SOMEONE GET THE CAMERA!!!! RUN!!!!!
Well, it is not everyday that we witness a sunset like this in São João, but often before going to sleep, I look out to the sea and enjoy a view similar to this one. This lasted a total of 15 minutes and I'm glad we didn't miss it.
Then each morning I am greeted by these two wonderful grandparents.
Gradma - "Pedro, do you ever iron these shirts and shorts at school?"
Me - "Nope."
Grandma - "Oh dear..."
A wonderful part of this trip is re-seeing people, such as my aunt Adelina, or meeting new ones, such as my uncle Zé. We went out to eat at Fogo do Chão, a buffet restaurant in Cascais. You could say it was the birthday dinner I missed when I went to Rock in Rio.
The typical day leads me to Lisbon on solo adventures, where climbing castles is one of the many extreme activities I do to keep lean.
Maybe he can teach me some of his skills... Totally feelin' it...
Today I went everywhere, or almost, in Lisbon, but these streets were the ones I focused on. They are on the east side of the Lisbon downtownish area called Baixa.
The tourists attract a lot of street performers. These two were excellent musicians. Their instruments were totally the bomb.
This place is called the Miradouro de St. Luzia
Tram 28 - a famous mode of transportation. Perhaps too famous... when you travel in it you can't tell where one person's body begins and where it ends because it is so full of tourists.
"SÉ"
The oldest church in Lisbon.
Perhaps a replica of the Michelangelo "Pieta" sculpture. It was simply beautiful and humbling to be in this chapel.
Dating back to roman times, the Sé has an excavation site that is preserved right inside it.
S. Vicente de Fora Monastery
"Azulejos," traditional blue portuguese ceramics portray stories and tales of long ago, and adorn the walls of this incredible, marble floored, dream of a place.
Seeing the Castle of S. Jorge from the top of the S. Vicente Monastery.
The Tagus River.
The two tall towers that are so recognizable from a distance.
The National Pantheon
Main Hall
Tombs: Infante D. Henrique, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Luis V. Camões, Vasco da Gama, Afonso de Albuquerque, and Nuno Álvares Pereira.
Tomb of the only woman ever to be given the honor of residing in the Pantheon, fadista Amália Rodrigues 1920-1999. Her body was initial buried in Prazeres Cemetery and moved to the National Pantheon in 2001.
Second story balconies.
National Pantheon's terrace
Then across the river is "Cristo Rei", Christ the King, built to show gratitude when Portugal was spared from the destruction of WWII.
Serra de Sintra
Lisbon and its river traffic
25 de Abril Bridge
The goal for the day was to reach the Castle of São Jorge in time to catch the sunset. I am still learning how to approach the sun at this time of day. The next collection of pictures was simply me having a blast while playing in the castle walls. Running back and forth, truly childlike.
Commerce Square
The before and after setting, to show how dramatic the Lisbon skies can get.
Praça da Figueira
It is literally a square cut out from the mess of buildings.
There is so much more than I haven't seen and most of these places I would love to go back to and just relax and be there without a camera to really appreciate it fully without distractions.
