We are back in real Europe enjoying the stunning, capital city of Lisbon, Portugal. Known as the City Of Seven Hills, "Lisboa," in Portuguese overlooks the Rio Tejo. Today we explored the narrow, cobbled streets that are shared with cable cars, tourist buses, tuk tuks and even horse drawn carriages. This precarious twist of streets that ascend steep hills is not one to be taken by foot so we quickly enlisted the help of a small tourist bus that was tiny enough to get down the narrow lanes.
Enjoying the ride we choose to stay on the bus for the full 90-minute loop of the city just to get an overview of it's beauty. Lined with colorful buildings covered in ornate tiles, plenty of gothic architecture, domed churches there was plenty of make us smile.
Afterwards we drove over to the district called Belem to visit its famous tower. Commissioned by King John II in the early 16th Century, this fortified tower served as a defense system . With it's position perched high above the River Tagus it was later declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nearby we visited the massive Jeronomino's Monastery, that once housed the monks of St. Jerome. Built in 1501 it is one of the most prominent examples of Late Gothic Architecture in Portugal. Like the Belem Tower it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for it's significant importance in Portugal history.
Although the weather today was a combination of clouds with a few sprinkles and breaks of sunshine, the temperatures were a comfortable 16 degrees which to our American friends translates to around 60 degrees. Not bad considering this is the middle of December so we'll take it while we can. Tomorrow we are off to the Algarve Region of Portugal to explore the city of Lagos and see what things we can find to excite us as we explore Portugal.......along the gringo trail.
Sights Around Lisbon, Portugal
Plenty Of Colorful Buildings
Cable Car Tours For Tourists....Along With Hop On Hop Off Buses
Tuk Tuk Tours and Horse Drawn Carriages
Tiled Fronts Of Many Buildings
Enjoying the ride we choose to stay on the bus for the full 90-minute loop of the city just to get an overview of it's beauty. Lined with colorful buildings covered in ornate tiles, plenty of gothic architecture, domed churches there was plenty of make us smile.
Afterwards we drove over to the district called Belem to visit its famous tower. Commissioned by King John II in the early 16th Century, this fortified tower served as a defense system . With it's position perched high above the River Tagus it was later declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tower Of Belem, Lisbon, Portugal
Nearby we visited the massive Jeronomino's Monastery, that once housed the monks of St. Jerome. Built in 1501 it is one of the most prominent examples of Late Gothic Architecture in Portugal. Like the Belem Tower it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for it's significant importance in Portugal history.
Plenty Of Mosaic Tiled Streets
Jeronimo's Monastery
Although the weather today was a combination of clouds with a few sprinkles and breaks of sunshine, the temperatures were a comfortable 16 degrees which to our American friends translates to around 60 degrees. Not bad considering this is the middle of December so we'll take it while we can. Tomorrow we are off to the Algarve Region of Portugal to explore the city of Lagos and see what things we can find to excite us as we explore Portugal.......along the gringo trail.
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