PORTUGAL TOURS
This description of Lisbon and surroundings (Sintra, Estoril, Cascais, Sesimbra) was made to accompany the movie we made. Since the movie is accompanied by typical sounds like environmental sounds, Portuguese talking, birds, animals, music, etc, we didn’t want to spoil the sound and the explanation goes apart. Enjoy it.
Index:
LISBON (generalities)
HISTORY
VIEWS
1-Introduction
2-Presentation
3-Views (river)
4-Views (Belem quarter)
5-Views (from the top of the statue of Christ)
6-Views (from 25th of April bridge)
7-Views (below 25th of April bridge)
8-Views (estuary of Tagus river)
9-Views (from the castle)
10-Views (modern Lisbon)
11-Views (Vasco da Gama bridge)
LISBON (generalities)
The department is 87,44 square Kilometres wide. 1 million inhabitants in the department, plus 1 million in the suburbs to the north, plus 1.300.000 in the south bank of the river. Lisbon and surroundings: 3.300.000 inhabitants.
Climate: winter is not too cold (it never snows in Lisbon). Less rainy than Paris but more than Rome. Hot summers freshened by cool breezes (mountain, ocean, river).
HISTORY
Legend tells Ulysses founded it. He founded Lisbon to meet his lover affair. The girl was called Lisbon. She got mad at Ulysses because he was to vagabond. She changed into a snake and died near the river, leaving near the river the curves of her body: the seven hills of Lisbon.
Others say the Phoenicians founded it. That Lisbon comes from a Phoenician name – Alisubo –, which means calm harbour.
Others say Atlas, son of Neptune and king of Atlantis founded it. Atlantis was in front of Lisbon and connected Europe and America. Inhabited by the sons of Neptune, they invaded Europe and a part of Asia with an army of 1.200.000 soldiers. The humans corrupted them and their continent disappeared because of an earthquake, which lasted for one day and one night. They say that all the earthquakes of Lisbon afterwards came from Atlantis.
Lisbon was inhabited since the Stone Age.
Romans were here since the II century b. C. during Decimus Junio Brutus, and they called it “Felicitas Julia Olissipo”. They had here theatres, spas, temples, monuments and a hippodrome.
The Visigoths were here until the 8th century, when the Arabs arrived. The 1st king of Portugal, Alphonse Henry, conquered it from them in October 21st of 1147.
King Alphonse III made Lisbon the capital of Portugal in 1255.
The apogee of Lisbon came after the discovery of the seaway to India by Vasco da Gama in 1498. Thus connecting Lisbon with the East, this city became the universal emporium of trade from the West and from the East. The trade arriving to Lisbon gave wealth with which beautiful monuments were built in Manueline style. The king was called Manuel and he gave his name to a beautiful embroidery in limestone decorating the buildings in gothic style.
-In November the 1st of 1755, all saints day, at 9h40m in the morning (the hour of the mass) the worst natural catastrophe in Europe started: the earthquake lasted 9 minutes. Lisbon was rapidly rebuilt by the orders of the prime minister, marquis of Pombal. Lisbon, like many other cities in Portugal, is flat. No skyscrapers are built because of earthquakes.
VIEWS
1-Introduction
Welcome to Portugal, a pearl in north Atlantic, with a nice seaside resort, where we are going to see the most beautiful tourist sites in and around Lisbon. We’ll be seeing the coast near the capital of Portugal and we will move north to see famous monuments, typical and ancient towns, palaces and other highlights of the tours in the surroundings of this beautiful city.
2-Presentation
The westernmost capital of continental Europe is on the north bank of Tagus River, in other words, on the verge of its enormous estuary which is also included in our tour. This city is exposed to the liquid element in many of its corners and as we start by seeing the views, we obviously begin with the river.
3-Views (river)
Cradle of sailors, navigators and adventurers, they all extended the horizon to places where no one had been before in incredible maritime expeditions, leaving the motherland through the mouth of Tagus river and making their entrance in the ocean.
4-Views (Belem quarter)
From Belem (Bethlehem) quarter, many navigators departed on their voyages.
The Hieronymites Monastery is one of the symbolic monuments related to the glorious past of the Portuguese navigations, like Belem tower.
Modern constructions of the twenty century, like the Monument to the Discoveries, let us still, in this magic place, feel the atmosphere of the history of adventurers and lead us to other interesting modern achievements, like one of the bridges and the statue of Christ.
It is always an ex-libris of Lisbon, this 3200 meters long bridge, close by the statue of Christ, both paying their homage to Lisbon and the river.
5-Views (from the top of the statue of Christ)
From the top of the statue of Christ, more than 200 meters high, the waterside city is ours. We can see from here the end of the river, the west side of the city, Sintra mountain further north, the 25th’s of April bridge, made in the 1960’s, crossed every day by trains and cars and from where we have a pleasant view of Lisbon.
6- Views (from 25th of April bridge)
We have a ride 70 meters high and sometimes the wind is strong, but this seismic proof construction is one of the longest suspended bridges in the world.
It is not the only bridge in our city crossing the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and in spite of the worldwide records like an 80 meters deep foundation, it is not the biggest but it’s still a symbol for those arriving to Lisbon, both by road and sea, making a unique experience for visitors and inhabitants…
7- Views (below 25th of April bridge)
This seaport is undoubtedly on the most of the cruise ship routes crossing north Atlantic, and many people visiting us are blessed by an exciting experience and Christ welcoming them.
In the end of the 20-century, a railway that goes across the bridge was opened to trains that run beneath cars. It underlines the connection we have between both banks of the river.
8-Views (estuary of Tagus river)
If we turn our head towards east, we see the enormous estuary of Tagus River and we get closer to the past.
This estuary is like a sea, where big cruise ships, cargo boats and tankers, mingle with ferries, sailing vessels and other boats…
It became the busiest port in the world in the sixteenth century, thanks to its estuary, one of the most fantastic in the world, 15 km wide, separating both banks of the river, were several cities live in the souvenir of a splendid nautical past and in the presence of one of the most strategic harbors in north Atlantic.
Among big vessels we can still enjoy a romantic promenade on the mouth of the river…
And dominating all this wideness, there is the hill toped by the so-called Saint George castle.
9-Views (from the castle)
Located the top of the most prominent hill, 110 meters high, from where we can see the estuary of the Tagus and the ancient part of the city, this is was the most tactical position for ancient people for several reasons and now for tourists to get a nice view and return to the past. The view can be extended to several kilometers and here the breeze is pure and clean and the weather is often clear.
This was the nucleus of the medieval town. Although it was rebuilt in 1940, we still hear the stones telling us about the character of other eras, with its well planned walls by Romans, Arabs, and Portuguese, which let us breathe the smell of old ages, when the town was growing around its heart, in other words, the mostly well located hill.
Hundreds of caravels and galleons arrived to Lisbon in the past. They could wait their turn to deliver their products ashore, on the wide, serene, and pleasant mouth of the river, under the eyes of the Monarchy and merchants, and all the inhabitants of Lisbon, anxious to receive them.
This was the place of the royal palace when the king decided to make Lisbon the capital of Portugal in 1255. From here, the Portuguese kings used to watch the caravels and galleons returning from their long trips loaded with merchandise.
On the opposite side of the castle, Lisbon was also about to develop, still under the eyes of the king, who had windows to all parts of the city.
We can even see the modern part, developed fast on its way to the north, in the past few centuries, having as the starting point, the ancient castle.
So, we are going to leave the castle, where saint Anthony of Padua was born, conquered by the first king of Portugal, king Alphonse Henry, in 1147. Then, it was made the royal residence by king Alphonse III in 1255, it is called saint George since the XIV century, where saint Vincent the martyr, the patron saint of Lisbon, is buried, where king Manuel I lived, one of the 7 castles on the Portuguese flag and we are moving north, to the modern part of Lisbon.
10-Views (modern Lisbon)
No skyscrapers were built in Lisbon, because the only thing Portuguese fear is earthquakes. That’s why cities in Portugal develop horizontally.
Different shopping areas developed, like Rome Avenue and side streets.
Soft colors are used but pink and yellow are vibrant ones.
Nature is respected; every building has a courtyard with green. Nonfigurative shapes of the end of the 20-century are taking the place of previous human shapes decorating the buildings. Nonetheless, we enjoy a surrealist state of harmony, where simplistic style often mixes with surreptitious forms.
As it has been fashion in Lisbon, to build the expounding architecture as a label of an era, at the top of the hills, in the end of the twenty-century, the first post modern construction took place. The name is Amoreiras. The look of these buildings makes us remember that Lisbon had been always a mixture of new ideas and styles and a fascination of what’s new in the world.
Lisbon is flat (planes fly close to it) and moved a long way up to the north, turning its back to the river.
11-Views (Vasco da Gama bridge)
We must go back to Tagus River, the husband of Lisbon. In 1998, a 17 kms long bridge, called Vasco da Gama, was opened to traffic, thus opening south bank of Tagus estuary to the capital. It is also a thrill to cross this bridge. The scenery is worthwhile and takes much less time than the boat.
This is one of the longest bridges in the world, and the name is connected not only to the long maritime trip the Portuguese sailors did to go to the East, nearly one year to go and one year to return, but also to the remembrance of the anniversary of the arrival of Vasco da Gama to India, which was 500 years before this bridge was completed.