Christmas is coming

We have noticed a surprising number of differences between Spain and Portugal, people kiss in public in Portugal, not the alternate cheek formal kind but full on snogging! The Portuguese language is very similar but is pronounced totally differently and our faltering Spanish can occasionally fall on "deaf ears". Its fair to say that the portugese and Spanish have a bit of history, not all friendly.
Portugal does however, unlike Spain embrace Christmas with a vengeance, possibly because it annoys the Spanish but who cares? A rather nice thing that seems universal here,  is a small thing but impresses me. Its free wrapping paper, you can find these everywhere, even ribbons and sellotape provided. Great idea...

Lynne was keen to visit a Christmas market and luckily there was one being held at the Bullring at Campo Pequeno. Lynne had wanted to see inside this building since she first saw it. It is a proper Bullring where they hold Bullfights but the architecture is decidedly Mosque like. Of course if you ask a Portuguese about the Moors they will say they were only here for a short while ( about 600 years in fact) It is a very impressive building non the less and surprisingly lots of it is underground.

Originally dating from 1892 it was remodelled in 2006 and now has a shopping centre and cinema underneath and a swanky sliding roof which allows it to host concerts and other events, like Christmas Fairs!

The fair itself was a bit of a surprise as we were expecting the typical beer and German sausage event that has become the norm in the UK. In actual fact this was more of a craft fair with some genuinely fascinating exhibitors. Some beautiful and individual gifts were on offer.

Lynnes new favourite tipple was on offer Ginja de Obidos in a chocolate cup.

 We sampled a lovely liqueur that was a creamy concoction that tasted of our favourite coffee accompaniment Pastel de nata. Unfortunately we didn't buy a bottle and we haven't come across it since. After the fair we walked towards the park that houses the Gulbenkian collection of art. Calouste Gulbenkian was an Armenian born in Turkey who acquired 5% of four middle east oil companies. He took this huge wealth to Portugal during the war and became a patron of the arts in Portugal. The museum holds his personal collection of art. There is also a modern art collection housed in a gallery within the park.

The park is a joy, a haven for wildlife of all kinds, because of the large pond in the centre there is a big population of wildfowl. Moorhens and Egyptian geese seem as tame as pets. This could well become top of our quiet places to escape the city list.

We had a coffee at one of the cafes attached to the museum before wandering out of the park and making our way to a small church we had wanted to look at for a while. It gives its name to the Metro staion at Sao Sebastio, its the small church , the Igresia de San Sebastio de Pederia. The last time we visited there was a service on and we had had a glimpse of the interior so we returned for a proper look,

The exterior is fairly plain and slightly Spanish looking with its twin bell towers. There are two quite steep stairways climbing to the entrance. There is some story that the foundations were shifted during the big earthquake but I cant find out the whole story on this. It is certainly true that the church is one of the few buildings that survived the earthquake of 1775. The church dates from 1662. The interior is a surprise and delight.

The eye lingers on oil paintings high up and frescos above, tiles with biblical scenes around the walls. It is simply beautiful. It pays to take your time as there is a lot to see. The building was rebuilt after the earthquake. and everything seems almost new. Of course it isn't....

The many paintings are of superb quality

Many of the paintings and tiled panels depict scenes from the life of Saint Sebastian.

I particularly like the twisted columns that support the upper gallery and organ. The church is 17-18th century with a few later 19th century additions. I think it is a splendid example of baroque decoration.
All the elements combine very harmoniously, fabulous........

Upon returning to Dark Tarn in the Marina we noticed that the Ana Paula, a traditional Tagus river boat was looking very Christmassy!

This is what she looks like in daylight. Dark Tarn is to be seen just behind her mast.

Random wanderings and the number 28e

We decided on another random trip out and Lynne chose to visit the Basilica de Estrella, Basilica of the star, absolutely nothing to do with missing Galician beer!  We went out towards Estrella on the Metro, the last station on the yellow line is Rato (mouse) and this meant we could walk through the Jardins de Estrella, a quite lovely and long established park.

we walked about and failed to visit the oldest graveyard in Lisbon, which is quite nearby, its called the British Cemetery and was opened in 1725 as Portuguese people were buried in Churches at the time. Henry Fielding is buried there as is the last King of Romania, and there is a Church of England within the grounds with services in English. St Georges church.

 We did however have a coffee in the cafe by the duckpond after all man cannot live by churches and graveyards alone! Incidentally the cafe has great Wi-Fi and has very reasonable prices, it should also be possible to get a good game of chess draughts or dominos under the trees with the elderly regulars.

A very pleasant  spot to relax before some hard exploring!

Just over the road was the object of our journey, the Basilica de Estrella, consecrated in 1789 and built by Queen Maria I, who rests inside. The first church ever to be consecrated to the sacred heart of Jesus. The four statues over the door represent Faith, Adoration, ,Liberty and Gratitude.

I honestly don't know which is which but the Rococo architecture is certainly impressive and it is known as one of the most beautiful churches in Lisbon despite being a little away from the normal tourist trail

I find the dome especially pleasing, and as we had turned up to visit at the same time as a funeral service going on we had an hour or so to wait and admire it from different angles! Eventually we were allowed inside.

Although it is certainly impressive and the materials used in its construction pink and black marble and fine grained limestone, to my way of thinking give it the feel of a mausoleum. In actual fact it is just that. Queen Maria began construction to celebrate the birth of her son Jose ( a religious obligation) which came to nought as Jose died from smallpox two years before the Basilica was completed. His grieving mother inside the Basilica. She outlived her son by many years, Jose died at the age of 27.

Marias sarcophagus has some rather morbid touches.

I suppose to be fair it was par for the course in Victorian times, Maria died in 1816

The other famous reason for visiting the Basilica and one for which you will need to pay an extra couple of euros, this however will get you the personal attention of a delightful multilingual lady who will explain what you are looking at and the loan of a torch to enable you to see the detail.

It is in fact a large Nativity scene made from carved wood and cork by the artist Johachim Merchado de Castro. It consists of 500 figures, including the obvious but also a frankly bewildering array of mini scenes.

The three wise men can be seen as can a surprising number of sinners, however the workmanship and sheer novelty cannot fail to amuse and poking around with the torch provided can reveal some surprising scenes!

We decided to return along the tracks of the famous number 28 tram which has a stop just outside the church. This is my favourite way to see the city and the rattling, squeaking, squealing electric trams have been plying their trade in Lisbon since the turn of the century. Most of the remaining routes are in the old city areas and this is reflected in the remaining tram numbers. The number 28 runs from Estella to the Castle at Sau Jorge climbing and descending through the area of Alfama and terminates at Martin Moniz. Up hill and tiny streets, its a fascinating ride and takes about 40 minutes.

The trams themselves are things of antique beauty, although being upgraded for safety reasons over the years they have kept that turn of the century feel with sash windows ( that you are advised not to lean against ) and leather seats if you are lucky enough to sit down, its a very popular route.

Here again is a small video of scenes from the day.

Sintra Palacio de National

Our magical Via Viagem cards enabled us we were assured to travel to the town of Sintra, the traditional summer retreat of Portuguese royalty on the railway, about a 50 minute trip. However we had actually sat down on the train before we realised we had not swiped our cards at any point, so we worried a while and then disembarked to go to information to see how it was done. " simple just swipe your card over the 1 metre high and totally unsignified pillar in the middle of the vast foyer area". No machine at the entrance to the platform or even on the train as in Metro and buses, Bloody Portugal. The train stops at every station however and the reason it is popular is because it serves every suburban station. Not a problem but it is popular, not as popular however as Sintra. I was not prepared for the level of tourist dependence that Sintra represents.

We had somewhat naively felt that coming as it were ,out of season, we would probably have the place to ourselves. it was not to be. We had already decided, as there were several widely separated palces and attractions, that we would treat our initial foray into Sintra as a recce. Turned out to be a good idea.

It is horrendously steep hence the wide variety of transport being touted the minute you leave the railway station. There is the established bus route and a wide variety of tuk tuks, taxis and even a horse and carriage.

The Moorish Castle and the Palacio de Pena were shrouded in low cloud and after walking into and around the town centre we decided to pay to visit the Palacio National de Sintra. conveniently situated in the centre of town and distinct due to its remarkable twin chimmneys.

This was one of the summer residences of the Portugueses courst after being built by king Joáo in the late 14th century. The whole town is geared for tourism and to be honest I was feeling a little disappointed at its intensity. Its undeniably a pretty spot.

Most things seemed to carry a bit of tourist tax. However we bought tickets to the palace and proceeded to explore its rather rambling interior. There is a queer mix of styles as the buildings have been extensively altered and expanded over successive generations. There is however a distinct Portuguese style.

A model in the first suite of rooms illustrates the buildings layout quite nicely showing the distinct conical chimneys which ventilate the kitchens.

One of the first rooms is known as the Swan room, for obvious reasons when you see the ceiling, 27 panels of swans in various poses. painted panel cielings are quite a common sight in older Portuguese buildings and theses are particularly fine.

The views were somewhat obscured by the cloud descending from the surrounding hills but it didn't really detract from the Disneyland feel when castles emerged briefly from the mists.

It was probably a bit drafty to be a royal in the 14th century

Another ceiling surprisingly is to be found in the Magpie room, if you look really closely you can maybe see that each of the 136 birds holds a banner of King Joáo in its beak and a rose which probably refers to Philippa of Lancaster his wife in each of their claws. The red rose being the symbol of the house of Lancaster. Small world isn't it?

The tile work in the Magpie room is superb as it is throughout the palace. it pays to look closely, but even a cursory glance reveals the Moorish influence

There are many information panels with information in English. Its possible to hire an audio commentary but we didn't bother. I find it tends to lead you a little too much and I prefer to discover things by myself. This probably has the counterpoint that I miss a lot too unfortunately!

There are many individual exhibits to see, each having its own historical provenance. It probably simplifies things to say that there are three major renovations and building reigns these are King Dinis (1279-1325) King Joáo I (1385-1433) and King Manuel I (1495-1521)

In the galley rom the domed ceiling is decorated with pictures of seascapes and vessels flying the flags of the Ottomans, Dutch and Portuguese. Not a piratical English to be seen!

These were painted at the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century

There is a quiet corridor which leads to what is probably the crowning glory of the Palace.
Blazons Hall. This room would have been used for formal functions and audiences of foreign dignitaries. It is a simply stunning room with a cacophony of decoration, lower down the walls are decorated with Azuelas tiles

But the real glory lies anbove in the ceiling, panel after panel of "Blazon" or Coats of Arms. This is still sought out today as a definitive record of family armorials by Costas,  Castros, Ribeiros, Sousas, etc.

In the centre of course is the Royal Coat of Arms of Manuel I and surrounding that the eight lozenge shaped panels present the coats of arms of Manuels eight children.

There is an inscription that goes all the way around the room and basically explains that the arms were won through effort and loyal service and so they shall be kept.

An astonishing room.
I shot a little video of our visit.

The views out over the valley and other Palaces in sight are quite breathtaking

The Moorish influence continues with water being a big component with fountains in the gardens and even indoors.

The Christian legacy is alive and well in the Palatine Chapel. The tiles are decorated with doves representing the Holy spirit in the 15th century

There is really too much for me to go into here but suffice to say we enjoyed our visit immensely

We had lunch in the gardens and admired the many examples of tiled grottos and secret fountains.

There are some humorous frescos at the laundry area. somehow they captured a more human scale to the privileged environs above.

A lovely spot to sit and eat our sandwiches and contemplate our prospects for further visits.

We walked back along the deep valley road towards the railway station to return to Lisbon. It is lined with art, statues some of which are really very good, and its free so what's not to like?

At the railway station even the ticket office is worth examining closely! So that was one palace down, it would take a few more visits to see the rest. We are 50 minutes away by train so we will certainly return in the new year.