More Adventures in Lisbon

When we started planning this trip I was not the main planner. Our friend Joe and his brother Jim invited us along so I didn’t have my usual control. Jim wanted to do a tour he saw in a travel magazine. I checked on it but in the end found that I could do better for us by booking the flight myself. Having never been to Lisbon I was having a hard time finding a hotel that excited me. I finally booked us at the hotel that the tour used.

I knew what I was doing, it was going to be a tourist class hotel and frankly that didn’t thrill me. Up until the last minute I was looking for what I usually find, a 5 star hotel at a 3 star price. Now that I have a better idea of the lay of the land in Lisbon, next time I will be able to do that but for this trip, tourist class it was.

We arrived exhausted from our long flight and were quite shocked to find out there was no room for us. Lucky us, we were taxied across town to a gorgeous hotel for one night and frankly we dreaded coming back. But come back we did and we were shown to our new rooms. Ugh , after the previous place this was pretty grim.

We had twin beds with checked bedspreads, all the wood in the room was blond. It looked exactly like what I had anticipated. It was however clean and we had a nice bathroom and a TV. Our room looked out onto the square in front of the hotel, not a bad view but the guys had hit the jackpot, their room had views of the castle, lucky guys. At night we would go to their room to get a gorgeous view of the illuminated castle.

The hotel has two restaurants. One is on the top floor and offers views of the castle. We did try to get in their one night but we got almost the same reaction that we got many years ago on the train to Salzburg when that woman wanted to know if we were first class. The maitre de basically told us to come back a lot later and he gave us such a look, we were hysteric laughing when we got back in the elevator, I don’t think soooo.

Breakfast is included in the rate and it is okay. It never varies, every day it is the same thing. Well no once in a while the fruit might change. It is unexciting but for free adequate. Had we not had the fabulous breakfast at the other hotel it might not have seemed so glaringly bad.

We actually ate dinner here three times. They have a 3 course dinner daily that was actually a big bargain and not bad. We found the pasta dishes to be by far the best offerings.

WiFi is available but not free. You have to buy a card and pay by the hour. There are plenty of tours that you can arrange at the desk. The staff was all nice and very concerned that we never ride the tram and get robbed. Even the doorman always reminded us, it was touching in a way. The trolley stop is right nearby, as are ATMs and restaurants and shops.

Overall it was a fine hotel in a very convenient location, no luxury but we slept well and if the elevators are painfully slow we got exercise on the stairs.

When we left Sintra we didn’t have a plan but Victor Emmanuel did. We were going to Cabo da Roca. We had no idea what that was or why we would want to go there but since he had never let us down before, we had no reason to doubt him now.

We drove through the country side with a running commentary as usual. Let me tell you there is never a dull moment with Victor Emmanuel. We did find out that we had blown his plan for lunch by eating at the Pena Palace, well okay but if he had plans he should have told us!! Anyway we drove through some him and through some woods and finally arrived down a steep hill to the Atlantic Ocean.

As it turns out Cabo da Roca is the western most point in continental Europe. Much like Key West has the Southernmost spot in the US Portugal has Cabo da Roca. There is a parking lot that can accommodate buses but we only saw one and it was leaving when we arrived. Not that we were alone mind you, it was like a mini United Nations there. There were people from around the world snapping away with their cameras.

If you are expecting a lovely beach location think again. This is a rocky outcropping that has no access to the water. There is no beach here but nearby there is. The Atlantic is however an amazing blue-green here that is hypnotic. Everyone just stands and stares at the crashing waves. You can see sailboats and ships in the distances heading for the port of Lisbon.

You have to stand here and have your picture taken; it is required, well not really but why not. You walk down a sandy, stony path amid flowers and scrub. On a sunny May afternoon it was a beautiful place even with all the other people.

I believe that all the drivers bring their tours here to support the local economy. There is no charge for the view but you are expected to perhaps eat in the cafe and certainly to buy souvenirs in the shop. There is a second building that houses a visitor center and bathrooms.

So Victor Emmanuel I am sure was disappointed that he couldn’t bring four hungry travelers to the restaurant but he went to eat himself. We went into the gift shop and though it is tempting, resist. I didn’t and I lived to regret it. I bought Brandon a ship for his collection and when we got to Cascais I saw the exact ship for ten Euros less. The good news was that they wrapped it well for travel for me.
Get a postcard to prove you were here but wait until you visit Cascais to shop, the deals are much better.

There is an ice cream bar here and the ice cream was wonderful. We got cones and went outside to enjoy the afternoon sunshine. I am glad that we came here and just about any tour that you take in Portugal will take you here.

On Day 2 when Victor Emmanuel picked us up at the hotel our first stop of the day was Queluz. This palace is in the outskirts of Lisbon. It is amazing to see Victor Emmanuel in action. He went right up to the head of the line and got tickets for us. Everyone there knew him then he sent us off on our way to tour the palace while he went out doors to visit with the other drivers. This really is how the other half lives.

If you have ever been to Versailles you will be struck by the resemblance. The Palace is built in the Rocco style and if not quite as large as Versailles is impressive enough. This isn’t just a historical monument, it is still used top host state dinners and event and also summer concerts.

You can tour through the rooms in about an hour. The good news is that there are information cards in most of the rooms so you know what you are seeing. The throne room as one would expect is particularly impressive. Even though Portugal is a small country, through marriage the royal family here was related to many of the royal houses of Europe.

Queluz is a lovely royal palace and you walk from room to room, bedrooms, anti chambers, parlors and salons. I particularly remember that the lights were amazing. There were several chandeliers that were made from Venetian glass.

We visited the music room with a lovely piano. The personal chapel of the royal family which was quite exquisite and had a balcony where the family could sit, decorated with paintings and a gorgeous domed ceiling painted pink and green with lots of gold and even more marble.

Room after room of massive mirrors decorating the walls and beautiful furniture. It is all very, very impressive. You really feel as if the family still lives here and will be coming back any minute. The bed rooms of the princesses were delicate and you k new that they had to have been designed for young woman. There were a lot of princesses in this family. The Sale de café had the most amazing gold porcelain coffee set in a glass case. The Dining Room also had wonderful porcelain; there was a hot chocolate set to die for. In one of the bedrooms there was a particularly lovely wooden cradle with pinkish red bedding. These are just some of the many rooms your will visit, I have the pictures to remind me, photography is allowed without flash.

The visit isn’t finished when you come to the last room however. The grounds are quite amazing. There are formal gardens with wonderful fountains and statuary. Allow enough time to do them justice. You finish up, can you believe this, in the gift shop, no surprise there. No matter what country you’re in the gift shop is always the final stop.

We headed out into the sunshine to meet up with Victor Emmanuel and head to our next stop which was Sintra and the Pena Palace.
 

Joe wanted to visit the Pena Palace. Me I had no real plans this was one trip I really never expected to take so I was just going with the flow. The Palacio National de Pena is located in the city of Sintra. Sintra is a very popular destination in its own right.

So popular in fact that the heir to the Portuguese throne the Duke of Braganza has his home here. And thanks to Victor Emmanuel we were able to get a very good look at that home. Okay we were royal peeping Toms and yes we took great photos and we loved it.

I have to say Victor Emmanuel was quite shocked that we wanted to visit the Pena Palace and not The Sintra National Palace which is located in downtown Sintra and we also didn’t want to walk around the town and go shopping. Just driving through this overcrowded town was an effort, no indeed we had no desire to get involved in that.

Can I say visiting the Pena Palace is a challenge and a very expensive challenge? It is located on the top of a high hill. You have to park at the bottom of the hill. If you are the athletic kind you can walk up, since that epithet in no way describes any of us we paid for the trolley ride up the hill. Oh yes, in addition to your outrageously expensive entrance fee you have to pay additionally to get there.

To describe the ride up as bone chilling is to underestimate it. The seats have no padding, the road is excessively steep, the gears grind, the trolley jolts and it is nerve wracking to say the least. Not for the faint of heart or those with any back problems.

Finally you arrive and with a sigh of relief disembark. You still need to be a mountain goat to climb into the palace. It is a very steep driveway. When you get up you would assume you would be welcomed for having made the effort, think again. This was the only place in Portugal where it seems everyone has an attitude, and gratitude isn’t one of their attributes. Rude would be the word that comes to mind and it has stuck with me.

I was really appalled at the attitude here. It left a bad taste in my mouth or maybe it was the sandwich I had at their pathetic little café. It was the most disgusting thing I have every eaten. I tried to return it, no that wasn’t possible it just needs to be warmed up to make it better. Yes that’s right a soggy warm disgusting sandwich is much better, I refused to eat it and would have gone hungry if my trusty companions hadn’t insisted on buying me a different tolerable sandwich.

Now we all know I will eat almost anything so it had to be pretty bad for me to refuse and it was, it makes my stomach turn even thinking about it. Obviously making a customer happy was not a big priority here.

As we were touring the palace one of the guards yelled and I mean yelled at someone taking the tour for having a small pack on her back, It was somehow her fault that the people who let us in hadn’t told her they weren’t allowed, and believe me we had to go through more security here than anywhere else we went.

It was also way too crowded in the room and if you had paid the additional price for the audio guide you were going to be very hard pressed to stay still long enough to listen to the commentary.

On the positive side the views are awesome. Would I pay the price we paid for that view? No. For me it was a big waste of time and money. Architecturally very interesting but it obvious isn’t what has stuck in my memory from this visit. These people need to consider a job in another field; they should not be dealing with the public especially the public who has paid an outrageous price to visit.

In spite of them, we had a wonderful time just being there with our small group of friends.

To be continued

As you can imagine since we traveled with Joe, our first destination after we woke up from our nap was the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum. Calouste Gulbenkian was an Armenia who made his fortune in petroleum. He amassed a fabulous collection of art and decorative arts during his lifetime. World War II sent him looking for a peaceful place to settle. Portugal remained neutral and he decided to make his home in Lisbon in 1942.

This museum is not in the center of town. There are two museums here, one of modern and contemporary art which appeared to be very popular and the more classical museum. The collection spans ancient times to the Impressionists.

The museum is set up chronologically. You buy your ticket in the lobby and also get an audio guide, the price for both is 4 Euro each. The guide was great, it really added a lot to the overall experience. Of course Joe is better than an audio guide and he added a lot of extra info as well. If you want more information there are some pieces where extra detail is offered.


The collection begins in ancient Egypt with items in the first room and moves into the art of Islam and the Far East. The Chinese porcelain collection is outstanding with some of the largest ginger jars I have ever seen and they are gorgeous in a rose medallion pattern. I was particularly interested in their ceramics. I love Sevres and they had some very fine pieces here that belonged to the Bourbons.

There is also an outstanding collection of furniture. The highlights are a chest by the French master cabinet maker Boulle. There are also some lovely Aubusson tapestries. There is an entire room of silver that will impress. One of the silver lids was commissioned by the Duc Orleans.


But what we came to see was the art. It begins with early Flemish works including St Catherine by Rogier Vander Weyden. There are many Guardi paintings of Venice and the 3 Rembrandts. The Rembrandt of the old man came from the collection of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. There are also a fine collection of English portraits by Romney, Gainsborough and Lawrence.

The Impressionists are well represented here with several very fine still lives from Fantine Latour and portraits by Manet, Degas, and Mary Cassatt. There is a wonderful painting by John Singer Sergeant. The last room you visit is the Rene Lalique room. It includes some outstanding pieces of Art Deco jewelry pieces with gems and semi precious gems. I found this room fascinating, Joe and Al no so much. All that gorgeous jewelry, what’s not to like.

There is a gift store on the lower level with a small select group of offerings. This is a shop where the rest rooms are and the cafeteria. This is a great place to have lunch; they offer hot meals, soup, sandwiches, quiche and fresh fruit and dessert. We needless to say stopped and had lunch which we ate out on the patio.

There is a small garden in front and on the side of the museum, which we walked through when we had finished our tour. Taxis are easy to find and inexpensive. This will take about an hour to see and if you add the contemporary museum another hour. On a Saturday it was a very popular place and stays open until 6pm. There is free entrance on Sunday morning. It is located quite close to the Corinthia Hotel.