Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 620

May 14

1) In my last post, I talked about going on a 10-day holiday with my parents. Well, things kicked off with us arriving at Lisbon International Airport (Humberto Delgado Airport). From there, we took the train to Praca da Figueira (Square of the Fig Tree), a large square in the centre of Lisbon. After storing our heavy luggage bags in the lockers at Praca do Rossio (Rossio Square), we walked along Santa Justa, passing by the Elevator of Santa Justa. My dad had initially planned on taking the elevator up (as it connects the lower and higher streets of the Baixa with the higher Carmo Square) but because there were just too many people we decided against it.

2) We continued walking to Manteigaria - a famous shop selling Pastel de nata (Portugese egg tart pastry). We bought a box of six and had our lunch at a nearby bench. I have had my fair share of egg tarts in Malaysia, but none of those hold a candle to the ones I had here. The taste is sublime - the crunchy pastry layer complemented by the rich, gooey centre! After lunch, we continued our trip to the Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - whose roof and nave were ruined during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Thankfully, the remaining architecture was meticulously preserved, and so it was interesting walking through an open-air church.

3) Next, we walked along the Praca do Comercio (Commerce Square), before taking a lift up the Rua Augusta Arch, a triumphal arch-like historical building which provided a fantastic panoramic view of the cityscape. We could clearly see the 25 de Abril Bridge (a suspension bridge connecting Lisbon to Almada) and the Sanctuary of Christ the King (Cristo Rei) across the Tagus River. After taking the lift down, we continued our walk to Mercado da Ribeira (Time Out Market), before taking the tram to Jerónimos Monastery, one of the most prominent examples of Portugese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon.

4) We continued on foot to the Monument of the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos), which celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or Age of Exploration) during the 15th and 16th centuries. We then visited Belém Tower (Torres de Belém), a UNESCO World Heritage Site once used as part of the defence system at the mouth of the Tagus River and ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. Continuing our walk, we visited the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) - a €20m museum located along the River Tagus to the west of the city centre. Afterwards, we paid a visit to Pasteis de Belém - which lays claim to the origin of the pastel de nata. Honestly, I preferred the egg tarts at Manteigaria compared to this, but that's just personal preference. Both were fantastic in their own right.

5) In the evening, we walked to the Glória Funicular (Elevador da Glória), which connects the Pombaline downtown with the Bairro Alto. Unfortunately, the funicular railway line was not in service when we visited... After a long day's walk, we decided to have a simple dinner at McDonald's, before returning to our hostel for the night. Tomorrow would be another exciting day, so do look for the next blog post to read all about it. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a nice day. Cheers!

P.S. A HUGE TONNE OF PICTURES BELOW, ALL IN REVERSE ORDER :)