Tile Town Two

Today we had the leisure of no schedule, no timetable. We meandered our way up to the Castelo de Sao Jorge, a hilltop Moorish castle and ruin visible from throughout Lisbon.

Dara has spent a lot of time in Morocco and told me a bit about the influence of the Moors and their affinity for tiles on Portugese architecture.

We spent a lot of time walking up and down narrow winding lanes in the Alfama neighbourhood.

We also spent a lot of time in the Monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora, the patron saint of Lisbon.

We went through chapels, sacristies, courtyards, cloisters and the royal pantheon – burial chamber of kings – and ended up on the roof.

The monastery was full of incredible artistry. Why have a boring carved spindle when you can have this:

A corner of one of the many interior courtyards.

The sacristy. The Wikipedia photo is much better lit than mine.

Just a door...

The wealthy and powerful have always excelled at keeping themselves well away from the poor souls over whom they preside.

The forecast was for rain, however we explored the city under sunny skies. Here was our lunch spot.

As we made our way down to the coast and back to our apartment, we came upon the foundation of Jose Saramago, the only Portugese writer to win the Nobel Prize. Every now and again, we came upon buildings that reminded us of Barcelona, due to their whimsy.

My cold has been downgraded from miserable to manageable. I've gone through a whole box of decongestants, which I think have done me a world of good. Hopefully there will be no backsliding now that I'm off the pills.

4 March