Day 49 Lisbon

Day 49 Lisbon

What a surprise. I had no expectations of our visit to this place and found I could list Lisbon high on my 'most likeable city list'. My niece Simone, mentioned she loved it here and she is on the mark.  The DP docked very close to the main city centre and not in a working cargo terminal which would obviously be a plus. The clear blue sky, little wind and the temperature around mid to high 20's c., were other factors.

We joined Brian and Ros, and Roger and Merrilyn in an 8 seater taxi tour of Lisbon. The driver charged us Euro 30 each for a three hour tour taking in most of the sights of the city. He waited for us at each place  whilst we wondered around and took in the point of interest. Good value. We had anticipated catching a tram to these places but we certainly would have taken longer, and we wouldn't have seen other areas which were not available if we travelled by tram.

The Monastery Jeronimos was our first stop. Once again, a ABC but it is incredible seeing these buildings which were built centuries before any structure in good old Aus. Housed in this Cathedral is the body of Vasco de Gama which had been shipped back from Cochin, India. The artwork, size and architecture are some of the things we appreciated. Next stop was the Belem Tower, originally designed lighthouse built to guard the river entrance of Lisbon. I think of it as a 'wedding cake' type of building. Alongside the tower is a fort and monument to the Unknown Soldier. We were fortunate to be there when the change of guard occurred. Next stop, the Monument to the Discoveries, an impressive monument decorated with legendary Portuguese figures of the 15^th and 16^th century. Vasco de Gama and Magellan are two of these figures. This is where I lost my white broad brim hat into the Tagus River. It was looking pretty grubby and needed a wash but I had been putting off the clean as it could have ended up a 'floppy' grey hat instead. Problem solved. 

After the monument we were driven under the '25^th April' bridge to see a panoramic view down an avenue of palm trees, ponds and benches to the city square and river. We stopped at Rossio Square, and then headed through the Baxia to Amfama, the city's medieval Moorish district. The Amfama is a maze of narrow streets and houses decorated with superb tile work. Having our own guide allowed us to stop off at a little supermarket to stock up on personal supplies. This is where we discovered bottles of local wine at Euro 1.89 …….well; we will see how good it is when we crack them later on. Last stop was the church Vasco de Gama prayed in before leaving for Cochin, India.

We returned back to the ship to relax and enjoy the company of our fellow Lisboan taxi tourists in our cabin for happy hour. (s) We all enjoyed several glasses of Greek, Italian and Spanish wines, red and white for some, lime chello and rasp vodka. The end to a BG Day!

We watched a tug boat alongside the ship doing 'donuts' as it kept blasting its horn. Someone told us the tug had done the same thing on the port side and rear of the ship before coming alongside on the starboard. Then someone else mentioned that this was to celebrate the first visit from the DP into Lisbon. If we keep talking to enough different people we would probably find out what the captain of the tugboat's name is……..! It is like that on board the ship, someone knows somebody who…..?         

We are currently crossing the Bay of Biscay, which is a reasonably smooth crossing. Apparently it is usually a rough passage. Captain Todd McBain has informed us the engine has passed the first check by Lloyds' inspection. The second will be performed whilst we are in Le Harve and once both have been signed off, we should have the engine operating after Dover. Rumour is the DP would not be able to cross the Atlantic without all four engines operating…….?  Who knows?