Nicolinas Festivities

 Portugal
Dec 022022
 

November 29th 2022

Saint Nicolinas

We are here for the beginning of the festivities of Saint Nicolinas.

The Nicolinas Celebrations have their origin in the 3rd and 4th centuries and were centered on people’s religious devotion to St. Nicholas, the protector of poor girls, persecuted, merchants, children, prisoners, the unfortunate, those abandoned by luck, and the sick.

St. Nicholas is also the patron of students. Legend has it that three school-age children were cut in pieces by an innkeeper, and when St. Nicholas approached them, he brought them back to life.

Originally the celebrations in honor of St. Nicholas in Guimarães were exclusively religious by nature but were later appropriated by students.

Today, festivities take place between November 29th and December 7th and comprise several Nicolino Traditions.

Photo from the Nicolinos Facebook Page -Pilgrimage of Longing. Today, November 1st, the Nicolinas Festival Committee headed to the Atouguia Cemetery to pay homage to the deceased Old Nicolinos, thus performing their first official act.

There was a parade on the morning of the 28th. Afterward, I spotted these gentlemen carrying a red-capped long haired head on a pole.

The only celebrations occurring while we are here are the Burial of the Pine and the Nicoline Suppers.

Long before the official ceremony begins the children fill the streets and drum. This began around 2:00 in the afternoon.  While my room is on a side street off of the main square the continual drumming is much louder than one would think. The buildings in the area are hundreds of years old and made of stone, the perfect amplifier. I had earplugs in by 3:00.

 

It is important to know that the drumming is intentional.  There is a rhythm and a cadence that is practiced, and watching the drummers you realize they take their drumming very seriously, this is not drumming for the sake of noise.

The Nicoline suppers are when students and former students of Guimarães gather in restaurants to have a traditional dinner consisting of rojões and sarrabulho porridge, accompanied by lots and lots of vinho verde.

Traditional Sarrabulho with rice

Rojões – a typical Northern Portuguese dish combining fried pork meat and pork rinds, with greens

When the dinner is over the Pine Parade (Pinheiro Procession) begins, around midnight.

A mast made from a pine tree is decorated with balloons and red and white banners.  It is hauled through town by an ox and eventually ends in the square next to the Church of Santos Passos where it is hoisted upwards and where it remains until the end of the Nicolinas celebrations.

 

The students fill the streets, banging drums, this goes on until the sun comes up. (Yes, we did receive a nice email from our hotel warning us of the celebration ahead of time).

There are many people that carry a big head on a stick and I have heard that some even beat time with a large head of Portuguese cabbage.  However, the majority simply use a long stick with lots of ribbons tied to the end. These people are responsible for setting the beat of the drummers.

The truth is, I don’t even know if these beat keepers are necessary.  The rhythm is so traditional and repetitive that everyone knows it enough to repeat it in their sleep.  Most simply pump their arms to the rhythm it is so catchy.

Traditionally girls were not allowed to participate in the Pinheiro Procession. However, that has really changed, I saw as many female drummers as male drummers.

Since girls were not traditionally allowed to participate “Little Apples” held on December 6th was lady’s night. Here the girls stand on the balconies and in the windows of Saint Tiago Square, watching the boys’ allegorical procession. Each boy has a spear decorated with ribbons, that he lifts up to declare his love, with hopes that the girl does the same in return by placing an apple on the spear.

A young man getting a lesson from an old hand

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This little boy was so enthusiastic he never stopped running around in circles

Portuguese cabbage

The people that used cabbage for setting the time of the drummers in the Pine Parade would have no problem finding a baton. These cabbages grow in almost every garden in the region.

Portuguese cabbage is a leafy green vegetable in the brassica family. However, it isn’t like the cabbage that most think of.  This vegetable doesn’t form heads and grows in leaves like kale.   The Portuguese let the stalks get very very tall, thus the perfect use as a baton.

The cabbage is most famous for making Portuguese Green Cabbage Soup, or Caldo Verde which has been eaten for centuries in the Minho Region. If done correctly is absolutely delicious.

In 2011, Portugal held a nationwide contest to determine which local delicacies would be deemed “the 7 Wonders of Portuguese Cuisine.” Although the final list was disputed the one dish everyone agreed on was Caldo Verde, which literally means “green broth.”

I say if done properly because today, as the soup has spread across Portugal, there are just about as many variations of this recipe as there are Portuguese kitchens.

Caldo Verde  (the orange is not in the soup, but coming from an overhead light)

Here is a recipe that sounded most like the one I found to be the best I ate while here.

Ingredients

1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
700 g potatoes
300 g kale or cavolo nero
extra virgin olive oil
150 g higher-welfare chorizo
paprika

Method

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, dice the potatoes, finely shred the kale or cavolo nero, and slice the chorizo.

Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, or till they begin to soften.

Stir in the potatoes, season with sea salt, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add 1.25 liters of water and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

Mash the potatoes into the liquid to produce a smooth purée. Add the kale and simmer for 5 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the chorizo slices, sprinkling paprika over them in the pan, for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the chorizo to the soup, then ladle the soup into bowls and season with freshly ground black pepper.

Guimarães

 Portugal
Dec 022022
 

November 2022

Guimarães was originally settled in the 9th century and called Vimaranes. It is thought the name may have had its origin in the warrior Vímara Peres, who chose this area as the main government seat for the County of Portugal which he conquered for the Kingdom of Galicia. Guimarães is often referred to as the “birthplace of Portugal” or “the cradle city” because it is widely believed that Portugal’s first King, Afonso Henriques, was born here. It is the location of the Battle of São Mamede, the seminal event in the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal.

Here is the birthplace of Portugal

Looking down on the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza from the Castle

One of the more imposing buildings in Guimarães sits on a hill.  It is the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza. Built on the orders of Alfonso, Count of Barcelos in the first quarter of the 15th century (likely 1420 to 1422). Barcelos was the illegitimate son of John I and his line would occupy this Burgundian-style residence for the next 200 years.  Catherine Braganza the future wife of England’s Charles I, grew up here.  Today the building is a museum, with items from collections around Portugal.

The castle this was taken from dates to the 10th century and lies in ruins, but with a nice walk along the parapet with wonderful views of the town.

One of the medieval streets of Guimarães. Notice the shell in the foreground, a sign of the Camino de Santiago.

 

Homes in Guimaraes covered with azulejos

A religious building covered with azulejos

Largo da Oliveira

Our hotel, Hotel Oliveira, sits on the square which gets its name from the olive tree growing in the middle of the square.

The olive tree in Largo da Oliveira

Behind the tree one can see the Gothic monument, Padrão do Salado.

Padrão do Salado

This small pavilion was built in the 1300s on the orders of Afonso IV. It’s a memorial for the Battle of Salado, fought in 1340 by Portuguese and Castilian forces against Moorish forces in Tarifa.

The Christian armies were led by King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile. Opposing them were armies led by Sultan Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali of the Marinid dynasty and Yusuf I of Granada.

As a result of the war, never again was a Muslim army able to invade the Iberian Peninsula. Meaning that control of the Straits of Gibraltar was now held by the Christians, specifically the Castilians and the Genoese.

Ancient Guimarães city wall

Once Lisbon became the capital city of Portugal, Guimarães languished.  This is what helped keep the city’s medieval character intact. The ancient walls were demolished in the 19th century when the emphasis was put on urban planning and sanitation. Today the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Zona de Couros

Zona De Couros

Outside the city walls lies the Zona De Couros, the former tanning and leather-making district of the city.

The Portuguese tanning industry has its roots in the city in the Middle Ages. Hides originally came from the area but later they were imported from Portuguese colonies such as Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique.

The industry was a major employer during the 19th and 20th centuries, supplying the demand for leather in Europe during World War I and World War II.

Beginning in the 1960s, cheaper overseas products helped in the decline of the trade, along with the fact that it was dirty and strenuous work. The factory closed its doors for good in 2005.

Zona De Couros

The water running through the tanning area was once called the “rivulo de corios”

The small river that passes through the area is referred to in documents from the 12th century, and in 1151 was called the “rivulo de corios”

 

The” rivulo de corios” now the Couros river, forms a natural drain for the city, and once bore the wastewater from the tanneries and the waste from its workshops as well as the domestic waste from the area.

Stations of the Cross

It can be somewhat discombobulating to come across these rather dour images when one rounds a bend in Guimarães while strolling. Erected in 1727 there were originally seven chapels in Guimarães as Stations of the Cross, today there are only 5.

Fun Sights Around Guimarães

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The World Cup is on while we are here, and flags are everywhere

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Minho Region Wine, Granite and Eucalyptus

 Portugal
Dec 022022
 

November 2022

The dominant white grape varieties of this area are Alvarinho, Arinto (locally known as Pedernã), Avesso, Azal, Loureiro, and Trajadura, while the red varieties are Borraçal, Brancelho, Espadeiro, and Vinhão.

The white wines are particularly refreshing, many of which, when tasting, were referred to as swimming pool wines. The region began producing sparkling wines in 1999, and those have been a treat to find.

The soils of the region are mostly granite and are very fertile.

The Pergola System of growing vines

When driving around one of the first things you notice is the unusual way the vines are grown. This area is known for its “enforcado vine” layout, with vines intertwined in the trees, or the pergola system, also known as “latada”.

One also finds the cruzeta system  (cross or cross-raising) which derives its name from the appearance of the granite pillars, which are either topped with another granite cross beam or wire. Between the crosspieces, there are strings of wire. The vines are pulled up on these to reduce the risk of fungal infection.

A variation on the Cruzeta System

The Single-Guyot also called the Single-Cordon training method

Single Guyot is one of the most common methods for training vines, particularly in cool climates where late-season frost can be a threat. This cane-pruning system consists of a trunk and a single fruiting cane. The cane is draped over a horizontal support wire.

Vines trained to grow straight up, often found on the edge of the property

At one time, many growers would train the vines to climb trees, fences, and telephone poles. This was to maximize production and to be able to produce both wine and vegetables on the same land. While not used that much, you still see it on smaller plots of land.

Granite

The other noticeable thing is the granite.  You will see blocks the size of automobiles used in wall building and then the posts as mentioned in the vineyards.

As it has been raining steadily and heavily, the roads are also covered in fine pebbles of granite that has washed down off of the hillsides.

Blue Granite

Granito Amarelo (Yellow) Ponte De Lima – Yellow Granite from Ponte De Lima

With funding from the EU Ponte de Lima has become a hub for the quarrying and processing of granite. Quarrying employs more than 350 people in the area, while about 500 work in processing.  France and Spain are the largest importers of granite from Ponte de Lima.

Total investment for the project “Industrial Pole of Granite of Fine Stone” was 3,649,676 Euros with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing 2,062,309 Euros through the “Norte 2020” Operational Programme.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus was first introduced to Portugal in the late 18th century by British botanist, Sir Joseph Banks.  You see them everywhere crowding out the native flora. Eucalyptus covers over 22,000 acres,  a quarter of total forest land in Portugal, displacing native oaks, laurels, and chestnuts.

They’re simple to grow, three times as lucrative as cork, and can be harvested within 12 years. In Portugal, the plant is used mainly for pulp in paper making.  The oils are resins are also harvested and the trunks are sometimes used in construction.  Unfortunately, the trees are also highly flammable.

The attempt to rid the country of this invasive plant goes back decades, continually running into opposition from Portugal’s powerful paper industry lobby. The lobby continually espouses that “The ban would destroy thousands of forestry jobs, many in badly depressed regions.”  Paper export is huge in Portugal.  In 2017, after devastating forest fires, that killed 64 people, and injured many more, the government banned new plantings of Eucalyptus.

 

Driving the Backroads of the Vinho Verde Region of Portugal

 Portugal
Dec 022022
 

November 2022

Peneda-Gerês National Park

 

Soajo

My traveling partner Susan and I picked up a dear friend Katherine who is accompanying us for the next few days.  Our first stop after a lovely night in Fortaleza de Valença was the town of Soajo.  While there are signs everywhere warning you of wandering cows, it is still rather hysterical to encounter them in a parking lot.

Espigueiros do Soajo

I fell in love with these buildings in Spain, where they are called Herreros.  In Portugal they are Espigueiros.  Essentially they are above-ground food storage to keep rodents out.  These in the town of Soajo are especially interesting.  The main reason for me is that they are out of stone, most I have seen have a stone floor but the building itself is wood.

Espigueiros means spikes and these granaries are supported on granite slabs from the Peneda mountains where they reside.  The oldest dates to 1782 and the cluster was built between the 18th and 19th centuries.  They were intended for use by the entire community and today, some are still used for storing, primarily corn.

Driving in the hills of the park

The Peneda-Geres National Park was created in 1971 and is the oldest protected area and the only national park in Portugal.

Peneda-Gerês was given its name by its two main granite massifs, the Serra da Peneda and the Serra do Gerês which, with the Serra Amarela and the Serra do Soajo, constitute the park’s highest peaks.

Driving on a one-car width, frightening, winding road in the park I spotted this massive wall.  It is a fojos.

A fojos is a wolf trap made of stone.  Tons and tons of stone had to be transported via ox cart and it took an entire village to build a fojo. Their purpose? To kill the wolves that attacked the herds.

This wolf trap with converging walls lies on the left bank of the Germil River.  This type of trap only exists in the Iberian Peninsula and consists of 2 high walls forming a V and converging into a pit, where the wolf was cornered by the scouts. At the top of the wall, wide slabs prevented the animal from escaping.

The Caniçada Dam with the giant granite hills that surround it that make up the park

Driving the frightening road one ends the hair-raising portion at the Caniçada Dam.    The dam sits on the Cavado river, and after the dam, the river widens significantly creating a lovely recreational area in the valley.

Looking down on the Cavado River and out at the granite peaks of the Park

Bridges on the Cavado River

Further down river and more mountains

Terracing

The morning fog

 

 

 

Wandering the Countryside of Guimarães

 Portugal
Nov 302022
 

Citânia de Briteiros

The Citânia de Briteiros archaeological site of the Castro Culture is one of the more excavated sites in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula.  I first encountered excavations of the Castro Culture when walking the Camino de Santiago. I had no idea there were so many sites on the Iberian Peninsula of this particular culture.

Castro culture is the archaeological term for the material culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day northern Portugal together with the Spanish regions of Galicia, Asturias, and western León.

While Citânia de Briteiros is primarily known for the remains of an Iron Age there is evidence of sequential settlements, extending from the Bronze to the Middle Ages. The site was probably constructed between the first and second centuries BCE.

The Castro inhabitants are believed to have been Celtic.

Sometime in the first century CE the settlement was occupied by Roman settlers

The site has been studied extensively since 1874, with the first excavations beginning in 1875, by Portuguese archaeologist Francisco Martins Sarmento. Sarmento was one of the first archaeologists to utilize photography as a recording method, his photographs of the site were entrusted to the Guimarães Archeology Museum, which was sadly closed during my visit to Guimarães.

Remains of a water system of the Castro Culture

The cities of the Castro Culture including Citânia de Briteiros were characterized by their size and by urban features such as paved streets equipped with channels for stormwater runoff, reservoirs of potable water, and evidence of urban planning. Although Briteiros is an unusual Castros sight since it has its streets arranged into a roughly grid pattern.

Sarmento reconstructed a pair of dwellings on the site in accordance with his research. Around 100 of these round residential compounds were found in this area.

There was so much to this site that I did not have a chance to visit.  The first reason was lack of time, but the second was the terrain of the site does not make exploration easy.  It is very, very rocky and steep.

Citânia de Sanfins

A second Castro culture site in the area is Citânia de Sanfins built between the 5th century BCE and the 2nd century CE, with a period of Roman occupation that started during the 3rd Century CE. The site was abandoned during the 4th Century CE. This site was also first dug in 1895 by Francisco Martins Sarmento accompanied by José Leite de Vasconcelos.

Fog made this site rather unexplorable

The Roman Bridge of Negrelos

The one-way  Roman Bridge of Negrelos sits over the Vizela River and links the villages of Moreira de Cónegos and São Martinho do Campo. The bridge is one of the most important Roman vestiges of the region. The bridge served several Romanized castros in the area including Citânia de Sanfins,

This interesting sculpture can be found on one end of the Roman Bridge of Negrelos

This piece of sculpture was erected to celebrate the Bicentennial of the Portuguese attempt at holding the bridge against the French on March 29, 1809, during the Second Portuguese War.

Tongóbriga

Tongóbriga was mentioned by Ptolemy in the second century.  While today considered a Roman ruin diggings show it may well date to an early era of Celtic origin.

The site was discovered in the 1980s and covers 75 acres.  The majority is closed to the public, with the exception of a small area of what has been determined as houses.
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Sadly there is essentially no English language help in exploring the site, so one is left to their imagination, and the ability to draw on any prior knowledge of this type of archeological dig.

Valença Fortaleza – Portugal

 Portugal
Nov 292022
 

November 2022

The Walled Portion of the City of Valença, Portugal

Valença dates from Roman times. Inside the fortified walls, a Roman milestone marks the XLII (42nd) mile of an ancient Roman road that connected the town of Braga to Tui.

The Roman Milestone in the walled portion of Valença

i[berius] Claudius Caesar Aug[ustus] Germanicus Pontifex Max[imus]. Imp[erator] V Co[n]s[ul] III, Trib[unicia] Potest[ate] III. P[ater] P[atriae] Braca[ra] XLII.

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Pontifex Maximus. Imperator V Consul III, Tribunicia Potestate III. Pater Patriae Bracara XLII. It was erected on the orders of Emperor Claudius in the first century AD.

This stronghold was populated by the order of King Sancho I during the 12th century. It was called Contrasta which means “village opposed to another”, Tui (Spain) in this case. King Afonso III changed its name to Valença in the 13th century.


We are staying in a Pousada de Valença do Minho, inside the walled fortress.  From here you can see the Minho River and Galicia, Spain

The walls have been destroyed several times by the Barbarians, the Moors, the armies of Asturias and Leon, and even the French in the 19th century. They have always been restored.

The first walls were built in the 13th century. It was upgraded during the 17th and 18th centuries forming the present bulwarked system. The main entrance is Porta do Sol (Sun’s door). This door was damaged during the Napoleonic invasions.  There are 3 more to get to the end of town, each ridiculously narrow, and frightening to drive a full-sized car through.

In 1879 Portugal and Spain agreed to construct a bi-functional (road and train) bridge. The bridge was inspired by Eiffel’s works. The bridge is still in use.

The trains use the top and the cars drive on the bottom. That is a train filled with lumber going across the bridge.

The area of Valença that most likely could be considered the center of town

Walking Around Valença

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Northern Portugal – Exploring Abandoned Monasteries

 Portugal
Nov 292022
 

November 2022

This was a day of exploring the Minho Region, the oldest part of the country of Portugal.

Originally settled by the barbarian Suevi, this early reconquered part of Portugal has the highest concentration of Romanesque churches in the country and some of the most significant historic sites in the Iberian Peninsula.

The abandoned monastery of Longos Vales

There isn’t a lot of information about this abandoned monastery.  It actually now is in private hands. The foundation of the monastery is attributed to D. Afonso Henriques in the second half of the 12th century.

Stairway to the Monastery Longo Vales

A shot of the construction of the monastery

I did find a few, of what appear to be abandoned medieval gravesites in the back of the attached church.

Monastery of Sanfins

The road to Sanfins was cobblestone, narrow and beautiful

The entry to the abandoned church portion of the Monastery dates to 604 CE.

Monastery of Sanfins

The Monastery of Sanfins was the head of the former Monastic Couto de Sanfins, which lasted until 1834.

The monastery’s aqueduct is still somewhat intact

Saint Francis Borgia, of the Society of Jesus, lived in this Monastery for some time (1510 – 1572).

There is a cemetery just up the road as well.  Sadly I could find absolutely nothing about it.

It most likely is not attached to the monastery as the graves are tended to and I found one grave that dates to 1964.

The graves are tended to

This was the only grave with a legible name and date  Jose Goncalves 1897-1964

The Minho is a region kept verdant by some of the highest rainfall in southern Europe, a rainfall we are experiencing like none I have ever seen.

Discovering Northern Portugal

 Portugal
Nov 292022
 

November 2022

The Santa Clara Aqueduct near Vila do Conde

There are at least 42 aqueducts in Portugal.  Fifteen were built for public water supply and 26 for private supply.

The word aqueduct comes from the Latin “aqua” for water and “ducere” which means to lead.

Even though aqueducts are very much associated with the roman empire this one was built much later. The Santa Clara Aqueduct was built to supply water to the monastery of the same name.  Work began in 1626 under the order of Abess D. Maria de Meneses but was halted for 70 years when it was determined the slope was inadequate. It was finished under the order of Abess D. Bárbara Micaela de Ataíde in October of 1714.  It was a little over 3 miles long and consisted of 999 granite arches. The final design was by military engineer Manuel Vila de Lobes.

Viano do Castelo

Sanctuary of Santa Luzia

The Santuário de Santa Luzia honors Santa Luzia (Saint Lucy), the Patron Saint of Sight.  The building is not terribly old, but sits atop a hill and looms over the city of Viano do Castelo. The area offers views of the port and out to the ocean and up the Lima Valley.

The city of Viano do Castelo is absolutely charming with its small cobblestone streets and gorgeous architecture.

Igreja da Misericórdia de Viana do Castelo

The Misericórdia (Mercy) building and the church date from the 16th century.  Built by the  Misericórdia brotherhood the building designed by João Lopes, o Moço (the Boy) is called the “Casa das Varandas”. It is a stunning representation of Renaissance and Mannerist-inspired civil architecture, with Italian and Flemish influences.  Renovation work on the church was done in 1716 by military engineer Manuel Pinto de Vilalobos.

Old Council Chambers, Viana do Castelo in the Praça da República

An interesting doorway in the town of Viana do Castelo

Driving around the countryside of Portugal every once in a while you come across some amazing, grand structure that was quite obviously the entry to an estate.  They are often just standing alone and hard to figure out why.

Portal da Quinta do Crasto

Sadly there is very little known about this glorious structure, which is really just a facade. I was able to find a name attached to it. The grandeur of the gate contrasts with the rest of the property that once belonged to the aristocratic Pimenta de Castro family, whose history is lost.

The crest above the Portal da Quinta do Crasto

Another ornamental front found in Celorico de Basto

Malgaco

Castle of Malgaco

This is all that is left of the Castle of Malgaco. Construction of the castle dates to 1170 by order of the first King of Portugal Afonso Henriques (1112–1185).

To get to the tower you walk through parts of Malgaco that are charming as can be.

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Ponte de Lima

The Roman Bridge of Ponte de Lima

The bridge spaning the Lima River at the town of Ponte de Lima is actually two bridges.

The bridge contains five arches from the old Roman bridge which are said to date back to the 1st century. These form a section on the opposite side of the river from the town and now sit on dry land.

This medieval bridge makes up the rest and dates to 1368.

It is said that during the Roman occupation of Portugal the forces stationed here felt the Lima River looked too much like the River Lethe (or River of Forgetfulness), one of the five mythical rivers of the Underworld. They feared if they drank from or tried to cross the river it would completely erase their memories.

General Decimus Junius Brutus

It is said that in 138 BCE General Decimus Junius Brutus decided to end the superstition by making the crossing himself. From here the tale has two editions, either the General forced each man to cross by yelling his name, or the men themselves, in order to insure they had not lost their minds to “Oblivion” were made to shout out their own names as they crossed the river.

The legend is why there are images of a Roman phalanx on one side of the river with the general on horseback, encouraging them across, on the other.

A phalanx of Roman soldiers about to cross the River Lima

Vacas das Cordas

“Vaca das Cordas” is a local event that takes place every year in Ponte de Lima.  It is a kind of back-and-forth between man and bull that takes place on the streets the day before the Corpus Christi celebrations. Its tradition dates back to 1646. The legend says that the city’s main church was a temple where the locals worshiped a goddess that was portrayed as a cow. According to the legend, the Christians transformed the temple into a church, and for that reason, the image of the goddess was taken from the altar, where it was worshiped, tied with ropes, and dragged around the church three times. Nowadays, it is represented by a live bull that runs through the streets, which is tied with ropes, followed by thousands of people. The three laps around the church are still part of the celebrations.

A public art project titled H2O

This part of Portugal is not really on the tourist list, each town is small with a unique gift to offer.  The Vinho Verde trail wanders through the Minho Region making this part of Portugal ideal for wandering and enjoying Vinho Verde wine and good Portuguese food.

 

Porto, Portugal – Literature and Wine

 Porto, Portugal
Nov 272022
 

November 2022

This is my second trip to Porto and this trip is less about discovering the city and more about discovering the wine.

I did not get to the famous bookstore, Livraria Lello, on my last visit, so I will begin there.  You can now buy 5€ jump-the-line tickets with the money going towards the purchase of a book.  The lines are still long and the crowds are still large.  The crowds are only annoying because so many people don’t care about books, they are just there to Instagram themselves.

I was excited to find an entire room dedicated to Jose Saramago, whose house and grave I visited when I was in Lisbon.  Sadly, none of his books were available in English.  I discovered this fact on my last visit, something to do with the author’s estate changing publishers, and the lack of rights to the English language publications.

A little over 100 years old, Livraria Lello is an art nouveau gem.  Pictures on the other hand were difficult at best with the amount of Instagramers hanging around in every interesting architectural nook.

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The underside of the magnificent central stairway

There is Honor in Work

I was able to purchase Love of Perdition by Portuguese author Camilo Castelo Branco. The 1st Viscount of Correia Botelho, and a prolific writer of the 19th century, with over 260 books to his name.

Aveleda Winery requires advanced reservations but their wine and gardens are worth every penny and as much time as you can afford.

A guard gate from the original era of the winery

The winery was founded 150 years ago, by Manuel Pedro Guedes (1837-1899).  The winery sits in the Vinho Verde wine region which is in the northwest of Portugal. Vinho Verde is bordered by Douro Valley and Tras-os-Montes wine regions from the east and Dão & Lafões from the south.

The name Vinho Verde (green wine) was given to the region because it is so very verdant.

The Guedes family has been on the estate for over 300 years. Construction on the park and gardens began in 1870 by Manuel Pedro Guedes. Since then, five generations of the family have added new features.

It was pouring rain the day I visited, and yet it was still rather magical.

The next winery we visited was Quinta de Santa Cristina.  The wines are not as spectacular, but the property is pretty amazing.

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The mountains around Quinta Santa Cristina

Amarante

Between the two wineries sits the town of Amarante on the banks of the River Tâmega. Founded as Turdetanos in 360 BCE, Amarante is one of the most ancient settlements in northern Portugal. It also prospered under the Romans.

The bridge is the focal point of the city. Built in 1790, it was the center of the 1809 resistance during the Peninsular War. For fourteen days the people of Amarante fought off Napolean’s Marshall Soult’s advance. Eventually, Soult was victorious and his army advanced and burnt down the Amarante’s houses.

Carvings on the organ of the church of Amarante – São Gonçalo

The church of São Gonçalo dates to 1540. Born in Amarante at the end of the 12th century, Saint Gonçalo is mostly revered for his healing miracles. The interior of the church is lovely but I found the sculpture on the pipe organ to be rather unique.

Back in Porto

In Ribeira Plaza in Porto is this interesting fountain. It was built in the 1780s and decorated with the coat of arms of Portugal. In the niche is a  statue of St John the Baptist by sculptor João Cutileiro.

A plaque to the Porto Bridge Disaster of 1808

Just off Ribeira Plaza, you will find this obscure plaque. In March 1808, during the Invasion of Portugal by Napoleon’s troops,  under Marshal Soult  (him again) the French attacked and captured Porto. Thousands of refugees drowned while fleeing the city across a pontoon bridge that collapsed.

The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Ireland against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. The war started when the French and Spanish armies invaded and occupied Portugal in 1807.

Looking from my hotel room (The Pestana Vintage Porto) to the Maria Pia Bridge over the Duoro River in Porto. The building on the far side of the bridge, on the top of the hill is the Hotel Vincci Ponte Ferro

The view from my room at Hotel Vincci Ponte Ferro on my last night in Porto

Port Wine and The Duoro Valley

 Portugal
Nov 092021
 

The writings of the Greek geographer Strabo, show that people of the Iberian Peninsula were drinking wine over two thousand years ago.

The Romans, arrived in Portugal in the second century BCE and made wine on the banks of the Douro River for hundreds of years.

Wine in this region has been around for a very long time.

Portuguese wine became an export crop  around 1174, when the Kingdom of Portugal was established.

In 1386 a treaty was signed between Portugal and England to establish a political and commercial alliance, which boosted Portugal’s exports via the Atlantic Ocean.

By the second half of the 15th century, a large amount of Portuguese wine was shipped to England often in exchange for salt cod, (bacalhau), wool and other goods. The wine shipped at this time was not Port but a thin astringent white wine.

As a result of a tax disagreement between France and England, French wine was no longer available to the English, and tastes were changing away from the astringent white wines to the sweeter more fortified wines.

The Duoro River

In 1703 the signing of the Methuen Treaty between England and Portugal stated that Portuguese wines imported into England carried one third less duty than wines imported from France, changing the face of Portugal’s wine trade forever.

By the mid 18th century the wine trade was in turmoil with disreputable makers and traders, and the rights of Douro growers became a hot political issue. The Marquês de Pombal stepped into the dispute.  In 1756, Pombal demarcated (formed what we call an appellation) the Douro region — almost 100 years before Bordeaux. From that point on, true “Port Wine” came only from the Duoro Valley.  In fact only parts of the Duoro.  The area was marked out with 335 granite pillars set out between 1756 and 1761.

Demarcation Pilars or Marcos

At this point the English and Scottish had increased their operations to the beginning of the production chain and began bringing this new fine wine down the Douro river to the town of Oporto. Oporto sits at the mouth of the Duoro River as it spills into the Atlantic Ocean. The wine became known as ‘Oporto wine’ or ‘Port’.

Once loaded onto ships, to protect the wine from the long journey at sea, it was often fortified with brandy. Today the wine is fortified during fermentation for better alcohol integration, not after ageing. Typically, a port wine will consist of 30% brandy in the final blend. The brandy is usually an un-aged eau-de-vie de vin which is colorless and tasteless, and is most often brought from South Africa which has a strong tradition of Brandy because of its Dutch heritage.

 

Port wine is made in a process very similar to other wines, with a few exceptions.

To be classified as a Port wine the grapes must be picked by hands.

The older, more traditional terraces are too narrow for tractors, although the use of machinery is allowed for operations such as fertilizer distribution.

These terraces are very important as they play a critical role in the taste of the wine, along with the soil, weather and the water of the Duoro.  Knowledge of the terrace wall construction is scarce, but they were made by hand by what may have been Galicians, sometime in the 17th century.

Once picked and de-stemmed, the grapes are transferred to wide, low, open-top tanks called lagares. In the Duoro lagares are made of granite. Traditionally, crushing was done by foot treading but many producers have gone to mechanized crushing.

The granite Lagares and long wooden plungers called macacos that are used to punch the skins down under the surface of the wine once the foot crushing has been completed.

After three days the wine is transferred to baláos. There it remains until the end of winter.  The summers in the Douro Valley are too hot for storing wine, so as the temperatures rise, the wine is trucked to Villa Nova de Gaia, a port on the other side of the river from Porto.  At that time the Port wine is placed in barrels and cellars for blending and aging.

Baláos are made of concrete

Legally, all Port wines must be aged for a minimum of 2 years before release. At that point, it is illegal for a Port producer to sell more than 30% of the vintage. Meaning that Port wine producers are legally encouraged to age their wines.

There is so much more to the process, especially in the aging process and the way ports are sorted and ranked, but for now, I think you get the idea why Port is different and special.  While some ports can be cloyingly sweet, visiting the the Duoro Valley for an education in Port has taught me that it is far more sophisticated, and complex than I ever knew.

Tidbits: The first mention of “Vintage Port” was in a Christie’s auction catalog dated 1773, in reference to a wine of the vintage of 1765. Various historical records refer to great Vintage Ports from 1775, 1790 and 1797.

In the 1770’s the shape of the bottles began to change.  The new bottles were what we know today, a straight-sided cylindrical bottle with a long neck.  This shape allowed the bottles to be laid down and stored for any length of time keeping the corks moist and therefore the seal in good condition. This allowed the wine to age in the bottle, and  made a distinct improvement in the wine.

Phylloxera reached the Douro in the 1870s.  Many vineyards were re-planted. But sadly you can still see many abandoned walled terraced vineyards, built in the late 18th and early 19th . Some of these mortuários (graveyards) have been replanted as olive or citrus groves, while others lay barren with crumbling rock walls.

Rabelos

Until relatively recently,  Port wine made its way down the Duoro River to the ‘lodges’ of the shippers in Oporto on the decks of barcos rabelos. The earliest references to boats carrying wine along the Douro date from around 1200 were referred to as barcas taverneiras, or ‘taverner barges’. Later all the work fell to the bracos rabelos.

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Today Rabelo’s are primarily used for tourist operations

A series of dams were built across the river in the 20th century, until then the Douro was fast running. To navigate in these conditions, the rabelo had a flat bottomed hull and a long steering oar, operated from the top of a raised platform, which allowed the crew to carry out the maneuvers necessary to traverse the rapids.  The boats were also fitted with a broad sail to help in the return, upstream, trip.  The trip down the river took, on average, three days.  The return trip could take 45.  Returning the boats were aided, not just with their sails, but horses and oxen that would lend a hand in hauling them upriver.

Portugal Ponderings

Since uncorking a bottle of wine is becoming more of an act of unscrewing a top, or pulling out a plastic cork, I assumed cork was becoming endangered.  I began walking the streets of Portugal, where most of the world’s cork comes from and saw so many stores that specialize in selling any type of product from cork.  There is a disconnect here. So is cork endangered? Nope! There’s actually an abundance of cork. A fact I found interesting is that the harvesting of cork is one of the best paid agricultural jobs in the world. It is a process that needs to be done by skilled workers so that the trees are not harmed.  And there are said to be enough cork trees today in the cork forests of Portugal to last more than 100 years.  So why plastic corks and screw on tops?  It is cheaper.

Baláos

A part of the Duoro Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including the ancient rock terrace walls.

Thoughts on Porto

 Portugal
Nov 072021
 

November 2021

Porto is like a really comfortable sweater, you slip it on as though you have known it for years.

Porto is an easy town to navigate and fall in love with.  It is not necessarily a town you come to see the sights, you come to stroll, eat, shop and hang out with friends.

I have one very dear old friend who lives here in Porto, and she introduced me to some of her friends that made Porto one of the most relaxing and interesting days in my entire trip.

Here are just a few random shots of my wanderings.

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Julie, Jeff, Michael and Kay – thank you from Susan and I for making our few days in Porto so very special!

 

Bridges of Porto and a Bit More

 Portugal
Nov 072021
 

November 2021

The Arrabida Bridge was designed by Edgar Cardoso (1913-2000), said to have been the best bridge engineer of Portugal.  When it opened in 1963 it had the longest arch in the world for a concrete bridge.

Dom Louis Bridge of Porto

Don Luis I was built in 1886.  It connects the city of Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia.  It has two levels which were originally meant for automobile traffic. But today the lower level is used by pedestrians and cars, while the upper level is used by the Metro do Porto. 

In 1879, Gustave Eiffel presented a project to construct a new bridge over the Douro, with a high single deck in order to facilitate ship navigation. This project was rejected as the town was growing too fast to accommodate the design.

After a competition in which  Eiffel participated, the wining architectural team was Société de Willebroek.  The construction was overseen  by Théophile Seyrig, a disciple of Gustave Eiffel.

The São João

The White Bridge you see in the background of the photo above, is the São João bridge. Opened in 1991 it was also designed by  Édgar Cardoso as a railroad bridge

The Infante D. Henrique Bridge is the newest of Porto’s bridges. The simple and yet elegant design with is very thin shape leave travelers jaws to drop.

Designed by a team of engineers led by José Antonio Fernández Ordoñez. The final design set a world record for arch slenderness.

D. Maria Pia Bridge is the metal bridge in the foreground

The oldest bridge in Porto is Maria Pia Bridge, also known as Dona Maria. This is the railway bridge you see in the foreground of the photo above. The bridge was built in 1877 and is attributed to Gustav Eiffel. The bridge is such a representation of Porto that even though it has been out of service since 1991, it has not been demolished, and today is a tourist attraction.

 

Other fun things spotted around town:

São Bento Train Station

This is the platform of the São Bento train station.  It is so stunning in its simplicity, and upon your arrival into Porto, hides what awaits you as you disembark.

The station clock

Most every wall in the train station is covered with azulejos tiles. The terminal building was constructed over a number of years, starting in 1904, based on plans by architect José Marques da Silva. The large panels of azulejo tile were designed and painted by Jorge Colaço; they were completed in 1916. The murals represent moments in the country’s history and the multicolored panels depict rural scenes of different parts of Portugal.

Prince Henry the Navigator (photo from wikipedia)

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Located in Matosinhos district of Porto is this fish market.  On the upper level are plant shops, some fruits and vegetables and live chickens.

Choose a fish from any vendor, have it cleaned and then have it sent to the restaurant on the ground floor.  They grill the fish, and have side dishes, wine and fish of their own that makes a visit to the market a fabulous adventure.

Barnacles, yes they are edible, they have a very light taste of the sea.

Fish net sculpture by Janet Echelman

Hovering over a roundabout in the Matosinhos district is this giant red fishing net sculpture.

The present sculpture is of painted galvanized steel and knotted, braided fiber. The sculpture was originally of cloth rope, but around 2007 it began to degrade.  it was replaced, at a cost to the artist, with a material that could withstand the winds and salt water of the area.

 

 

Porto, Portugal

 Porto, Portugal
Nov 072021
 

November 2021

My friend Susan and I met up in Porto.  It is a town where I slowed down, and we just wandered aimlessly.

Church of São Francisco

One visits this Gothic church for two things its over the top Baroque inner decoration and its catacombs.

It has an 8 euro entry fee, with no photos allowed.  It is difficult to describe and as I do not violate no-photo policies I have taken these pictures off of the internet.

It would be difficult to find a square inch of this church that is not carved and then gilded.

One of the more interesting altarpieces is “Tree of Jesse”. Carved by Filipe da Silva and António Gomes, between 1718 and 1720. The carving is a family tree of Jesus with twelve kings of Judah connected via branches of the tree to the body of Jesse. On the top of the tree is Joseph, under an image of the Virgin and the Child.

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The Catacombs of Church of São Francisco

There is a ossuary underneath the catacombs that can bee seen by looking through a very badly scratched piece of glass

The church is located in the historic center of the city, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Imperial McDonald’s

The Imperial McDonalds

Opened in 1995, this McDonalds now occupies a space that once held the Cafe Imperial, a famous coffee shop from the 1930s. Its amazing Art Deco architecture had McDonald’s retain a good portion of the important architectural features when it took over the location.

Imperial McDonalds

Imperial McDonalds

Another interesting McDonalds across town

Mercado Ferreria Borges

Built in 1885 and siting in the center of town, the Mercado Ferreria Borges was meant to replace the old Mercado de São Sebastião in the Ribeira neighborhood. It never had a chance because retailers were hesitant to leave the old market. It  is now used for cultural exhibitions and fairs.

The name of the market pays homage to José Ferreira Borges, a jurist and politician from Porto who supported the liberal regime in Portagallo.

Praca de Almeida Garrett

Praca de Almeida Garrett

This area is named after a Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist and politician.  The area is filled with the most stunning architecture.  The area appeared to be the financial district of Porto, but I could find very little about it.

Praca de Almeida Garrett

An Amazing Art Deco Building, a few blocks away from Praca de Almeida Garrett

Recycling

All through Portugal I have been fascinated with the recycle collection.  There is not individual recycling like in the US, businesses and citizens take their recycles to a neighborhood site.

Local Recycle Bins

The actual collection bins are under the street in Porto, and the system tilts back so the machine can pick them up, and place them over the collection truck. Once they are properly in place a worker pulls a cord at the bottom of the bin and the recycles come pouring out.

Recycles being picked up

Walking around with no goal in mind:

Porto is known for its fish

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Bom Jesus de Braga

 Portugal
Nov 032021
 

November 2021

Stairway of the Five Senses

This stairway is why you come to Bom Jesus in Braga, Portugal.

The first indication of a chapel  on this hill dates from 1373. The chapel at the top of the hill today, dedicated to the Holy Cross, was built in the 15th and 16th centuries.  It took over 600 years to complete the Baroque style building.

A Faux Bois folly sits at the top of the property. Its significance or history I was unable to find.

The site of the chapel is on Mount Espinho.  The entire thing is part of the European concept of the Sacri Monti or Sacred Mountain, propagated by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent in the 16th century, as a reaction to the Protestant Reformation.

The zigzag form of the stairways has influenced other sites around the world including the Sanctuary of Congonhas in Brazil. Pilgrims were encouraged to climb the stairs on their knees to experience the Passion of Christ.

Fountain of the Five Wounds of Christ

There are  fountains at every landing of the stairwells. They symbolize the water of life and purification of the body and spirit.  The Fountain of the Five Wounds of Christ is at the bottom of the staircase and spits from five spouts on the Portugese coat of arms.

Two cherubs holding a human heart as one of the  fountains

A fountain that appeared to show Noah’s Ark

The exterior of the Church of Bom Jesus

A rather elaborate crucifixion tableau at the alter inside the Bom Jesus Church

The Gardens in front of the church and at the top of the stairs.

This tramway was built in 1880 and designed by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, under the direction of Swiss engineer Nikolaus Riggenbach, and financed by businessman Manuel Joaquim Gomes.  Gomes was interested in replacing the system of vehicles pulled by horses that were then switched to oxen to get up the steeper parts of the hill.  This was the first funicular on the Iberian Peninsula.

I rode the tram down and then up again, just for the fun of it, total cost less than 3 Euros.

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The site of Bom Jesus de Braga was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.

A few random Photos:

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I found the statue of Confedencia charming

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Coimbra, Portugal

 Portugal
Nov 032021
 

November 2021

Coimbra is a lovely town, and like every University town, it is multifaceted. The university was first established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537 by the order of  King John III. The University was expanded in 1544 by occupying the Coimbra Royal Palace.

The University’s Palace Gate. One’s entry into the heart and original portion of the University

I am here because it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Paço das Escolas This was once the Royal Palace of Alcáçova, a residential fortress built on top of the hill . From 1131 King Afonso Henriques chose it as his place of residence making it the country’s first royal palace.

Paço das Escolas is the historic heart of the university, where traditional academic ceremonies are still held. The main ceremonial hall is the Sala dos Capelos (named after the academic cape awarded to graduating doctorate students).

One of the Sala dos Capelos

Entry to the Biblioteca Joanina

The biggest reason for me to visit the University was the Library. The library is housed in the Casa da Livraria (House of the Library), it received its  first books in 1750, its construction was completed between 1717 and 1728.  You are required to be on a timed entry, and are shown into the first floor, which once was a prison. You climb up to the next floor which houses a collection of books and serves a a museum.

What you have truly come for is, what by now is the third floor, but is actually the ground floor, is the main portion of the library.  There no pictures are allowed.

I never violate the no photography edict, but many do, so this photo is from someone who did.

The library is made completely of wood, with the exception of the marble floor.  This is to control humidity.  The books, once most likely had an arrangement to suit a librarian, today they are organized by size, getting smaller as you go up.

 

Despite the well varnished public relations photos,  Coimbra is no different than any university town in the world.  The university is why the town is so famous, it is essentially the center of town, but it that isn’t the whole picture.

A statue of King João III, who based the University permanently in Coimbra sits in the center of the square at the top of the hill

Coimbra is a town on a hill  The university sits on the top, and the city falls down to the river.  Once you have ogled the buildings in the castle you are in the functional part of the University, primarily built in the 1950s with ugly concrete square box buildings.  Albeit, ornamented with brutalist sculptures.  Wikipedia puts it politely: Coimbra offers an outstanding example of an integrated university city with a specific urban typology.

The School of Letters

 

Coimbra was originally a Roman City. Parts of both the ancient wall and the aqueduct still exist.

One can tour the Palace, but on my visit much of Paço das Escolas was draped in scaffolding for what was quite obviously highly needed restoration.   So the palace tour was a bit of a disappointment.

Azuelos abounded and many were truly lovely

A weeping angel (you get the reference or you don’t)

What did not disappoint was the Botanical Garden.

The Botanical Garden was established in 1772, by the then prime-minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo (Marquis of Pombal). The Garden covers a total area of more than 32 acres, most of which was donated by Benedict monks.

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The Mondego River flows through Coimbra. It is the longest river that is completely in the country of Portugal.

Designed by António José Luís dos Reis the Rainha Santa Isabel Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge with semi-fan system completed in 2003 and opened in 2004.

At first I thought, that is a lot of the student body that has stepped out to smoke.  I later learned that the students leave the classroom at the end of class and step outside while an entire cleaning crew goes through and wipes down the desks.

This 17th century tower holds the clock and bells that regulate student life. Built in 1537 when the university insisted that “there could be no order without a clock”.

Called The Goat by students it regulates the students lives. According an old praxe (academic tradition), “a student who is on the first year of university cannot be on the street after the bell tolls.”

 

I am sure you can tell by the dark skies, that the day was filled with rain.  For this California girl it was a true pleasure to walk in.  For most everyone else, they were hunkered down in hallways or under umbrellas.

Convent of Christ in Tomar, Portugal

 Portugal
Nov 032021
 

November 2021

Convent of Christ

Tomar, Portugal

The entrance of the Convent church in Manueline style.

To put the Convent in simplistic terms it was originally a 12th-century Knights of the Templar stronghold, which people now call castle. The order was dissolved, and this is where it gets complicated.  In the 1400s, the convent was turned over to the Knights of the Order of Christ.

The convent was founded by the Order of Poor Knights of the Temple (or Templar Knights) in 1118. Construction went on for years. Sometime around 1190 it was walled in so that it would resist the armies of caliph Abu Yusuf al-Mansur. The castle was an integral part of the defense system created by the Knights to secure the border of the new Christian Kingdom against the Moors.

The Knights Templar were the elite fighting force of their day. One of their religious tenants is that they were forbidden from retreating in battle, unless outnumbered three to one, and even then only by order of their commander, or if the Templar flag went down.

The Templars became bankers, and with that highly politically connected, and ingrained in society at a high level.  That success attracted a lot of worried kings from various nations, and battles ensued on several fronts.  The history is fascinating and worth pursuing, but not here.

The Templar Order was dissolved in most of Europe but in Portugal King Denis had its members and assets transferred to The Order of Christ.  The Order of Christ was created by Pope John XXII after a strong suggestion from King Denis. So in this case Convent means “Convent of the Knights”.

The castle and Convent of Christ have examples of Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architectural styles, simply because they kept adding onto it through history.

 

The Aqueduct was completed in the 17th century


1417–1450 there was construction of the Cemetery Cloister and the Washing Cloister.  In 1484 there was the construction of a sacristy and in 1499 the chapter house, the main alter and the choir were expanded.

In 1503 the King expropriated the old Vila de Dentro and enclosed it within the walls.

In 1557 King John III demilitarized the order, and ordered the construction of a new Renaissance cloister.

The buildings history does not end there, but much of its construction does.

Work began on the Chapter house in the early 1500s, it was never finished.

Looking out a window of the Chapter House to the grounds

 

Round churches were a hallmark of Templar architecture.  This church inside of the structure is breathtaking. It is highly ornamented with Gothic painting and sculpture.

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The Manueline nave, as seen from the Renaissance era cloisters

 

One of the highlights of the Convent of Christ is the famous Chapter House Window in Manueline Style by Diogo de Arruda in 1510–1513.

The upper portion of the Chapter House Window

Most of the gargoyles have suffered from erosion, this one was interesting and in good shape

The Cistern

Renaissance Cloister of John II

There are 8 cloisters in all in the Convent of Christ

The Gothic – Cloister of the Cemetery

The Kitchen

 

 

Driving North in Portugal – Alcobaça and Batalha

 Portugal
Nov 012021
 

November 2021

Alcobaça

The Alcobaça Monastery is one of the first buildings to be associated with the Cistercian Order in Portugal. It was founded in 1153 as a gift from the first Portuguese king, Afonso I  (1112–1185)  following the king’s conquest of the city of Santarém from the Moors in 1147. Construction on the monastery began in 1178. The church proper wasn’t completed until 1252. The church and adjacent monastery are the earliest examples of truly Gothic architecture in Portugal, and the church itself was the largest in Portugal at the time of its completion.

Despite the ornamented entrance the church itself is rather stunning in its simplicity.

This elegant pulpit is where one of the monks would read from the Holy Scriptures during the meals.

Sites throw around the word biggest, grandest, tallest and other adjectives so freely, so when I read this was the biggest Monastery of its time, I tossed it off, until I saw the kitchen.

The kitchen, has a huge chimney covered in glazed tiles in the center.

At the back of the kitchen is a water basin with water brought by the canal system.

The lavabo is in the corner of the King Dinis Cloister. Built during the reign of King Dinis, most likely between 1308 and 1311, it was designed by Domingo Domingues and Master Diogo.

Gargoyles abounded in the monastery, this is just one of the many, many unique characters.

The tomb of Pedro I

These two tombs are what romance novels are made of. What drew me to them was the carvings. In 1340, the young Inês de Castro met Pedro when she arrived at court in his wife’s entourage. Inês and Pedro fell in love, and no one could stop their passion. In an attempt to do just that Pedro’s father, King Afonso IV, in an act of desperation, had Inês murdered before her children. Pedro, attempted an open rebellion in retaliation, but failed.

Two years after Inês’ death Pedro became king. Pedro ordered his vassals to pledge their obedience to Inês, and call her his wife.

Upon his death the two were interred side by side. No one knows who was responsible for the stunning carving. They contain detailed scenes of the final judgement, and the couple’s carved likenesses held aloft by angels. The lovers face one another, their tombs inscribed with the phrase “Até ao fim do mundo…” or “Until the end of the world…”

Batalha Monastery

After walking up to the Batalha Monastery, I almost did not go in, I could not take my eyes off the exterior ornamentation it was so spectacular. It is late Gothic architecture intermingled with the Portuguese Manueline style.

The monastery was built to thank the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory over the Castilians in the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. It took over a century to build, starting in 1386 and ending circa 1517, spanning the reign of seven kings and fifteen architects.

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Walking around the cloister of Batalha Monastery

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Two extremely strange gargoyle’s draining to the cloister

Commissioned by King Duarte for his family this large 8 sided round with seven chapels was never completed due to the premature death of both the king, and the architect.

Looking up inside the unfinished chapels

Both of these monasteries were so spectacular that I took hundreds of pictures, I hope I whittled it down to give you a good idea of the two amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Portugal Ponderings

A little snippet of a sign in a museum of Lisbon said that Portugal’s population began to dwindle with the colonialist expansion.  That did not make any sense. But apparently Portugal has always suffered from a lack of population

According to the Portuguese government a projection of 2021 statistics showed that If external migration remained at the previous year level, the population would decline by 27,244 due to migration.

During the 18th century most estimates place the number of Portuguese migrants to Colonial Brazil, during the gold rush, at 600,000

Here are the countries once under Portuguese rule:

Brazil, since 1500s it gained independence from Portugal in 1822.

Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau since the 1500s they gained independence in 1975.

Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe since the 1500s they gained independence in 1975.

Goa, India since the 1500s. In 1961, India annexed Goa from the Portuguese and it became an Indian state.

East Timor

The Portuguese colonized the eastern half of the island of Timor in the 16th century. In 1975, East Timor declared independence from Portugal.

Macau In the 16th century, Portugal handed over control of Macau to China in 1999.

Driving South to North in Portugal – Évora

 Portugal
Nov 012021
 

Halloween – 2021

I am driving from the south of Portugal to Porto attempting to hit as many UNESCO World Heritage sites as possible. My first stop, Évora.  The entire town is walled and a UNESCO site.  It is also the perfect town for Halloween if you enjoy the macabre.

For such a tiny town, Évora is steeped in history. From 70 to 72 BCE the town was headquarters of Roman commander Quintus Sertorius (a Roman general and statesman who led a large-scale rebellion against the Roman Senate on the Iberian peninsula). It was then named Liberalitas Julia because of privileges bestowed upon it by Julius Caesar. About 712 CE the town was conquered by the Moors, who named it Jabura, and it remained under Moorish rule until around 1166.

In the 15th–16th century the kings of Portugal began residing regularly in Évora, then from 1663 to 1665 it was in Spanish hands. It returned to Portugal in 1832. Having been fought over so many times, Évora has a coat of arms that features two severed human heads.

In the interior of the shield is the horseman Geraldo Geraldes (Gerald the Fearless) on a black horse wielding a bloody silver sword. On the bottom of Évora’s coat of arms, are two heads of Moors, a man and a woman, decapitated by the sword.

Templo Romano

The Templo Romano

The Templo Romano stands in the center of town. It is thought that it was constructed around the first century CE, in honor of Augustus, who was venerated as a god during and after his rule. The temple was destroyed during the 5th century by invading Germanic peoples.

Igreja da Graca

The Church of Grace

Off of a very narrow street from the Rua da República, I caught this church out of the corner of my eye, and I stopped dead in my tracks.  Built as a convent between 1537 and 1546, it is topped by four large figures supporting globes, apparently meant to symbolize the four corners of the Earth and the universal power of King João III. The convent was dissolved and the building fell into ruins and in 1884 the vault of the church collapsed. The exterior of the building was restored in the second half of the 20th century

Cathedral of Évora

In the cloister of the Cathedral of Évora

The Cathedral of Évora, built between 1186 and 1250 is the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal.  It has undergone considerable architectural changes but it is still rather amazing in its grandeur.

Standing on the roof of the Cathedral of Évora

Inside the Cloister of the Cathedral of Évora

Aqueduto da Agua da Prata

The aqueduct of Évora

The aqueducts construction began under King João III in 1532, under the direction of the royal architect Francisco de Arruda.  It was most likely built atop a Roman aqueduct. While the aqueduct no longer brings water to the town of Évora, it still does bring water to its fountains.  Over the years, people have built homes within the arches of the old aqueduct.

 

I have always loved the macabre and it is Halloween so I saved the best for last.

Capela dos Ossos

“We bones that are here await yours.” Capela dos Ossos

The Capela dos Ossos was built by Franciscan monks. Around 5,000 corpses were exhumed to decorate the walls of the chapel. The bones, which came from ordinary people who were buried in Évora’s medieval cemeteries, were arranged by the Franciscans in a variety of patterns.

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I often think people misunderstand things like this. I find the reasons the monks did things like this across the continent was to be reflective on life and death. Inside the chapel is a poem in an old wooden frame, attributed to Padre António da Ascenção Teles, parish priest of the village  from 1845 to 1848.

Where are you going in such a hurry, traveler?
Pause…do not advance your travel.
You have no greater concern,
Than this one: that on which you focus your sight.

Recall how many have passed from this world,
Reflect on your similar end.
There is good reason to do so;
If only all did the same.

Ponder, you so influenced by fate,
Among the many concerns of the world,
So little do you reflect on death.

If by chance you glance at this place,
Stop … for the sake of your journey,
The longer you pause, the further on your journey you will be.

—Padre António da Ascenção—translated by Carlos A. Martins

Fun things wandering around town:

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The following Morning I headed out to:

Almendres Cromlech

About 16 miles outside of Evora, down a rather rugged dirt road are the Almendres Cromlech. This well-preserved site is the most important megalithic arrangement in Portugal and is also believed to be one of the oldest stone circles in Europe.

The site consists of over 90 granite standing stones arranged in two ‘twin’ circles.

The ring to the east is circular in shape and the smaller of the two. It contains the oldest stones, which have been dated to the Early Neolithic period (6000 BC). The ring to the west, is elliptical in shape, and is believed to have been built during the Middle Neolithic period (5000 BC).

Speculation is that the stones were used for astronomy, there are also markings found on some of them.  A mystery, yet to be solved.

Look closely and you can see two round circles in the middle of this stone

Portugal Ponderings

I speak fairly good Spanish, I stumble for words, but I can converse using proper tenses and some idioms.  So I was taken aback by Portuguese.  It is a romance language, many say, close to Spanish, and yet I can not read very much of it, and do not understand much either.  It has a far different sound than other Romance languages.  I wondered why and discovered a very lengthy complicated article on  proto-Romance languages, ancient manuscripts and the evolution of Latin, to find that Portuguese is closer to Latin than other Romance languages

Since Portugal was isolated geographically from the Mediterranean this left it to evolve more-or-less on its own. Thus, it sounds different from the other Romance languages.
When hoping into a cab, the driver was older, and spoke not one word of English.  I asked, Español?  We were off.  He explained that people of his age were taught Spanish as their second language in school, but today it is almost 100% English.

Lisbon: History, Art, Water and So Much More

 Lisbon
Nov 012021
 

October 2021

 

I have been wandering around Lisbon flummoxed.  I am staying at a very nice hotel in the Braixa area, but directly across the street are old lovely buildings that appear to be, not only neglected, but abandoned.

One can travel around the world and never get questions answered but thanks to an expatriate American that has been more than generous with her time, and a lot of cab drivers, I am beginning to understand.

A very small section of a world map at the Monument of the Discoveries, showing all the territories conquered by Portugal

I really knew nothing of the history of Portugal, well sure Vasco de Gama is known to any school child, the horrors he inflicted, not so much. So I knew of Portugal’s colonialist period.  I have already discussed the great earthquake of 1755, but that is, as they say, ancient history.

The colonialist Portugal does not explain the abandoned buildings across from this modern, upscale hotel.

I have since learned that much of what I see can be laid at the feet of the Estado Novo or The Second Portuguese Republic.

Street art in Lisbon

The Estado Novo, was a product of conservative and autocratic ideologies developed by Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, the President of the Council of Ministers from 1932, until he had a stroke and was unable to continue holding the office.

The Estado Novo movement was one of the longest running authoritarian regimes in Europe.

The regime was driven by a very conservative, corporate oriented, nationalistic, pro-Catholic bias.  The intent was to create a multi-continental nation that included Angola, Mozambique and other Portuguese territories.

From 1950 until Salazar’s death in 1970, Portugal saw its GDP per capita increase at an annual average rate of 5.7 per cent.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a laudable goal, and yet Portugal had the lowest per capita income in Western Europe.  It also had the highest rate of preventable deaths and infant mortality in Europe.

Today, Salazar’s Portugal is summed up as repressive and backward.  After the coup of 1974 that removed him,  a democratic Portugal came into being, it  joined the European Union in 1986, and living standards have risen, and Portugal is coming into its own.

This stunning piece of art is by José Sobral de Almada Negreiros. It is in, what is now, the Four Seasons Hotel, which was built during the Estado Novo, as a meeting place for the nations of Portugal

There are other reasons for the buildings of disrepair I see and that is one you can find in so many countries of the world, an antiquated inheritance system.  In Portugal if you do not leave a will, your property is divided equally amongst your family members.  I imagine it was difficult to find the money to write up a will under an authoritarian regime, when you were too poor to even visit a doctor, and because of this many of the buildings I see, while having a mortgage that was paid off ages ago, is owned by an unknown number of family members whom probably can not agree on red or white wine with dinner, let alone what to do with a piece of property, that frankly isn’t costing you a dime if it just sits there and rots.

Portugal is a gem, and with help from the EU and debt forgiveness from other foreign entities, it is slowly moving forward.

A block long row of Art Deco buildings not far from the Gulbenkian Museum

If one simply looks at the architecture you can see there have been glorious spurts of energy.  There are buildings that date prior to the 18th century, stunning art deco buildings, and modern sky scrapers. It is a very complicated, and overlooked pearl.

I have just a few more things to add regarding my last day in Lisbon.  The first is the Museu da Agua.  I love aqueducts, they are such an efficient way to deliver water, and date back to the beginning of time.  You can spot an ancient aqueduct when driving around Lisbon, and at the end of one of the sections is the museum.

The focal point of the museum is this fountain, with its spitting dolphin at the top, covered with hundreds of years of mineral salts, that have created this luscious piece of art.

Built between 1731 and 1799, the Águas Livres Aqueduct formed a vast system that ran for approximately 36 miles from springs north-west of Lisbon to the capital.

The museum sits in a building designed, in 1746,  by the Hungarian architect Carlos Mardel. The fountain shown above pours into a reservoir built to receive and distribute the water brought to the city by the Águas Livres Aqueduct.  The tank has a capacity of roughly 200,000 cubic feet.  The reservoir has been classified as a national monument since 1910.

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You can climb to the roof of the building and on the way look into the aqueduct itself

April 25th Monument

25th of April Monument by João Cutileiro

The statue is in honor of the Carnation Revolution. This was the military coup that overthrew with authoritarian Estado Novo regime.  It sits atop of a hill that looks down to the Tagus River.  Below the statue is the Eduardo VII Park, the largest park in central Lisbon and designed by architect Keil do Amaral. The park was named for King Edward VII of the UK, who visited Portugal in 1903 to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Looking down towards the river you see another statue.  That is a remarkable statue dedicated to Marques de Pombal, a Portuguese statesman and diplomat who effectively ruled the Portuguese Empire from 1750 to 1777. Pombal led Portugal’s recovery from the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and modernized the kingdom’s administrative, economic, and ecclesiastical institutions.

The statue is rather impressive.

Photo from Pinterest

Wandering towards Eduardo VII Park I tripped over this Fernando Botero sculpture.

Lisbon is a city that takes time to get to know.  It is a very small town that feels like a very large city.  It is approximately 39 square miles with a population of just under 550,000.  That is not a large population for a city that size. Simply compare that to my home town San Francisco, with a size of just under 47 square miles and a population 873,965.

Lisbon has a lot of ah ha moments, getting lost, wandering alleyways is the only way to really see the city and that is what I did.

Ginja is a sour cherry liquor that is cloyingly sweet. It is thought that its origins, like many “medicinal liquors” occurred sometime in the 17th century at the hands of Cistercian monks.  Walk the alleyways of Lisbon, and grandmothers invite you in to try it and buy it.

The candle shop Caza das Vellas Loreto is one of the oldest shops in Lisbon. Opened in 1789 the shop has been in the hands of the same family for seven generations. It was near halloween so the window display was orange, but it varies in color with the seasons.

A dear friend sent me an email on my last day insisting I get to Luvaria Ulisses.  It was worth the very short walk. At most, 2 people can step into the store at one time, and they produce stunning gloves in every imaginable color. Opened in 1923 to cater to the stylish women of Lisbon it is a gem.

There are hundreds of moments like this if you let yourself get lost in Lisbon.

 

Gardens of Lisbon

 Lisbon
Oct 292021
 

October 2021

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Born in Istanbul of Armenian parentage, Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869–1955) built a huge fortune through oil.  He was not an oil baron but a negotiator between companies, and was known as the 5% man, for taking 5% off the top of all his contracts. He amassed an art collection which he kept in a private museum in his home in Paris. An art expert said in a 1950 issue of Life magazine that “Never in modern history has one man owned so much.” Today, most of his art is exhibited at Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon.  The foundation in Portugal is one of the wealthiest foundations in the world. The museum was established according to his will and there are over 6,000 items in the museum’s collection, and they are truly impressive. I had gone specifically to see an exhibit on Dante, the exhibit woefully disappointed but the garden did not.

The garden surrounds the buildings of the foundation and are the perfect way to simply slow down.

It is hard to project the peacefulness one feels wandering this garden in the center of a bustling city.

The garden was built in the late 1960s, and was designed by landscape architects António Viana Barreto and Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles.  Parts of the garden have recently been redesigned by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

This sculpture, at the entry to the museum, was based on a photograph of Calouste Gulbenkian sitting under a statue of Horus at the Temple of Horus at Edfu.

There was a special exhibit of the artist of the divine stories of Tin Tin, this was at the entry.

Estufa Fria

Please take a close look at the nymph pinching the dolphins nose. I have never seen anything quite like it.

How does one describe Estufa Fria.  Today one would simply call it a botanical garden, but there is more to it than that.   This was a failed quarry, mainly due to water intrusion. So an unnamed gardener chose to start planting in this spot, a perfect place for his exotic collection of botanical species. Eventually, the plans were for the plants to be transplanted to the Avenida da Liberdade gardens. But, with the onset of World War I, everything was postponed, and the plants began to settle in and the garden was created. The garden has suffered throughout history, but today the park is filled with green houses, hot houses, and even a cold house. Today it also is a venue for public events.  If you just desperately need to get away from the madness of Lisbon, this is the place.

I was captivated by a exhibit, of what I assume were children’s creations of Japanese Peace Cranes

In one of the hothouses you can enjoy the cranes with very pleasant music created by Tibetan singing bowls

Gardens of Marquesses of Fronteira

The third garden of my day was attached to the Palace of the Marquesses of Fronteira. The palace was built in 1671 as a hunting pavilion to Dom João de Mascarenhas, 1st Marquis of Fronteira.

The palace is still occupied by the Marquesses of Fronteira and therefore, private.  You can tour the home in the morning, I missed that, but the gardens are open all day.

I learned of the gardens because of the azulejos, but that does not come close to describing the garden. Yes, the azulejos are stunning but the structure and design of the garden are to be appreciated as well.

There are two black swans that grace the large rectangular pool, that is also filled with koi

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There is a divine grotto with a pool, while not filled with water on my visit it was easy to imagine what it looked like in its glory. It was adorned all around with tiles of fishing themes.

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On the other side of the wall is more of the garden, this quite obviously done in a far more modern time

Traveling can be taxing, and sometimes, a full day just needs to be spent slowing down.  I was fortunate as the rain managed to hold back until I hoped into a cab at my last stop, and then it decided that a full shower was needed. What a delight.

This was a day where I could have posted 100 photos, I hope I chose the best to give you an impression of the gardens, they each deserve a post of their own.

Sintra and Sensual Overload

 Lisbon
Oct 292021
 

October 2021

 

If you arrive by train, this is the ticket booth.  The town becomes magical with the azulejos, upon arrival.

The first building you encounter after embarking from the train is the Town Hall.  The fairytale continues.


May I begin with a complaint?  Sintra is one of the most discussed, lauded, and praised places outside of Lisbon. It is amazing, and worth a visit, and in fact, I would suggest a day and a half, not the day that most people allot, however, it is also suffering severely from over tourism.  My visit was unpleasant at best.  It felt like a day at Disneyland with lines to enter the different sites having a minimum of a twenty minute wait. Then the places were over run with tourists with unruly children.  For gods sake, one woman was changing her child’s diaper on a 1000 year old table.  I know how desperately economies need tourist dollars, but there is a point where tourism ruins why you visit.  Sintra is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, another factor in the discussion.

I will also add that I wonder –  is part of this because Sintra is one of the wealthiest and most expensive municipalities in both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole, and that Madonna bought a place here for what was reported to be $8,927,470?  Maybe people are hoping to espy the Material Girl?

 

I took well over 300 photos of the area, so bear with me, these will be few and random with an explanation as best I can.

I began in town at the Palacio National, not a very visited site.  I was in love with the ceilings.

In the Palacio Nacional It is not known when these were painted, but it is thought they date to the 14th century. The crowned swan was an emblem used by Henry IV of England.

This is the Magpies Chamber and is thought to date to the 15th century. There are 135 magpies, but the significance is unknown.

Just a small taste of a carved wood ceiling

This was originally the estate of the viscountess of Regaleira, a family of wealthy merchants from Porto. It was sold to Carvalho Moneiro in 1892 and with the help of Italian architect Luigi Manini he expanded the gardens. He also added some interesting touches of mysticism.

In 1987, the estate was sold to the Japanese Aoki Corporation and became a corporate entity. It was then acquired by the Sintra Town Council and is now part of the “Disneyland of Sintra”.

At Regaleira people wander aimlessly looking for the infamous wells. The wells never served as water sources. Instead, they were used for ceremonial purposes that included Tarot initiation rites. Remember I said, there was mysticism involved. The larger well, open to tourists,  is where you descend an 88 foot spiral staircase with several small landings. The spacing of these landings, combined with the number of steps in the stairs, are linked to Tarot mysticism. Other references may be to Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism or Knights Templar rituals.

Looking down on the stairwell of the well of Regaleira

Palacio de Pena Sintra Portugal – on the advice of a local I skipped this, and I am glad I did, if for no other reason, I ran out of time. And yes, I am aware that it is the number one loved spot by tourists, I am not a tourist.  This was taken from the Castle of the Moors.

One of my more treasured moments was the Monserrate Palace, simply because very few tourist go there.  It is jaw dropping amazing.  It sits upon a piece of land with gardens that go on forever, and a house whose artistry is beguiling. The design was influenced by Romanticism and Mudéjar Moorish Revival architecture with Neo-Gothic elements.

The interior hallway of Montserrat

According to the plaque next to this arch it is an Indian Arch acquired by Sir Francis Cook in the wake of the Sepoy Mutiny.  ” this uprising broke out on 10 May 1857 as a means of protest against the campaign of westernization engaged in by the British East India Company.  The British army ended up defeating the mutineers and, in response to the attempt at rebelling, Indian palaces were sacked and destroyed.  Much of the spoils therein obtained were brought to Europe.”

Well at least they admit it.

I ended my day at the top of the world and what they call the Castle of the Moors.

Here are some random shots from my day:

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Sintra is absolutely worth a visit, and as I said, more than one day if you are serious.  If you visit, hire a driver.  Not a guide, but a driver.  There are two bus routes served by city buses but they run about 30 minutes apart, so if your timing is off, you waste a lot of time sitting and waiting.  Every site has its own entry fee, so the day is not cheap, choose wisely, but please, despite my criticisms go, it is worth it.

Eclectic Collection of Art and Architecture in Lisbon

 Lisbon
Oct 292021
 

October 2021

 

Comércio Square

This is the Rua Augusta Arch because it is found at the end of the street that bears that same name. The arch faces Comércio Square. Designed by Portuguese architect Santos de Carvalho to celebrate the reconstruction of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake. It was not completed until 1873.

The arch opens up to the Comércio Square.  This is Lisbon’s main square and it was built on the site where the old Royal Palace used to exist before it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755.

In the center of the square is a bronze equestrian statue of Joseph I of Portugal (1750 – 1777) the King of Portugal during the Great Earthquake, it was designed by Machado de Castro in 1775. The world has plenty of statues of men on horses, but what I loved about this one was the elephant on one side.

Casa do Bicos

Casa dos Bicos was built in the early 16th century its curious façade of spikes was apparently influenced by Italian Renaissance palaces and the Portuguese Manueline styles. It survived the  1755 Lisbon earthquake but over time was abandoned as a residence and eventually used as a warehouse. After a renovation it became the headquarters of the José Saramago Foundation and the Museum of Lisbon.

José de Sousa Saramago was a Portuguese writer and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. A proponent of libertarian communism, Saramago criticized institutions such as the Catholic Church, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. His books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into at least 25 languages.

In front of the building is this lone olive tree where Saramago’s ashes are buried.

Looking up at the unusual balconies on the Casa dos Bicos

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

In 1496, King Manuel I (1495–1521) petitioned the Holy See for permission to construct a monastery as thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary to celebrate Vasco de Gama’s voyage to India.

The construction of the monastery and church began in 1501, and was not completed for another 100 years.

The Monastery was once filled with monks of the Order of St Jerome, whose job for four hundred years was to comfort sailors and pray for the king’s soul. When the order was dissolved in 1833, the monastery was used as a school and orphanage, until about 1940.

The church of the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos

This is looking back towards the front door of the church. The church is unique in that it has a single nave, but what makes it amazing is its roof and columns.

Inside is the tomb of Vasco de Gama.

 

Attached to the church is the cloister.

The cloister is one of the most impressive examples of Manueline architecture in Portugal.


The construction was lead by Diogo de Boltaca and began early in the 16th century.

However it was João de Castilho who was responsible for most of the stonework that decorates the arches and balustrades.  Work that is just amazing to behold.

In 1985 when Portugal joined the European Economic Community, the formal ceremonies were held in the cloister.

On December 13, 2007, the Treaty of Lisbon was signed at the monastery. The treaty laid down the basis for the reform of the European Union.

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Azulejos in the refectory of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

 

MAAT

The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) is a project of the EDP Foundation (Energía Del Pacífico, in other words, the electric company). The museum consists of two separate buildings.  The big brick building was Portugal’s first power station and the second is a modern building designed by British architect Amanda Levete. The modern building is one big swooping façade covered in 15,000 three-dimensional white ceramic tiles There is a stairway that leads to the roof of the modern building that gives a spectacular view of the Tagus River.

The former power station dates from 1908 and was in use until 1975. It opened to the public as a museum in 1990. The industrial architecture is immaculately preserved, and this photographer thought she had died and gone to heaven when she saw all of the machinery.

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This is part of the present exhibit in the modern building titled The Big Dream.

Ai Wei Wei in Lisbon

This sculpture is outside of a building that once was a naval rope factory, the Cordoaria Nacional.  It is now a special exhibition hall and presently is housing an exhibit by Ai Wei Wei.

Forever Bicycles (2015), a monumental sculpture with 960 stainless steel bicycles used as building blocks.

 

Azulejos

 Lisbon
Oct 262021
 

October 2021

Azulejos were originally Moorish, then Spanish, and later a Portuguese art form.  These tiles have been produced since the 14th century.

At first, the term was used to denote only North African mosaics, but it became the accepted word for an entirely decorated tile about 5 to 6 inches square.

Azulejo comes from the Arabic word az-zulayj, meaning “little stone” or “polished stone.” The Moors painted their tiles in Arab-influenced zellige style, using amazingly elaborate geometric patterns adhering to the Islamic tradition of ornamentation devoid of human figures.

At the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. An unbroken tiled pattern winds throughout the entire monastery, from the entranceway and across the gallery to the indoor hallways and atriums. A total of around 100,000 tiles were used, making it the world’s largest collection of Baroque tiles.

The industry grew popular in Lisbon around 1550 when immigrating Flemish artists began experimenting with the art form. This was during the reigns of Philip II, III, and IV when Portugal was struggling to  become independent of Spain.  Spain virtually ceased to manufacture them by the 18th century.

Portuguese exports of tiles to the Azores, Madeira, and Brazil began in the 17th century. Azulejos produced in Puebla, Mexico, later became the tile of this art form that most westerners are aware of.

Initially, one-colour versions of the tiles were used in Portugal in decorative chessboard patterns.

Eventually variations began to include polychrome designs;

Then they began to include scenes with military or religious themes;

The Chicken’s Wedding

Some of my favorites were ridiculously fun singeries (French for Monkey Trick) which depicted monkeys in human roles.

The use of ridiculous depictions of mythical beings also added a touch of whimsey to many of the pieces.

Pan or Silenus

I do not know the story behind this dog and his torch

In the cafe at the Museum of Azulejos

The Museum of Azulejo sits inside the Madre de Deus Convent, founded in 1509 by Queen D. Leonor. The elements of the church were breathtaking, and the murals religiously interesting.

The earthquake of 1755 did a lot of damage to the grand buildings covered in Azulejos that one associates with Portugal.

The use of continuous blue tiles, accented with blue balconies is a real attention getter in the narrow streets of the Santa Cruz neighborhood. This simpler style of tile is called pombalinos after the Marquis of Pombal, who was responsible for the rebuilding efforts after the 1755 earthquake.

The tile below is a closeup of the tiles that cover the house you see in the photo below. 

Found in the Chiada section of Lisbon, this building dates from 1863, it’s completely covered in mostly yellow and orange tiles with images representing Earth, Water, Science, Agriculture, Commerce and Industry. At the top is a star with an eye in the center, symbolized the Creator of the Universe.

The best way to see a vast collection of tiles and receive a valuable education is to visit both the Museum of Azulejos and the Monastery of Saint Vincent de Fora.

Above is just one of the 38 panels that make up part of the Monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora collection.  These panels are the fables of La Fontaine, created by master Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes between 1740 and 1750.  Jean de La Fontaine was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century.

 

In the Azulejo Museum I fell in love with the above tile.  It was by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846-1905).  Born in Lisbon, he is one of the most well know tile artists of his time.

 

In the Azueljo museum is a 75 foot long tile panoramic view of Lisbon prior to the 1755 earthquake.   This small section above, where you can see smoking chimneys was the neighborhood of Mocambo, where many of Lisbon’s potteries were located.  The district today is called Madragoa, a term that in Umbundo means small village, place of refuge.  This is the area where a significant part of the population was once freed slaves.

Map of the North Pole, a Geometric Pentagon, and a Geometric Pyramid from the 18th century

 

At one time is was a fad to copy etchings. This Image was based on the engraving “Mars” from the series “Twelve Months” by Henri II Bonnart, Paris c. 1678

 

Walking down one of the narrow alleys of the Santa Cruz neighborhood I spotted this.

Wandering Belem and Parts of Alfama

 Lisbon
Oct 262021
 

October 2021

Lisbon sits on a Bay fed by the Tagus River and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. For this reason, much occurs on the waterfront of Lisbon.

The Tower of Belem

Belém Tower, officially known as the Tower of Saint Vincent, is a 16th-century fortification. The tower served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. It was built during the height of the Portuguese Renaissance, and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline, or Portuguese Late Gothic, style, with a lot of liberty taken to include some other interesting designs.  It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. – Sadly the tower was closed on the day of my visit.

On the water side of the tower is a fast deteriorating sculpture of a rhinoceros. This is what made the Tower of Belem interesting to me. This sculpture portrays King Manuel I’s famous pet, the first rhinoceros since Roman times, to arrive in Europe. The story is long and, frankly, not terribly interesting, suffice it to say the poor animal was a gift to impress one king, then given to another, and eventually died, due to arrogance of kings and boredom by same said kings.  What fascinated me, is that this rhinoceros was the reason for the infamous wood block by Albrecht Dürer.

Photo from Wikipedia

Dürer prepared a pen sketch relying on a written description of the King’s rhinoceros. Dürer never saw the animal but his woodcut became so famous that for two centuries it was the only rhinoceros Europeans ever saw.

The Monument of Discoveries

The Monument of Discoveries

This was originally a temporary structure, built in 1940, to honor Prince Henry the Navigator (who died 500 years earlier).  It was also built to glorify the “feats” of Portuguese explorers for the propagandistic 1940 “Portuguese World Exhibition.”  The monument was rebuilt in concrete and limestone in 1960.

Built in the shape of a ship it is lined on two sides with 32 figures from the 15th and 16th centuries. There is, however, only one female figure, Prince Henry’s mother, the Queen.

Children boating in the shadow of the Monument of the Discoveries

From the Monument you can see a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge and Rio de Janiero’s Christ the Redeemer.

OK, not exactly.  While the bridges are similar in color, they aren’t as alike as you would think.  But there is a SF/Lisbon connection, albeit, rather a thread.  The company that built the Lisbon bridge built the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge.  The Lisbon Bridge is the 44th longest suspension bridge in the world. The Golden Gate Bridge is the 18th. The upper platform of the Lisbon Bridge has six lanes of traffic, the lower, two train tracks.

The statue at the end of the bridge is called Christ the King.  It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer after the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon visited Brazil

The Castle of Saint George in the Alfama Area

The castle sits atop Lisbon’s tallest hill. The area was fortified even before the Roman occupation, with the Visigoths and the Moors leaving their mark as well. The castle is a restored version of the Moorish construction, which largely collapsed in the 1755 earthquake. It was also the royal residence, before the king decided to build a palace on the waterfront, which was also completely destroyed in the earthquake.

One visits, not for the rewritten history, but for the serene garden, the views and a fun walk around the little borough of Santa Cruz.

Fun sights I caught while walking around the exterior of the castle

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I espied this woman staring at the inanity of tourism going on around her, and then later walked by the house.  The neighborhood of Santa Cruz has placed photos of the elder of the residents throughout the borough, and as I walked by the house, there she was with her husband.

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Lisbon runs at such a slower pace than so much of the rest of the world, that it is interesting to see how little I actually get done each day.  At the same time, it gives one time to see the surroundings in a hole new light.

Walking the Chiado, Baixa, Avenida and Bairro Alto of Lisbon

 Lisbon, Portugal
Oct 262021
 

October 2021

One of the first things you read of Lisbon is about the 1755 Earthquake.  It was All Saints Day and the churches were packed to the rafters.  The earthquake was followed by a fire, and then a tsunami, killing an estimated 15,000 people in Lisbon alone.

The religious overtones regarding the disaster were abundant.  Many argued that it was an act of divine wrath, against a city that was not only famous for its wealth but also for its Inquisition and idolatry.  Voltaire was one of those, writing A Poem of the Lisbon Disaster,  propounding his views that evil exists and man is doomed to be unhappy on earth.  Voltaire went on to drive his point home with his famous novel Candide.

Carmo Convent, now an archaeological museum has been left un-repaired to remind all of the damage done by that earthquake.

The first thing I noticed upon walking out the door of my hotel were the pavings.  These little pavers are called calceteiros and the paths which they create are called calçada. It’s believed that the first of these types of pavers were laid at Castelo São Jorge in 1842, but, if so, they no longer exists.

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Casa Chineza on Rua Aurea is a pastry shop, still in existence, the brackets above the awning, while hard to spot were just so whimsical and fun.

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One of the most recognizable and beloved landmarks of Lisbon is the Elevador de Santa Justa.

Elevador de Santa Justa

Inaugurated in July of 1902, Lisbon’s residents were so excited to try this novelty, that over 3000 tickets were sold on the first day, and by the end of its first year it had carried more than half a million people.  Today it is primarily a tourist attraction, but also a very good way to get from the Baixa up to the Carmo Convent without climbing massive amounts of stairs.

The Elevador stands just under 150 feet high and it is not a coincidence that it resembles the Eiffel Tower, the architect of the lift was Raoul Mesnier de Ponsard, an admirer of Gustave Eiffel.

Ponsard applied many of the same techniques used in the Eiffel Tower, such as its iron structure and the gorgeous neo-gothic arches and geometric patterns.

The small trams of Lisbon are iconic. There are currently five different routes and 58 trams, of which 40 are vintage streetcars.

Looking down on the Rossio, once the center of Lisbon, this is now just a open space for hanging out. It was paved with wave-pattern mosaics in the mid 19th century.

Looking down on the Elevador and the Carmo Convent from the Alfama Neighborhood

At the top of one of Lisbon’s many hills is the Jardim de São Pedro de Alcântara with a view of the city.  The trees of the park are filled with parrots, reminiscent of San Francisco’s Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

Church of Sao Roque

Wandering down from the park you come upon the Church of Saint Roche. The church was founded at the end of the 16th century at the height of the Jesuit Order. The chapels are adorned with precious stones, lapis lazuli, alabaster, gold, silver and ornate mosaics. The art collection that belongs to the church is rather impressive.

The Lottery Seller outside of the Church of Sao Roque

This is – O Cauteleiro – or the Lottery Seller. It was sculpted by Fernando Assis and placed at Largo Trindade Coelho in front of the church in 1987.  Passers-by rub the ticket  in his right hand for good luck, which over the years has given it that shine.


With the establishment of the Portuguese Republic in 1910, A Brasileira became a meeting point for Portuguese intellectuals, writers and artists, including Fernando Pessoa, Portugal’s most celebrated twentieth century poet .  A Brasileira is said to be the home of the bica, or extremely strong espresso.

This is Fernando Pessoa, known to enjoy absinthe and the bica while chain smoking at A Brasileira. Sculpted by  Lagoa Henriques it was placed outside the restaurant in 1988 as a tribute to the poet.

A lovely ornamented water cover

The inside of Mundo Fantástico da Sardinha Portuguesa, the greatest sardine show on Earth

Lisbon is known for its cod, but also its sardines, this little store has taken it over the top with a store filled with nothing but tinned sardines in a circus atmosphere.

At the top of the Elevador in the shadow of the Carmo Convent you can stop for pasteis de bacalhau  (fried codfish, mashed potatoes and cheese) and a glass of port.  To my surprise, the port was actually a perfect accompaniment.  This port was not sweet, but acidic, cutting through the fish and cheese in a way to make it a perfect mouthful.

It was a beautiful day and a perfect way to slow down and enjoy a Sunday in Lisbon.