So I have a quick nap, and then, mid-afternoon, off to explore. I hadn't noticed when we arrived, but the hotel is near the top of a quite steep hill. I try not to do hills, but from the look of it, there's only a large park just up from the hotel, and all the eating places and tourist bits, etc., all seem to be down hill. Fine, I don't mind going down hill, it's the coming back, climbing uphill on a full stomach I'm not keen on.

So we do the park first, Parque Eduardo VII is named after our King Edward the 7th, although they didn't say why. Anyway it's huge and it looks like it goes all the way down to the sea, probably a couple of miles away. So after a quick troll round the end nearest us we start to wander down the hill towards the city centre. It turns out to be quite a long wander, the best part of two miles and we're in the commercial district. Lots of Squares with statues and then streets connecting to other squares. There's a number of places to eat, although not all 'clumped' together as they are in many other places. It's now starting to get dark so we settle for a seafood restaurant. Very good, very edible I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then the long drag up the hill again.

The following morning and sight-seeing time. As many of the sights are 3 or 4 miles west at Belém and I've got excited that Lisbon actually has trams - still running - it's time to find a tram.

Trams.
Now Lisbon has 3 types of trams, very old small ones, pretty new big ones and those that run around in disguise. The little ones are pretty cute, close on 100 years old and still rattling around. I came across a working example in the St Louis of Museum Transport near Duluth a year or so back and assumed because it was old, and this one was Museum fodder, they must all be extinct in the wild. Not a bit of it. They use 'em in the centre of the city where they can navigate the winding streets like they were made for the job (because they were). Tram tracks are sacrosanct in the narrow parts of town. There was one car parked on a corner with not enough room between the tram track and the wall. The car had a pointed front because a passing tram hadn't stopped. Similarly there was a hill with a two way road and cars parked both sides so there was only a single car width in the middle. Half way up was a tram coming down with several cars behind it. Several cars were also going up. After a bit if hooting and gesticulating the cars going up gave way. Some managed to reverse down the hill, others found parking at the side of the road, and two parked in the fronts of open fronted shops, to be shouted at by the shop owners and pelted with eggs. The bigger trams roam outside of the inner city where the roads are wider and there's room for cars to get past.

All this says something about Lisbon drivers. Lisbon drivers get my prize for the world's worst. They're all attitude. Give them a car and its going to be 'me first' and no excuses. Part of the trouble is that if the average driver has got his hands on a tram then he's bigger and heavier than the average car, so he's going to win any shoving contest, isn't he? I wonder if the drivers of the big trams get anger management courses before being allowed out - interesting thought.

Sight-Seeing at Belém.
Anyway, we catch a old tram, and rattle off to Belém. There's a monastery, an historic coach museum, an Imperial Palace, and an old castle amongst other things. The monastery is huge and the church wouldn't disgrace a cathedral with intricate carvings and elaborate statuary. The octagonal cloisters are unique. Almost all normal cloisters are rectangular, but a two storey 8 sided cloister really does represent a dangerous bit of lateral thinking. Seems entirely logical to me, but this was almost akin to heresy at the time.

Up the road a bit is the Royal Coach Museum. This could be really interesting for someone with a Royal Coach fetish, which I admit sounds a bit specialised. But I couldn't really raise any great enthusiasm for it myself. There were a few nice examples of preservation, more by way of demonstrations of how you go about it, as most of the exhibits looked more like they had just been dragged out of the Royal mews after having been lost for a hundred years. When they do get round to the preservation bit and it's all been done, they're going to look impressive, but right now, I don't think so.

Next door to the Coach Museum is the Imperial Palace, or perhaps I should say the Royal Coach Museum is part of the Imperial Palace complex. Now this looked impressive but was shut. That's the penalty for going out of season - all the good stuff is closed. Mind you it means you've saved something for next time, provided you don't go out of season.

Then a real little gem, the Torre de Belém. Someone else must have thought so too because it's a UNESCO Heritage Site (which is also a good way to let the UN pay for your historic monuments). It's a small castle in very good nick, and apart from the shortage of glass in the windows, you could live in it in quiet luxury for a  few million Euros. Where else could you get a distinctive bent palm tree like that. Actually, I don't think they're selling.

More about Trams.
Thinking about the big trams and local car drivers, there was an 'incident' on the way back from Belém. It was rush hour and we were strap hanging on board a big tram. About half way back to Lisbon we stop at a bus stop to take on passengers (as you do). Anyway a car zooms round the tram and then slows right down. Right, she's looking for somewhere to park. Well a bit of bad luck that, there's cars parked as far as the eye can see, not crammed in nose to tail, but not enough room to park, say couple metres between each. So what does she do? She drives up the kerb between two cars, then gets out and heads into a local bakery. Ok?? Well she might have got away with it if it had been a shorter car, but as it is, the backend of the car is sticking out over the tram tracks. The tram driver advances up to the car and politely jangles his bell. Nothing. So we're into a bit more less polite bell ringing - Nothing. So then the doors open and around a dozen passengers get out, a couple of big fellas and several old ladies of the vicious old crone persuasion armed with brollys and handbags. They belt into the bakery and 'invite the offending car driver to discuss matters' outside, the two big fellas trying to ensure that not too many of the handbag swipes or brolly jabs get home. The car owner has two options, be beaten to death in the street or to get back into the car. It all looks like something out of Monty Python, I seem to remember a sketch involving Hell's Grannies. A sudden thought, I wonder if the bus company employs the Lisbon chapter of Hell's Grannies just to keep the tracks clear of badly parked cars.. 

Castelo de São Jorge
Lisbon is on hilly ground. The city peaks out at, maybe, 100 - 200 metres, gently sloping down to the sea, but the south west corner is probably a couple of hundred metres more. On top of that, overlooking the city is the Castle of St. George. What I do know is it's hard work climbing up there, but nice and cool and shady once there. Now this is what I call a real castle, you can see it in the 'Maritim Maniz' photo. Pinkish stone work, with lots of crenulations, 4 metre thick walls, a nice steep ditch round it to keep the nasties out, you name it - the works.

Unlike many castles there's a courtyard along the side which overlooks the city. This is great, you can sit up here in the cool breeze, the sun is shining, absolutely ideal for a kip. Well it would be if the Mrs. would let me, instead, I sit down and try to carry out an intelligent conversation about grape vines instead.

Another high spot, in terms of height rather than sight seeing is the old Government building a grand palace of a place on top of another hill over to the south east. It was open for business, but no obvious entry for people just coming to gawp. So we walked round it and then down the hill. It was down here we saw the squashed car that had lost the argument with a tram.

Further down the road is the Cathedral, and very impressive too. Inside is pretty ornate, plenty of gold and pictures, just nice and 'rich' looking, not overdone like some of the churches in, say, Venice. It looks like Portugal is more into church decorations than Spain. It just so happened that the organist was getting in a bit of practise, what a wonderful acoustic the Cathedral has. Notice the old-type tram coming round the corner, I'm told they don't run during Sunday services to keep the noise down.

And so,  Sunday morning. We don't need to be at the airport until early afternoon, so it's off around the old city to say goodbye to the squares and statues.

This has been a pleasant break, Lisbon is a (comparatively) small place and can be got round on foot, or if you are a bit more adventurous, by tram. Watch out for the drivers though, they are close to homicidal. Don't try jay-walking because I wouldn't like to guess who'd stop first, you or the car that's aimed at you.

No problems at the airport, and the return BA flight was uneventful and got back to Heathrow in one piece. Worth it, oh yes. Once of those rare times when almost everything went well. Why almost everything? Well it wouldn't do to praise everything would it. The worst bit was the steep hill up to the Castle. I knew we should have taken a bus, but I listened to the Mrs. instead. It nearly killed me!

Created: 04/02/07