Lisboa, Day 2 (Sunday 8 September)
Well now we know to call Lisbon by its local name, pronounced “lishboah”, and originating from its Moorish history! With a proper night’s sleep, the world looked much better and we were appreciating the sunshine and the almost constant gentle breeze. Lisbon at this time of year is bright, so I wonder what the town is like in high summer when the thermometer is showing 30 degrees rather than mid-twenties. And we are urprised by the number of tourists, although we have been told that this is when they are more likely to be in town (and coming off the cruise ships which line the Tagus) rather than staying at the beach in June and July.
One group is no longer a surprise: thousands of kilted Scots football fans, here for tonight’s game against Portugal. Everyone knows Portugal will win: Rinaldo will come on for ten minutes, slot a couple, and that will be that. I wished one of the Scots good luck for the morrow when we were in the taxi queue on Friday night. He set me right: “The fitball is on Sunday, Saturday’s for drinking.” Yea and amen.
We had two experiences for today: visiting Belem and a sunset cruise. Along with all the tourists, the locals were out for a sunny Sunday. I don’t think we have any conception of mass tourism in Australia, which is quite tame compared with the sheer numbers in Europe; and I’m sympathetic to those who seek to limit it. A 300 metre long queue for the St Jerome Monastery is really pushing the limits when there is no shade. Fortunately it was worth the wait, and the walk along the river was pleasant.
The cruise was also pleasant in a touristy way, but seeing Lisboa from the water is quite an insight into the history of the town and why it was so important a seaport in the early modern period. The wine was average but we met some nice people and I landed a couple of great pictures. But we were stuffed by the end of the day, so it was a quick port and back on the excellent metro to the Chiado for bed,
