Thursday, 1 June 2017
At Sea — Atlantic Ocean … En Route to Oporto
Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:15p (WEST) … UTC 7:15p (1 June)
Temp: 63.9F (17.7C)
Position: 38.58.46N / 9.43.92W
You do not travel if you are afraid of the unknown,
you travel for the unknown that reveals you with yourself.
~ Ella Maillart ~
At first our plan was to get off the ship early to enjoy Lisbon for a second day. But with yet a week to go before we get a relaxing day at sea, we decided to heed our own advice to take it easy. So, it was 9:00a when we left the ship. There was no HoHo bus in sight … we had missed the only early morning courtesy stop across the street from our berth and it would be awhile before the bus came anywhere near the port again. But our timing for public bus #728 heading to Belém was good, so we joined the locals and went for a different kind of bus ride.
We weren’t sure what all we were going to do when the bus reached Belém, but one thing was for sure … the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos [Hieronymites Monastery] was going to be our priority. Built in the 16th century to honor Vasco da Gama’s 1498 voyage to India, the monastery was once where monks of the Order of St Jerome lived. For four centuries these monks comforted sailors and prayed for the king’s soul. After the order was dissolved in 1833, the monastery was abandoned. Later it was used as a school and orphanage. Today, it houses a museum.
it was at this monastery that Vasco de Gama spent the night before his voyage to the Far East.
We arrived at the monastery just before it opened at 10:00a. Already there was a long line of people waiting to buy tickets (€12/person for monastery & museum). Mui sent me off to take photos while he waited in line. When I returned to tell him that I was going to go into the attached Santa Maria de Belém Church — no admission — he was nowhere to be found. I walked up and down the line several times to no avail. I figured he’d gone to another queue … and in fact that was exactly what he had done.
Detail from the ornate carvings on the exterior of the monastery.
When we hooked up again, we went into the church first. Alas, by this time the tour groups had arrived, so photographing the interior was a challenge. Next we showed our tickets to the attendant and went up to the Upper Choir to take photos of the interior of the church from high above. This was a good vantage point for also photographing some of the stained glass windows at the far end of the church. From the balcony it was easier to see the columns rising from the floor to the ceiling like so many trees reaching up to the spider-web design of the stone ceiling. A nearby sign explained that the balcony had suffered major damage during the 1755 earthquake and that the balustrade had to be rebuilt in 1883. The oak and chestnut seats in the choir stall, the sign went on to say, were the first Renaissance woodcarvings in Portugal and dated back to 1550.
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From the choir, we went out on the second floor of the Manueline-style cloister with its highly-decorated delicate arches, and twisting turrets and columns. The blue sky above and the green grass of the courtyard below made this a truly WOW moment. The arches continued on the first floor and around all four sides. They looked so delicate that it was surprising they had withstood the 1755 earthquake that caused so much damage all around the city. I was so enchanted with the cloister that I couldn’t stop taking photos.
Our slow meander around the cloister took us by the 12 confessionals … one of which was open for people to peek into … there wasn’t much to see … just the iron grid separating the confessor from the penitent. It was here that the monks heard the confessions of the sailors and pilgrims who came to worship at the church. A favorite part of the cloister for me was the old refectory where yellow, white, and blue azulejo tiles dating back from 1780-1785 decorate the walls.
We were still wandering around when suddenly a rhythmic cacophony was heard throughout the cloister. I couldn’t imagine what it was at first. But then I noticed that a group of kids — seemed like they might be from Africa — were performing on one side of the lower cloister and the sound was the thunderous echoes of their drums and footwork. Such acoustics!
Next we checked out the National Museum of Archaeology housed in the west wing of the monastery. The exhibited items were widely varied and included Egyptian mummies in painted sarcophagi, Bronze Age jewelry, statues of Roman deities, and more.
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When we deemed our visit to the monastery complete and went outside, we were in time for the 1:30p HoHo bus. We showed our tickets to the driver and hopped on for the trip back to the port. As the bus neared Praça do Comércio, we decided to hop off and get a bite to eat … we could always catch another HoHo or walk back to the port from there. We ended up at a place right on the square. It was crowded, so we figured it must be good. Unfortunately, though our beverages were tasty and the toast we ordered to share was of a size to satisfy us both, the service was bad. Nonetheless, we enjoyed people watching as we ate and our feet were happy to be getting a break.
The walk to the ship was a duplicate of the one we did last night … except that there was no shade, so it was downright hot. We were back on board shortly before 3:30p, with plenty of time to rest up before the 5:00p sailaway, which was a reverse of the sail-in on the Tagus River yesterday. A beautiful afternoon … the sun shining … the sky blue … and this time we could identify the landmarks Insignia passed.
The two landmarks that stand out are the National Pantheon (white domed building)
and the Church and Monastery of São Vicente de For a on the far left.
Praça do Comércio and the Arco da Victoria as seen during the sailaway from Lisbon.
A charming hillside town is one of the last scenes we enjoy during our sailaway.
Portugal has always been on our list of countries to visit on a land vacation. Our visit to Lisbon has confirmed that decision.
© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.
Loved reading about Portugal. It hasn't been on my list, but I can see that it should be. I watched Anthony Bourdain's show on the food of Portugal, and as wonderful as it is supposed to be, I don't think I would be partaking of much. Not my style with all those strange meats and such. Still, it was an interesting show and your stories of Portugal rounding out the feeling even more. The Cloister was magnificent, and the African girls dancing would have been a highlight for me.
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