Love Portugal – Part 1

5th of April BridgeOriginally uploaded by Joyz Life.

After Morocco, Don and I headed to Portugal. We flew to Casablanca to catch a connecting flight to Lisbon. We had no idea we would end up being the only passengers on a 19-passenger plane!We were especially lucky on this trip. Not only did we enjoy the hospitality of one of Don’s business associates, Joao Galveo, but his sister, Margarida Rezende, is a Soroptimist. She and fellow club member Maria Gruner were gracious enough to drive us to some very special places, as did Joao. (Watch for Part 2.)Lisbon is located near the coast in central Portugal on the Tagus River. The Tagus is many times wider than the Seine giving ocean-going ships access to this important port. The 5th of April Bridge, designed by the same company that built the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.Lisbon is a very culturally rich and economically dynamic city. Fado is the national folk music described as a very melancholic, emotional expression of longing for something that cannot be recaptured. Everywhere we turned it seemed there was another construction crane and there is a modern financial center full of glass and steel towers. However, there are also many buildings that have not been maintained as the result of an onerous rent-control law that leaves building owners with insufficient income to make repairs.My favorite place in Lisbon is Castelo de Sao Jorge (Castle of St. George). At the very top of the highest hill in Lisbon stand the restored stone ramparts and towers of a 10th & 11th century castle. Built by the Moors, the castle was captured by the first king of Portugal, Alfonso I. There are inviting, shady places all around the castle and the views of the city and the river from here are magnificent. Portuguese explorers were the first to navigate and map routes to India and the New World (North America and South America) back in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Marine Museum is a must-see with its statues of the explorers, ship models, ancient maps and fabulous river barges used by Portuguese kings and the Queen of England during her visit in 1957. (Camera failure this day — sorry no photos. ) We were very excited to make our own discovery – the tomb of Vasco de Gamma in the Jeronimus Church.
 

There is a beautiful boulevard called Avenue de Liberdad. It could be compared to Champs Elysee in Paris — before that street was invaded by chain stores and fastfood restaurants. There is a central parkway with trees and the pattered sidewalks. Small white and black squares are laid out in intricate patterns on city streets in this area.