Lisbon

Our last day in Lisbon and we still had quite a few things to see on our list. The most important was to visit the National Museum of Azulejo (Tiles) and at last we have found a Wow Factor in Lisbon. 
Tiles are an artistic expression that define the Portuguese culture, so says the introduction to the exhibition. The museum is located in the former Convent of Madre de Deus which was built in 1509 and is the perfect location as it has many rooms with original tiles. The chapel and associated rooms are superb.

The collected exhibits trace the history of Portuguese tiles from the 15th century to the present day, it moves smoothly from area to area and has adequate information in English. In reality it is so interesting and beautiful that I found myself  just wandering and enjoying the artistic wonders of it ( the quilter in me did get excited about some designs which I could envisage in a quilt. )  I took so many photos that it is difficult to decide what to post so here are just a few, in chronological order.

The earliest tiles were in shades of brown, green and yellow but with the discovery of India by Vasco da Gama came the Chinese influence of blue and white ceramics. Embossed tiles, from moulds, were also introduced and became popular.

The next three photos are modern day Portuguese tiles, some recreating the old designs and some just using the tiling methods.

This huge diorama made from tiles shows the landscape of Lisbon before the earthquake of 1755.

A bit of silliness!

After two hours we were drawn to the tropical oasis created in a cloister area, a coffee shop with meals and table service... and turtles sunning themselves by the pond.

If you are to believe the tourist publications (Don't!), one necessary thing to do in Lisbon is to ride the no. 28 tram. Any time we passed the stop the queue was hundreds of people long. After returning from the Azulejo Museum via the Metro we surfaced near the tram stop so joined the queue for a long wait to ride on the 1930s yellow tram. The ride is pretty hair-raising but it passes through the popular districts of Graça, Alfana, Baixa and Estrela. Not much opportunity for photos what with the crowds, rattles and closeness of the walls as you rush around bends and down hills.

The Church of Saõ Domingo shares a wall with our Feels Like Home. A National Monument, it was dedicated in 1241 and was the church of the Royalty. It  was damaged in the 1531 earthquake and almost completely destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. It was restored but in 1959 suffered a severe fire. The church re-opened in 1994 after restoration which was done to retain evidence of the earthquake and fire damage.

This is a huge church with distinctive accoustics and it was a strange feeling sitting in this unusual setting. Obviously the locals care a lot for their church. We also saw them feeding the homeless from tressle tables in the plaza in front of the church one night.

Next stop was the nearby tiny shop selling Aginjnha, commonly known as Ginja. This is a Portuguese speciality made from sour cherries and brandy. It is an old recipe and tourists flock to the shop all hours of the day.

 There are lots of touristy eating places around but none that satisfy us. We were wandering in a nearby street and we came across a pop-up food and drink area with market stalls. My mojito was delicious, and served with a bit of flirting on the part of the mixer. I guess that is a bonus of being seventy!

As a change from fish we had chicken kebabs, and loved them. Sitting amongst all the young people enjoying their Saturday night was fun.