Fatima/Lisboa

Father Walsh celebrated a mass in his room before breakfast and offered intentions for the reunion and the remainder of the trip. We had our final 'adios/sayonaras' infront of the hotel and had some group pictures.










Followed the bus along the freeway and honked them goodbye on their exit as we continued on to Lisboa enjoying the view along the way especially the Tagus River and the Vasco da Gama Bridge. Mom took some pictures as we approached and got on the bridge.



Getting to Setubal was easy but finding the hotel was a challenge because of the narrow one-way streets. It's a good thing that English is like the second language in Portugal and a cop was able to point us to the right direction. I still had to look for it on foot though because that section of town is like a promenade. The downtown area is just like a typical European place where there are a lot of alleys with small shops and people are just taking leisurely walks as they look at the shop windows.

Walked around to the tourist information office after checking in, got a map of the place and asked for the train schedule to Lisbon. It's only about an hour away and much more convenient to ride the train since we didn't have to deal with the traffic and finding places to park. Had a quick snack and then walked to the train station. The ticket seller was quite friendly and even reminded us to be aware of pickpockets. The boarding platform is open and nobody checked the tickets even on the train. The train is fairly new and comfortable and had a double-decker section (closed of course). We got on this one for a better view.

The train made a lot of stops along the way and we saw a castle on top of the mountain. Passed by the monument of Jesus Christ on top of a hill overlooking the Tagus River which is like the one in Rio de Janeiro. The view under the bridge as we crossed the river was breathtaking. It was such a clear day and there were small boats and ships crossing the river. Took some pictures as we got to the other side.

We got off at the Sete Rios Station and bought a 1-day pass for the metro/bus/electric cars. Great deal for 3.80 euros only. Again, the ticket seller was very helpful after we asked for advice. (BTW, she also adviced us on the 1-day pass). She gave us a map and clear directions on where to get off and things to see. Had a minor boo-boo going through the gates: fed my ticket into the machine which promptly ate it up. The staff came to our rescue and pointed out that the tickets are only passed over a scanner to open the gate after he got my ticket out of the machine.

Got off at the Baixa Chiado station and walked out to the main downtown promenade. Visited a church just outside the station and then walked over to the tourist information center a got a more detailed street map.

Walked along the promemade through the arch to the plaza outside and took some pictures. The sights were familiar and we remembered that the tour bus took us this way in 2003.

Once we got our bearings, we started walking up towards St. George's Castle stopping to visit several churches along the way. Climbed up to a view point to see the panoramic view across the Tagus River and continued up towards Alfama which is the oldest part of Lisbon. From this viewing point, the St. George's Castle can be seen with the surrounding buildings providing a very picturesque setting. Took some pictures and then waited for the electric tram for our downhill ride. We'll explore Alfama on our future trips.








Boarded one of the super-elongated electric buses and headed towards Belem. (I might add that we already got our moneys worth for the 1-day pass). It was about a 20-minute ride with several stops along the way and we passed under the Puente 25 de Abril bridge. This actually looked like the Golden Gate Bridge after seeing it from a distance. If you look closer to the right, you will see the statue of Jesus Christ with the outstretched arms.

We walked in the Avenida de Brasilia along the Tagus River waterfront and saw the Monument to the Discoveries which was built to commemorate the Portuguese Age of Discovery.

Continued farther on and took pictures of the Tore de Belem. It is one of Lisbon’s most photographed landmarks because its exterior walls are adorned with a stone-carved rope and beautiful openwork balconies, along with Moorish watchtowers and battlements shaped like shields. It was built in the 16th century to serve as a fortress in the middle of the River Tagus.

It's been a long but enjoyable walk but we still have to see the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos on the way back so we hopped on an older tram car and got off three stops later. The sun has already started to set so we were not able to completely view the monastery.

Just took some quick photos outside, grabbed a tourist to take our picture and then went inside the chapel. Admired the artwork and the decorations and took a picture of the sarchopagus for Vasco da Gama.

Took the bus this time to the main train station at Areeiro for the ride back to Setubal. The train was more crowded this time but we were there early and able to get the window seats. Enjoyed the night lights on the way back and saw the illuminated statue of Jesus Christ on the hill. Walked back to the hotel after stopping at a corner cafe for a quick snack.