Lisbon - Expo part

Oceanaruim entrance

Vasco Da Gamma tower

Expo 1998 has left behind a different face of the city, so different from everything that we've seen before. The futuristic architecture of Eastern Lisbon is a complete contrast to the old parts of the city. I don't think that's bad ofc, every major city in the world has shiny new built parts, however I find the old parts of the city much more charming. Of course, everything is worth seeing. Both the new and the old have their stories to tell.

First we decided to ride on a cable car to experience the surrounding from a bird's perspective.
The cable car constantly circulates starting from Parque das Nacoes to the tower Vasco Da Gamma.

Cable car

It rides parallel to the river and gives you some breathtaking views along the way. You can see many new attractions include a viewing tower, a marina, and a number of bars and restaurants with outdoor terraces overlooking one of the world's longest bridges.
There is also the Oceanarium, hailed as the world's most impressive aquarium. It's one of the world's largest aquariums.
It is a deep-sea diving experience without any of the risks, with about 25.000 fish, seabirds, and mammals in an enormous central tank that is the size of four Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Cute lazy sea otters

In the Oceanarium, we managed to pass through the different climates of the world, from tropical to cold and we saw all the animals that belong to each of those ecosystems. Through the thick glass you can look face to face with a shark. That was a really creepy experience even though I knew I was completely safe. I have to say the penguins were my favorite, I was surprised how small they are.

Penguins

I like watching various documentary films and somehow watching penguins on television, gave me the impression that they're a lot bigger than they actually are. Oh they are such cute little black & white creatures.
Besides these and other sights shopping lovers just can't miss the shopping center nearby that has lots of very known brands and merchandise. There is something for everyone.
With this I concluded my visit to Lisbon.
Five days is definitely not enough time to see this wonderful city, to enjoy its relaxed, gentle atmosphere.

Tropical part

We have seen a lot, but a lot is remained to be seen. I have a reason to come back.
So, goodbye to Lisbon!

Lisbon - Day 3.

Belem

Belem

Here we are in Lisbon again.
We continued to explore this lovely city so we went to Belem. Belem, the symbol of Lisbon, is placed at the entrance of Lisbon harbor. It was built in 1515th and was a guard tower of the city. To many sailors and explorers this place was the last view of their homeland. It's a pleasure to pass through the tower and see all its rooms. I can't recall how much the ticket cost, but I know it was not expensive and was worth of every cent. If you want to visit Lisbon this place is a "must see". Everyone should do a tribute to 500 years old structure which I would name "The fortress of stone lace". Check out the photos :) .

Belem

Belem

Discoveries Monument

Beside Belem tower there is the Discoveries Monument. It was built in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Prince Henry the Navigator's death, one of the most significant person in the history of Portugal. It represents a three-sailed ship ready to depart, with sculptures of important historical figures King Manuel, poet Camões, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Cabral, and several other notable Portuguese people. The only female is the queen Felipe of Lancaster, mother of Henry the Navigator.

The interior can be visited. An elevator takes visitors to the top of the monument, which provides a view of the whole part of the city. Inside is an exhibition space with temporary exhibits. The pavement in front of the monument is decorated with a mosaic that represents a compass with the map of the world charted with the routes taken by the Portuguese explorers.

Discoveries Monument

Saint Jeronimos Monastery

Saint Jeronimos Monastery is the most impressive symbol of Portugal's power and wealth during the Age of Discovery. King Manuel 1st built it in 1502 on the site where Vasco da Gama and his crew spent their last night in Portugal in prayer before leaving for India. It was built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's voyage and to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success. Vasco da Gama's tomb was placed inside by the entrance.

Vasco Da Gamma tomb

Standing beside the tomb of Vasco Da Gamma, a great world traveler and explorer was a great honor to me. After all, every thought of travelling, past, present or future, was conceived at a time when I received the first knowledge of history, art, culture, life in general. I used to listen to the stories about the discoveries with my mouth, ears, eyes and mind opened in amazement, and the imagination working rapidly. My eyes have always been directed towards the unknown distances, and my desire grew bigger each day until I managed to set my sails into that unknown. It's all thanks to Vasco Da Gamma and to all those many wonderful people who have lived long before me and have done a lot for me.

Saint Jeronimos Monastery

Saint Jeronimos Monastery

Coaches Museum 

One of Lisbon's most visited sights, the Coaches Museum has the largest and most valuable collection in the world. Each coach is more magnificent than the other. One of the most outstanding has gilded figures on the tailgate showing Lisbon crowned by Fame and Abundance and a dragon trampling the Muslim crescent. Unfortunately taking pictures wasn't allowed so I borrowed one from the internet only to convey the splendor collected in this area.

Sintra - Cabo da Roca

We decided to take one day trip to Sintra and Cabo da Roca. Actually Cabo da Roca was the main goal of this trip and we only meant to pass through Sintra. However that plan was very flawed. Sintra is a small town but deserves a lot more attention. Due to the lack of time, I managed to stay in Sintra only for about 2-3 hours, just enough time for a short walk and few photos. Getting to Sintra and Cabo da Roca from Lisbon is very easy. First you have to take a train from Lisbon to Sintra departing from the railway station Rossio. It's not a long ride (many people live in Sintra and work in Lisbon) and it's not expensive. To get to Cabo da Roca from Sintra you have to catch a bus going to Cascais. This is the easiest way to get to Cabo da Roca, and doesn't cost much.

Sintra Slideshow: Ana’s trip from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Sintra, Portugal was created by TripAdvisor. See another Sintra slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.

At the bus station there is a small office where you can take a certificate of your visit to this westernmost point of Europe. I dare not speak a lot about it but would rather give the word to the one of the famous Portuguese poets, Luís Vaz de Camões (1524-1580) : "Where the land ends and the sea begins". These words are engraved on the Monument declaring Cabo da Roca the westernmost point of continental Europe. A cross has been erected in this spot as a monument to celebrate the end of the European mainland, and the beginning of the Atlantic Ocean.
Standing on the edge of Europe and looking at the horizon in a direction where another continent lies is a unique feeling.

Cabo da Roca Slideshow: Ana’s trip from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Cabo da Roca (near Colares, Estremadura), Portugal was created by TripAdvisor. See another Colares slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

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Lisbon - Day 2. Afternoon

Praca do Comersio

Praca do Comersio

We had lunch at a restaurant close to Praca do Comersio.The food was well prepared and very tasty. I was so thirsty that I committed a sin: I had a beer instead of wine....MEA CULPA! Haha.! Seriously, in Portugal drinking beer instead of all those yummy wines is a sin. OK that was a joke. Let's move on.

Rua Augusta

The nearest place to visit was the Praca do Comersio.When we reached the square we were surprised to be in such vast space. While preparing for this journey I read the book and looked at many pictures, I have created some sort of idea about every sight of the city including this square, but when I found myself there, the place left me speechless. Huge is not the right word for the Praca do Comersio. This waterfront square is the place where the royal palace stood for over two centuries until 1755 when it was destroyed by the Great Earthquake. The royal family moved to another residence in the district of Belem, and the new arcaded buildings acted as the port of entry to the city. Right next to the square is the most famous street in Lisbon, Rua Augusta. In the evening we took a stroll down the street and I was very satisfied with what I saw. It's a pedestrian zone that's crowded with people during daytime. Lots of stores and coffee shops make this place very lively. I regret that I didn't manage to see it in daylight. Next time I will!

Tram 28 passing by Cathedral

One of the best ways to get a little rest from a long walk is to get on a tram number 12 or 28. Number 12 runs a short tour through Alfama and number 28 runs the longer tour around Lisbon, if I remember well. We went to Lisbon Cathedral-Sé de Lisboa on foot and after got on a tram number 12 to reach the castle. The ride didn't take long but enough to pass through the narrow streets of Lisbon. The streets constantly lead somewhere up. Passing through them made me feel I was passing through time. The past and the present share this place. You get the feeling that the time stopped yet it didn't, like the past and the present are intertwined in some way. A very unusual experience if you ask me!

Lisbon's Cathedral

Speaking of the cathedral I must say that Lisbon's ancient cathedral was built on the site of an old mosque in 1150 for the city's first bishop, the English crusader Gilbert of Hastings. If you look at it from the outside, with its two bell towers and a glorious rose window, it resembles a medieval fortress. Inside it appears predominantly Romanesque, with a Gothic choir and ambulatory.

Sao George Castle

Sao George Castle can be seen from almost everywhere in the city. Its oldest parts date from the 6th century. It served as a Moorish royal residence until Portugal's first king Afonso Henriques captured it in 1147 with the help of northern European crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. It was then dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of England. Today it's, I could say, a small excursion site. Every day numerous people visit the castle, or better said the fortress.

Walking through the park and watching peacocks strut around and sitting in a restaurant was a lovely experience but the most amazing one was a walk around the walls and 18 towers.
It's a place that gives you the most breathtaking view of the city.

Sao George Castle

One of the castle's inner towers holds the Camera obscura and Periscope that projects sights from around the city.
Since it was a veeery busy day, we really needed a break. The next day however brought some new "tasks" and adventures.....
To be continued....

View of Praca do Comersio

Towers of Sao George Castle

Peacock

View from Tram 12

View from Tram 12

Inside Cathedral

Inside Cathedral

Lisbon - Day 2. Morning

Marques de Pombal Monument

Avenida Liberdade

Avenida Liberdade

On the next day in Lisbon we had few "tasks" to fulfill. I love to travel, I love to see a lot of new places and when I say task I don't just think about mere sight-seeing and numbering the places I visited, I actually mean enjoy them. I wish I could see all my everyday obligations with the eyes of a traveler. The hotel was located at the top of the Avenida Liberdade. Avenida Liberdade is Lisbon's Champs-Élysées. This boulevard is the main avenue of the city. It runs 1.6km from Marques de Pombal Square (Marquis of Pombal was the prime minister responsible for the rebuilding of Lisbon following the Great Earthquake in 1755. The monument shows him standing on a column with his hand on a lion, as a symbol of power, and his eyes are directed to the downtown area that he rebuilt) to Restauradores Square and it's more than 90m wide. It's an elegant and beautiful promenade with fountains, cafes, hotels and shops, but what attracts the most of your attention is the decoration on its floor.
In the avenue you can also find the Monument to the Heroes of the Great War, a tribute to the 50,000 Portuguese soldiers who fought in World War I.

Restauradores Square

When we reached the Restauradores Square, a huge space appeared before us. There you can see a monument that commemorates the country's liberation from Spanish rule, that lasted for 60 years, in the 1640.
A beautifully arranged floor that looks like a chain reveals itself in front of you.

Rossio Square

Walking along we arrived to Rossio Square. The tiles there look like a rough sea and they are handwork. I'm really amazed by some people's love, patience and dedication to make something as beautiful and complex as these tiles.

Rossio train station

On this square you can find a railway station Rossio, a building that looks more like a museum building then like a train station. Wonderful! We stayed there enough to admire the beauty of the place and then moved on to the Santa Justa elevator.

Santa Justa elevator

Santa Justa is one of the city's best-loved landmarks and also known as the "Elevator of Carmo", this extraordinary structure was built at the turn of the century by the Portugal-born French architect Raoul de Mesnier du Ponsard a student of Gustave Eiffel, explaining the structure's similarities to Paris' Eiffel Tower, to connect downtown to Bairro Alto, the lowest and highest points of the city. At the top there is a plateau with a small cafe.

Praca Comersio and river Tagus

The view from the plateau stretches around the city center, on one side, a square Comersio and the river Tagus, on the other side overlooking the Rossio Square and opposite the elevator view at one of the seven hills of Lisbon and Sao George Castle. But that's another story.
We walked a lot so we were pretty tired, and it was a lunch time.

Sao George Castle

Rossio Square

Lisbon - Fado

I can't describe how happy I was on the day I decided to go to Lisbon. Ireland and Dublin, Portugal and Lisbon; two interesting distant countries, two beautiful cities and lovely, hospitable people.
I'm in love in Ireland but I must say I'm as much in love in Portugal.
I was so exited while I was boarding my plane to Lisbon. I realized that I was going to visit the most  western point of  Europe, wow! During my Lisbon "must see sights list" preparation, one of the first things I had to include was a visit to one of the numerous Fado clubs.

I chose Clube de Fado, located in the oldest part of Lisbon which is considered to be the cradle of Fado, Alfama. I heard that this is one of the top clubs in Lisbon so I made ​​the reservation over the internet.
The flight from Zagreb (via Bologna) to Lisbon took quite a while, cca four hours. When I finally saw the shapes of Lisbon from afar I was happy as a little kid in a candy store. The first thing I noticed was the fortress Belem.
I could not resist and I took some photos from a "bird's perspective". Now, looking at these pictures I remember every step I made on the Lisbon ground and that fills me with great joy.
These pictures will help me remember the my days spent there and help me to write few words about my visit four years ago.
Landing, airport formalities, bla bla you know the drill :) went normal as usual. Buses and taxis are arranged in a line in front of the exit so you can easily pick a way to get to the center of the city. I chose to take the bus which turned out to a good choice because it took me right to the station by my hotel Fenix Lisboa.
At the very beginning I'd like to point out that the taxi in Lisbon is also a good way of transport. Numerous taxi service cars are available to you all day. In fact there are so many that as soon as you raise your hand someone will stop to pick you up. Taxi service seems to be an integral part of the of public transportation. In the days that followed we went by taxi exclusively.

At the hotel it took us short time to settle in. After changing clothes we took a taxi to the Clube de Fado. Fado means destiny. It is a music genre characterized by sad melodies and lyrics usually about life in poverty.
It is extremely popular in Portugal and musicians who perform FADO are real stars.

When we arrived at the Clube de Fado a kind host escorted us to our table. We settled in and ordered a dinner. We wanted to try everything, so we ordered various dishes from appetizers to desserts and of course the famous Portuguese wine. The music started shortly after. They were playing nicely and calm so I let the sounds of their music and the taste of wine carry me to another dimension. The wine, the music, created such a relaxed atmosphere that even after leaving the restaurant I felt like being in a dream that I would never wake up from.
There are moments in our lives that leave a great impact on our soul, our very being and we relive them every time we think or talk about them. For me, this was one of those moments. :)