerónimos Monastery, each a testament to the city’s golden Age of Discovery. After your visit, you will have some time to taste the renowned Pastéis de Belém.
Lunch and afternoon at leisure. Take your time to wander through Alfama’s charming alleys, where colourful streetcars and historic staircases bring Lisbon’s old town to life.
Dinner at leisure and overnight at your hotel in Lisbon. (Breakfast)
We set our alarms for 6:30 and were at breakfast by 7:10. It was not too busy, the Quebecers were there as they fly home today as were other Quebecers on the flight to Montreal.
First day of tour.
We were down to meet our 8:30 tour at 8:20. It turns out that Wingbuddy had an English and a French tour, bus 1 and 2. We met a couple from outside Ottawa, seemed nice enough J and W. but they would soon be nicknamed the Homecoming King and Queen aka Busy Bees as they buzzed here and there.
Our tour is 46 people spread over two hotels. The majority were at the Pombal hotel. At our hotel were 2 American (friends) couples who mixed with no one. 2 American sisters?? from Oregon. 1 single woman from Canada, and the Ottawa couple.
As the French tour exited the American couples said "there go the Canucks", not realizing some of us were still in the lobby.
A group of 46 is too many to manage with one guide, Pedro.
It was 8:45 when he arrived.
Tour description stated city tour first but we went to Belem.
We drove the 20 minutes to Belem, which is just past where we were in Sunday, under the bridge.
Behind us, Connie (American non-Trump) aka Sorority Mother (palsies with the HKQ (Homecoming/Prom King and Queen) and her husband John.
Belem Tower, built in Portuguese Manueline style between 1514 and 1520. Originally conceived as a lighthouse, it was eventually built as a fortress to defend the city from invading ships.
Now they all need a bathroom break, a one seater!!! 5 minutes turned into 30 as we also had to wait for a late arrival from Toronto, coming directly from the airport. It wouldn't have mattered, they were still lining up for the ladies washroom.
Finally time to move on, it was like herding cats.
Estátua "Gago Coutinho e Sacadura Cabral
This replica of the Santa Cruz seaplane that was the first to cross the South Atlantic sits near the Belem Tower and is easy to dismiss. But, it reflects an important accomplishment in history. Much more interestingly, the actual plane can be seen at the Maritime Museum, near the Jeronimos Monastery.
Padrao dos Descobrimentos
Monument to the Discoveries. Inaugurated in 1960 it commemorates the five hundredth anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, who discovered the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde. Henry stands at the front of the monument holding a carrack, a type of sailing ship used by the Portuguese.
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Mosterio dos Jeronimos ($ entrance fee included???) took over 100 years to build, beginning in 1501. The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the late Portuguese Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. The Hieronymite monks occupied the monastery for over 4 centuries until 1833, when the religious orders were dissolved and the monastery was abandoned.
MONASTERY CANCELLED DUE TO LONG LINES AS PEOPLE WERE LINING UP TO PAY RESPECTS TO THE POPE.
Pedro collected the 1.50 € per pastry and then went and got them which we ate on the bus.
We started the tour at Rossio Square.
Calçada are small stone cubes, either white or black, inlaid on pedestrian paths and sidewalks in many parts of Portugal. Where many countries pour slabs of dull concrete, in Portugal, the streets fairly ripple with patterns in stone. The white blocks are made of limestone, calcário in Portuguese, hence the name calçada. The black ones are most often cut from basalt. Combined, they make dazzling designs, turning even ordinary byways into creative mosaics.
A calceteiro, or paver as it translates into English, is someone who lays down cobblestones by hand to create intricate patterns on streets and sidewalks. This traditional Portuguese craft dates back several centuries and has become synonymous with Lisbon’s urban landscape.
In fact, calçada portuguesa (Portuguese pavement), as it’s known locally, is not just functional but also artistic. It involves arranging small black basalt stones and white limestone pieces into various designs – from simple geometric shapes to complex mosaics depicting historical scenes or nautical themes associated with Portugal’s seafaring past.
At this point we ditched the tour as we had already been around this area on Saturday and Sunday. Plus the half day tour was running into the afternoon. Instead we got an Uber to St. George Castle.
Lisbon’s tallest hill was fortified even before the Roman occupation, and the Visigoths and the Moors all left their mark. The castle is the restored version of the Moorish construction, which largely collapsed in the 1755 earthquake. It was also the royal residence, before the king decided to build a palace on the waterfront, which was also completely destroyed in the earthquake. Today the castle crowns the city as the main landmark of ancient Lisbon, and offers a breathtaking view from its walls and pine-shaded terraces.
Yikes, following Google's directions to the Moorish Quarter. In hindsight we should have ignored her "sharp left turn" and meandered down the slow way.
he Moorish Quarter of Lisbon, known as Mouraria, is considered the birthplace of Fado, a deeply emotional and soulful Portuguese musical genre. It was in this working-class neighborhood, particularly in the 1800s, that the first recorded fado singer, Maria Severa, lived and performed. Mouraria is where the musical genre of fado emerged, fueled by the passionate voices of its residents, and where the spirit of "saudade" (a Portuguese expression for intense longing) was first embodied through music.
Fernando Maurício (1933-2003) was a significant figure in the world of Fado, often referred to as the "King of Fado" and the "King of Mouraria". Born and raised in the Mouraria neighborhood of Lisbon, he began his professional career at the age of 13. Maurício was known for his original voice and his deep connection to his roots, remaining a humble man throughout his life despite his fame. He was recognized for bringing Fado to television in the late 1960s and received several awards during his career.
Coincidentally, he was born in the house opposite that of another fadista who had enjoyed notoriety 100 years previously. Maria Severa was a local prostitute with an amazing voice who, thanks to the patronage of her lover, a count, became something of a diva and brought fado to the fringe of ‘respectable’ audiences.
One of the most curious national symbols of Portugal is the “Galo de Barcelos” (Barcelos rooster), usually represented by a colourful ceramic rooster decorated with hearts and flowers…
Legend has it that a long time ago, in the northern town of Barcelos, an unknown Galician was arrested and accused of a crime. However, the man swore innocence, alleging that he was only passing through those lands on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Sentenced to death on the gallows, the man asked to be brought before the judge who had sentenced him. When permission was granted, they took him to the residence of the magistrate, who was feasting with some friends at the time. The Galician reaffirmed his innocence and, faced with the incredulity of those present, pointed to the roasted rooster that was on the table and exclaimed:
“As certain as I am innocent, that rooster will sing when they hang me!”
All those present laughed at the absurdity of such a claim, but no one touched the rooster. And what seemed impossible happened: when the pilgrim was hung, the rooster stood up on the table and sang.
Realizing that he had made a mistake, the judge ran to the gallows and discovered that the Galician could still be saved thanks to a badly made knot. The man was immediately released and sent away in peace.
How did the Moorish Quarter or Mouraria neighbourhood come about? Essentially, after the Reconquista, in which Christian forces took control over the territory now known as Portugal, the resident Muslim population was forced to live outside the city walls.
Always a place for ‘outsiders’, the ancient neighbourhood currently has the highest ethnic diversity in the city. The square itself is named after the king’s knight, Martim Moniz, who martyred himself by squeezing into a gap in the citadel gates and preventing the Muslims from closing it. This enabled King Afonso’s army to break through the defenses and conquer St. Jorge’s Castle.
Martim Moniz's heroic act, where he sacrificed himself by blocking the castle gates during the Reconquista of Lisbon, is commemorated by this fountain.
We came across this square full of food and drink vendors.
The Praça da Figueira (Square of the Fig Tree) is a large square in the centre of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is part of the Lisbon Baixa, the area of the city reurbanised after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
A monthly food market, "Figueira Marca-te" (Figueira Marks You), is held there on the last weekend of each month.
We wandered down another street to find lunch. Yes, we know, you should never choose a restaurant based on being wooed in by a server.
John had shrimp rice.
I had cod.
Having a beer at the Beer Museum...
Very cool glasses!
Time for some dessert.
I had never seen those sculptures of the cobblers. Beer Museum, don't know it either, but then I don't drink beer either. You seem to have seen a lot around Lisbon. Had to laugh at the tardiness of the tour guide and the animosity of the Americans towards the Canadians.
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