The day began with a bang! At 8.30 precisely we met what the Captain called "a bit of swell". There was a sudden lurch whilst we were at breakfast. Chairs slid across the floor, people fell, the contents of the tables were thrown on to the floor. I clung on to the table and my breakfast! The worst that happened to me was some fruit juice spilled on my trousers. The floor was littered with broken crockery, cutlery, spilled drinks, everything breakfast! The whole buffet area of breakfast food was thrown into a heap beside the door. We were all told to stay in our places whilst the mess was cleared up. This was done with amazing efficiency by the waiters. Blankets were laid on the tiled floor area to stop people from slipping and we were eventually allowed to leave. We heard later that some people had been badly injured. The doctor who had served on ships for eight years had never experienced anything like it. This lurch occurred as we were entering the mouth of the River Tagus prior to docking at Lisbon at around 10.00.
We wandered around various decks watching the city approach and wound up in the Lido lounge for coffee, well tea actually for me! I stayed on for the Quiz - rather obscure questions!
We went for lunch at 11.30 as we had to be ready for our Tour of Lisbon by 12.30. I had fried cod and chips and J had cold salmon with salad and chips. Nice desserts of mousse and fruit. Our coach was due to leave at 12.45 but we were off and away by 12.40. Our first stop was at the old part of the town, Alfama. We went on a walk around some narrow streets which were cobbled and steep, sometimes with steps. J found the walking difficult. The group stopped first by a church which I think was dedicated to St. Anthony (of Padua) who was born in Lisbon and died in Padua. The houses had decorative wrought iron balconies. One was noteworthy in that two dogs were enjoying the sunshine, as was a bird in a cage!
Back to the coaches and onward to the newer part of the city. Here the temperature was 18 in the shade and 23 in the sun. The city has suffered more than its fair share of disasters over the years with serious earthquakes in 1505 and 1512. The last very destructive one on 1st November 1755 virtually destroyed the centre of the city. It was rebuilt with wide avenues and streets by the Marquis de Pombal who is remembered with affection and a large monument commemorates his memory at the southern end of the Edward VII Park.
After visiting this park the coach took us under the aqueduct and over the 25th April Bridge across the river, so re-named after the revolution of 1979.
Left: View from the bridge
Right: View of the bridge
This was to visit the magnificent statue of Christ the King paid for by the women of Portugal because their men folk were not involved in WW2. It stands 330 feet high and is a copy of the statue in Brazil. It was difficult to photograph because of its height and the position of the sun. One could not get further away from it without falling over a cliff! The silhouette effect and the rainbow rays from the sun are not unpleasant!
Wonderful views could be seen of Lisbon from this side of the river. In the picture on the right the Black Prince can just be seen in the centre.
Leaving Almada we returned over the bridge and visited the church of the monastery of St. Jeronimo, a 16th century architectural masterpiece, notable for its ornate decoration in the stone-work both inside and out, in Gothic-Manueline style.
This is the monumental tomb of Vasco da Gama the great explorer. The Portuguese explorers and navigators of the 15/16 Centuries sailed under the Templar flag. Templars in Portugal were not suppressed as in France and most other European countries. They continued under the name of Knights of Christ but they still used the Templar cross. The cross can be seen on the left of the tomb.
Our next stop was at the Tower of Belen/Bethlehem, built originally in the middle of the river, it now stands just offshore as the land beside it has been reclaimed. The architect was influenced by Moorish designs and it is lavishly decorated. Again Templar crosses are included in the design. It was from here that the explorers were given a rousing send-off. Close by is displayed a sea-plane which first crossed the Atlantic from Portugal to Brazil, 5 years before the renowned "first" crossing of the Atlantic by air. This also bears crosses that may have Templar significance.
Our last stop was to view the 'modern monument to the explorers, Built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry, the mastermind navigator behind Portugal's voyages of exploration. It depicts all the great explorers, Magellan, Vasco da Gama, Prince Henry, Cabral, etc. etc.
Right: As seen from the Black Prince with the Monastery of St. Jeronimo to the right.
J retreated to the cabin after our tiring excursion though I ventured to the Lido lounge for a cuppa, scone, cream and jam, and stayed for the quiz.
Shortly after this we set sail again. We were warned to expect some turbulence as we left the mouth of the river. We laid low, but the disturbance was minimal, nothing like it had been in the morning.
Before dinner I started this write up but I am finishing it on Weds morning. Dinner was superb as usual. Crabmeat salad for starters, J had soup but I didn't. We both had lamb chops followed by Apricot Bavarian Cream with kiwi sauce. After coffee in the Neptune Lounge we stayed on for the evening's entertainment. First there was a fashion show advertising all the wares of the on-board boutique. Then a performance by Deja Vu a song and dance routine by five girls and a fellow. He was actually performing it for the first time though you would never have guessed. They sang mostly well-known songs applicable to the four seasons starting with autumn and ending with summer "Who's going on a Summer Holiday" etc. Very colourful costumes and quite nostalgic.
After this we retired, tired. As the clocks went forward again in order to comply with Spanish time for the next day I could not spend too long working on my diary. That is why I had to finish it this morning (Weds).