As I dress for tonight’s fourth formal dinner, the Eurodam sails north to Cape Finesterre (“end of the land”), at the corner of the Iberian Peninsula, and then east for a landing in Bilbao early on Thursday morning.
Tuesday Morning
After breakfast I take the train and Metro into city center and begin the walk up into the Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest and most picturesque neighborhood. Originally a Moorish settlement, the present-day Alfama is mostly of medieval construction; it was the only neighborhood spared by the 1755 earthquake. The joy of the Alfama is the jumble of narrow streets, twisting alleyways, tumbling staircases, and abrupt vistas out over the river. There are a few significant buildings (the Sé Cathedral, the Castelo de Sao Jorge, smaller parish churches), but the best part is just to wander the streets. After a quick climb going up and up quickly before pain and fatigue strike, the secret is just to keep following the streets eastward and DOWNWARD, eventually reaching St. Apolonia Railway Station and the Metro. A quick stop at a bakery for sliced ham in a sweet butter pastry keeps me going.
Tuesday Morning
After breakfast I take the train and Metro into city center and begin the walk up into the Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest and most picturesque neighborhood. Originally a Moorish settlement, the present-day Alfama is mostly of medieval construction; it was the only neighborhood spared by the 1755 earthquake. The joy of the Alfama is the jumble of narrow streets, twisting alleyways, tumbling staircases, and abrupt vistas out over the river. There are a few significant buildings (the Sé Cathedral, the Castelo de Sao Jorge, smaller parish churches), but the best part is just to wander the streets. After a quick climb going up and up quickly before pain and fatigue strike, the secret is just to keep following the streets eastward and DOWNWARD, eventually reaching St. Apolonia Railway Station and the Metro. A quick stop at a bakery for sliced ham in a sweet butter pastry keeps me going.
Tuesday Afternoon
Since I spent yesterday and this morning re-visiting areas I had seen on my earlier time in Lisbon, for the afternoon I head to the new Parque das Nações, built for the 1998 World Expo. This involves three different Metro lines, but takes only about 30 minutes. The site covers a large area along the river north of the central city. While much of the layout is the sterile remains of concrete from the Expo, the newer buildings—a three-story shopping mall, transit station, office towers, condominiums, arenas, and theatres—present a vivid picture of Post-Modern European architecture. It is obviously a successful venture, with traffic, pedestrians, and shoppers everywhere. Then back to the ship at 3:30 pm, having used 23 hours and 55 minutes of my 24-hour transit pass.
The ship’s travel guide provided on-deck narration to accompany the cheese and wine as we sailed back down the Tagus at 5:00 pm. The roasted shallot and butternut squash soup was the dinner highlight and I finished the Sauvignon Blanc. Francesco, my main table steward, was in a good mood and actually chatted me up for a while.
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