Sunday in Lisbon - Half Marathon Day for Drew

So today is Drew's half-marathon day and a day for me to get to know Lisbon better. 

Morning

Sunday dawned and I woke at 5.30am and used the in-room coffee machine to make coffee for the two of us while finishing the post about Saturday. The sun was peeking through a sea-mist (I want to call it a haar mist, but I think that particular mist is more redolent of Yorkshire and Scotland than the Mediterranean, but you get the idea.) 

After showers and other ablutions, we went down for breakfast at 7am as it opened and were again impressed by the range of items available. Today the 'unusual' food item, there seems to be one each day, it was pot-sticker yesterday, is a battered crab claw. Unusual for breakfast, but tasty all the same. 

Crab claw on the left.

We went back to the room and Drew was dressed and ready to travel across the City to the race by 8.20am. 

I spent a little time naming photos from yesterday and then headed out to Mass at 8.40am.

 

Mass

The great thing about being in a Catholic City like Lisbon is that the number of churches is enormous. Within a ten-minute walk of the hotel there are four churches, I choose the nearest, dedicated to St. John of God, or in Portuguese - Igreja de São João de Deus. It was just 200 yards from the hotel.

This large, 1950s Church was open and airy and had a really welcoming atmosphere. The sanctuary area was very open and behind the altar were three panels detailing the life of St. John of God. 

St. John, a native of Portugal, was a soldier in the army of the Holy Roman Empire. on returning home he worked to alleviate the poverty which was rife at the time. In 1537 he heard a sermon by the Carmelite St. John of the Cross and committed himself to a life of service for the sick and poor, establishing a group of fellow workers into a community called the Order of Hospitallers (or when he was recognised as a saint - the Order of Hospitallers of St. John of God) which continues to serve in 42 countries around the world today.

St. John of God

I arrived at 8.45am and the church was full by the time Mass started at 9.00am, not a bad attendance for a church which has nine Sunday masses each week!

Mass for today, the Third Sunday of Lent, was focussed on the story of the Samaritan women, even with my non-existent Portuguese I could get the drift of the short, focussed, homily about allowing Jesus to give us living water, so that we rely on him as the source of peace and hope. (At least, that's my best guess!) There was certainly an air of trust and hope in the delivery

The small choir who led the hymns also sang jolly tunes - even though, without a book, I couldn't sing along! It was interesting, in both the hymns and the homily, to see how many words of Portuguese that are familiar to me from Spanish and others which sound very alien to my years. A good example of this is the first prayer of the Mass, the sign of the cross:

in Portuguese:  Em nome do Pai e do Filho e do Espírito Santo. Amém. 

in Spanish: En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo. Amén.

where the Spanish is closer to the Latin for Father, the Portuguese for Son and both for the Holy Spirit. 

 

Mass finished just before 10am and I took photos of the amazing statues and paintings in the Church - they are all available on Flickr - starting here 

Wandering the streets of Lisbon

I'd been debating with myself whether to get back on to the Metro to the central part of the City or do some exploring? I have the sense that, having been here since Friday, I didn't really have a handle on the City and how it fitted together, so coming out of church, feeling uplifted, into the 76F sunny day I decided walking would let me explore.

This is the route I ended up following:

As it turns out it was almost a straight line, but it gave me a sense of the different parts of the City in the way dropping into a subway, and turning up somewhere else, can never do. 

I saw some amusing street art

I came across a statue to one of the most famous Portuguese, Magellan, who was the first to circumnavigate the world

Some intriguingly decorated buildings 

and beautifully decorated doors

As I progressed further, I came across the famous Lisbon trams, these on route 28

The walk took me to some of the, also famous, Lisbon hills, one in particular, Tv. De Palma, that gave a choice between stairs or a lift, it was very steep.

It was time to stop at a little cafe called Restaurant Pasteleria Dom Joao I

to the left in the picture above.

I had a coffee and a sparkling water and managed the dialogue, with the help of a bit of swotting on Google Translate in advance, until reverting the gracias (Spanish), not obrigado (Portuguese) for the thanks at the end!!  

 

On turning around the next corner it became apparent why, Dom Joao I (King John 1st) was the name for the cafe, his statue was sitting right at the centre of the next square

The straight line of my walk veered a little here, as I could see another large plinth in the next square, so turned right into that. It was the square of Dom Pedro IV

this square was also accompanied by a steep ascent on one side

at the end of the square was a grand arch called Arco do Bandeira and a busy street beyond

the busy street, Rua dos Sapateiros, tempted me down, indeed this is the view of the rear of the Arch from that street - 

A little further and the street to the right was climed by another of the amazing lifts (elevadors) which are all around the city. This one Elevador de Santa Justa is very fine work indeed.

All of a sudden, having left the street with the Elevador, I realised I'd arrived somewhere I knew. Indeed I was at the back of the arch I had seen on my first night in the City, the Arco da Rua Augusta

Coming through the Terreiro do Paço I got another view of the bridge, wreathed in the sea mist that I'd seen earlier from the hotel. I hoped it meant that the race might have been a bit cooler for Drew than walking had been for me, but more of that in a moment.

From the front I found a new metro station on one of the lines on which we had not yet travelled, so my return journey meant catching the blue line (azul) from to Terreiro do Paço station to São Sebastião station and then walking the mile back to the hotel arriving at 1.15pm.

The Race

Drew meanwhile had found his route to the bridge and the start of the route with ease. 

Arriving at the Bridge

However, the pleasant looking mist which was across the river wasn't a deep fog, so on the bridge itself, the sun was quite intense and the whole race very hot. 

On the bridge in the sun

Drew found the need to hydrate himself more on this occasion than in his last half-marathon in Copenhagen, but he survived and did a decent time of 2:34:53 

Completion Time

which was a little slower than his Copenhagen time of 2:26:08, but well with target and took account of the extra hydration points and the heat. 

Having finished the race Drew made good use of his travel card and caught a bus back from Belam, the finish line to Cais do Sodré and a metro back to Alameda. 

He arrived at the hotel at 2pm with a very smart medal for his efforts.

Dinner

It was time for a rest and a decompress for both of us, Drew read, I uploaded some photos and we both took it easy until going out for dinner.

Just as on the evening before a race we need to find a pasta place for Drew's carb loading, so the evening of the race demands not going very far for food. This worked really well in Copenhagen when we only had to walk the length of the railway station platform to get from the hotel to Nimb Brasserie and we also had a nearby place sorted for today. It was three blocks, less than .3 of a mile from the hotel.

This was a tiny Vietnamese restaurant called A Cozinha Vietnamita, which Google tells me translates to The Vietnamese Cuisine. 

We had booked a table online, but it quickly became clear that it wasn't really a place you needed to book. 

It might have looked like it was a hole in a wall and it quickly became clear that the staff were a husband, wife and their two children (well they weren't really staff, but were sent out to buy fresh ingredients as they were needed), but the quality of the food was excellent.

When we arrived there were only one other table in use, though in truth there were only six tables in total. The other table was occupied by four Americans and they, like us, were overwhelmed by the quality of the food. Simple, but authentically Vietnamese. 

 

For starters Drew choose Nem Vietnam, known as summer rolls or spring rolls. The crispy shell was delicious and the salty, tangy sauce was delightful when dipped in. Indeed, not only were the rolls dipped, but the lettuce was all consumed by using the sauce with it. 

I opted for Tom Chien which translates to fried shrimp, but which was lightly battered in a chilli flavoured batter served was a whiter, possibly coconut, sauce than Drew's. 

The shrimp was golden and crispy, its outer casing light yet tangy. Yet again, simple but delicious.  

Since our first taste of Pho in Wichita, Kansas, we have been keen on this delicious dish. Indeed, since the restaurant of the same name opened in Cardiff we have been frequent visitors. Therefore we were not disappointed by the main course choices which was Pho with a variety of main ingredients.  Drew went for Pho Bo, a beef pho

While I opted for Pho Ga, the chicken version.  

If you haven't eaten Pho, why not? It is hearty, healthy and full of fresh ingredients. Unlike its Japanese cousin, Raman, it uses rice noodles with the broth and normally, as here, has bean sprouts, fresh herbs, limes and chillies. Both bowls were empty by the time we left and returned to the hotel, we got back at 8.30pm feeling content and replete.

Loading Carbs

Having finished the last post with us arriving back at the hotel at 3.15pm we spent the afternoon relaxing, wriring blog posts and loading photos to Flickr, before leaving again at 6.40pm for dinner. 

Dinner

As I explained in the blog post when we were in Copenhagen for Drew's first Super Half race, the night before the race Drew makes sure I plan a relativity local restaurant and one that will fill him up with carbohydrates (carbs) which in practice means an Italian. 

I had spotted a restaurant about half a mile away from the hotel called La Tagliatella, so I had booked a table for 7pm. So, at 6.40pm we left the hotel.

We arrived at 6.57pm, but the restaurant didn't actually open until 7pm, so we walked around the block - while Drew mocked me for being perennially early - before going in at 7.01pm.

We were sat and given a menu while we were offered some green olives as an aperitif, they were sharp with a garlic flavour. A lovely start.

The breads, called here Pane De La Tagliatella, were focaccia with sea salt, rosemary and olives.

Alongside the breads was a lovely Olive Oil with garlic, rosemary and oregano - excellent flavour.

Drew ordered Carpaccio Di Vitellone and this was a very generous plate of carpaccio with lots of parmesan on top. The carpaccio was served with a crisp bread.

I opted for the Carpaccio Di Baccalá, smoked cod carpaccio in a delicious, light tomato sauce, this was also served with the crisp bread that Drew had had. A simple, but delicious starter.

Drew opted for a Pappardelle Arrabbiata, a pappardelle rich with tomato with ‘nduja and spicy salami from Calabria, onion, garlic and basil.

I went with a lovely bell-shaped pasta in a traditional meat sauce, called Campanelle Ragù antico. The sauce had Pork sausage, burrata cheese, mushrooms, tomato and pesto with parmesan over the top.

We were both content and nicely full, so we opted for espressos which were served with crisp biscuits which Drew enjoyed.

A ten-minute walk and we were back to the hotel at just after 9pm ready for an early night.

Along the Rio Tejo

Saturday began at 5am when the sun rose across the Rio Tejo, which you can just see in the distance from our hotel. I got up and used the coffee making facilities in the room, showered and dressed and edited the photographs from last night and loaded them to Flickr. 

Breakfast

At 7am we went down for breakfast which is served just off the reception at the Holiday Inn

The breakfast was very well supplied. Having had Holiday Inn breakfasts in the USA I was expecting a limited range of products, but the selection of both continental and cooked breakfast items here was excellent. 

For starters I had some lovely seeded bread with a selection of cooked meats and cheese:

This was followed by the cooked options which included sausage, bacon and egg, fried mushrooms and a ratatouille and (an unexpected item) Chinese potsticker dumplings:

While I finished at this point, Drew treated himself to a few little sweet treats which were available.

Route finding for Drew

Our first task of the day was to ensure Drew would be able to get to the start point of the race tomorrow. As we did in Copenhagen last November, we checked out the route.

The race starts in the middle of one of the major arteries into the city. The Ponte 25 de Abril, this huge suspension bridge over the Rio Tejo is only accessible on race day from a train station on the opposite bank of the river, and the train station is only accessible on that day on the Fertagus train. The race organisers had arranged with the local train company that runners can travel for free on the train on the day, so instead of finding the whole route for Drew, we needed to find the route from our hotel to the nearest Fertagus train station - Roma-Areeiro 

We found it with no difficulty, walking back to Alameda metro station which we had used yesterday it is just one stop to Areeiro metro station and a 100 metre walk from the metro to the railway. The station was already full of signs making clear where runners were to go. Drew, not the best route-finder, was confident he could repeat that journey tomorrow morning. 

Just outside the Areeiro station is an amazing statue of Francisco Sá Carneiro, it commemorates Sá Carneiro who was an early member of the Portuguese Social Democrats, Sá Carneiro died in a plane crash after being in office for only 11 months.

Down to the Riverside

Having made sure of Drew's route we got back on the Green (verde) line and headed back towards the Rio Tejo at Cais do Sodré station, which we had visited last night.

We walked along the river in the direction we had initially taken last night - Yes, the wrong turn I made then, was now the right direction for today.  

The Rio Tejo, known as the River Tagus in English, is an impressive sight.  

We strolled along taking in the atmosphere in this comfortable, if cloudy, weather, high 60s low 70s Fahrenheit is not what I'm used to in March, especially after the snow we left back in the UK!

As we strolled it became clear that Lisbon is clearly gearing up for the arrival of World Youth Day in August, with signs about the visit by Pope Francis and the world's Catholic youth all over town.

The river front had some interesting buildings, including the Portuguese Ministery of Defence, Naval Building - Direção-Geral de Autoridade Marítima. While, this is a very august, typical European castle style and colour, it is clearly still a functioning, and busy, arm of government.

The building also had a very striking pond. It looked as if the pond had a lot of algae in it, as well as being well supplied by ducks, but it turns out that the algae is a deliberate feature of the environment as described in Portuguese and English on the signs in the photo below. 

.

Continuing our walk along the river front we saw the area which had caught our attention last night on the bus - the Terreiro do Paço (Terrace of the Palace) which is also known as Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square). This huge space used to be the site of a palace which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755, it is now among the largest open squares in any European city.

At the heart of the square is a large statue of King José I on his horse Gentil.

The statue is an amazing piece of work, well described in this article by the World Monuments Fund, though they have anglicised the monarch's name to Joseph. The statue is famous enough to be the subject of academic research.

The other great feature of the square is the Arco da Rua Augusta (Arch of Augusta's Street) - the street runs behind the arch, away from the square, and was the name of the street before the arch and square was built. During the post-earthquake renovation, it became the main entry point into the City itself from the docklands around the river. 

Walking further along the river side we get a glimpse up on of Lisbon's many hills, this one has a large church tower in the centre, but exploring up there will be for another day, as we have other places to be today.

On to Belem

The photo of the Church Tower, above, was taken from the bus stop which we had finally found last evening after much searching, today we knew exactly where it was so caught the 728 back along the way we had walked, past Cais do Sodré and on to Mosteiro Jerónimos a 28-minute journey of 4.2 miles.

We got off at the Mosteiro stop and as it was now midday, we stopped for a drink at the Banana Café which was an old tram serving snacks and drinks at the bus/tram stop by the Mosteiro. 

Americano and sparkling water for me, Cappuccino and sparkling water for Drew. The heat has been building during the day, so we need to keep our fluids up!  

Mosteiro Jerónimos

We only had to cross the road to reach Mosteiro Jerónimos. The monastery is an amazing building, built on the site of a former hermitage it was developed in the 1500s into a monastery for the Order of the Friars of St. Jerome. It epitomises a Catholicism unknown in the UK, at the time when the monastery that did exist were being broken apart and sold to the highest bidder by King Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, here in Portugal, the faith was in its pomp. Portugal too was in its era of wealth. With Vasco De Gama being the first European to find the sea route to India in 1498, Portugal gained much from its trade with the East and the King was able to levy a 5% tax on all trade which was funnelled into this building. 

The distinctive style seen above in the work on the top of the building and below in the careful carved stone above the statues has its own architectural name - Manueline - named for King Manuel who instigated the work on this building it describes a distinctive Portugese form of high Gothic design.

 

The great south door has Our Lady holding the child Jesus as its focus with the royal coat of arms above. 

It is an amazing building, a true delight for the eyes, even without seeing anything else in Lisbon, seeing this amazing edifice would be enough.

Jardim da Praça do Império and Padrão dos Descobrimentos 

Across the road from the Mosteiro Jerónimos is the very pretty Jardim da Praça do Império (Empire Square Garden). The gardens were built for the Portuguese World Exhibition in 1940, to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the founding of Portugal in 1143 and the 300th anniversary of the Restoration of the Portuguese monarchy after 60 years of Spanish rule in 1640. 

The garden's centre piece are the mythological figures of two horses with the tails of marine animals.

The Portuguese Empire at its height, included the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde, São Tomé, Principe, Cochin, Goa, Colombo, Macao, Nagasaki, Mozambique, Angola and Brazil. As well as the Empire Square Garden it is celebrated along the river here with an amazing monument called Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries). 

It was designed for the World Exhibition in 1940 but it was only built in 1960 for the commemorations marking 500 years since the death of Prince Henry the Navigator the third son of King João I who was so influential in the development of trade relationships which led to the empire. It is Henry whose image appears to be at the front of the ship as it heads into the Rio Tejo - the yachts on the river enhanced the reflection on the importance of this huge river on Lisbon, Portugal and indeed Europe.  

Along the Tejo

We continued along the river and the yachts showed the liveliness of the river as they raced along it.

The river also gives a wonderful view across to the southern coast where the famous Statue of Christ the King stands on the hill with the Ponte 25 de Abril in the foreground. This statue is really famous for being inspired by the more famous, and older, statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.   

The riverside gets busier and busier on this Saturday afternoon and it is clear that the food offers aren't just local! Though it came as a surprise to see Canadian Food, the famous Quebec Poutine (of which I wrote in our 2018 blog), on offer. 

Spain was represented too, with Mister Tapas. I did like their approach to marketing. Rio Tejo to the left, tapas, drinks and takeaway to the right - clearly designed to get their priorities right.

Torre de Belém

The importance of the Rio Tejo to Lisbon and Portugal is further evidence by the development of the Torre De Belém (Belem Tower) at the point when the river grows closer to the Sea.

The Tower was built in 16th century and its original purpose was to be a fort, protecting Lisbon from incoming raids along the river. It quickly came to mark the beginning of voyages for the sailors and the last sight of land, so became more important as a symbol than in its practical value as a fort. 

From the land side it is quickly evident that the Manueline style was adopted here. While being built a little later than the Mosteiro it was built from the same materials.  

Later in history the Tower became a lighthouse and then a political prison, so the inside is far less interesting than the outside, which is very impressive as it looks as if the Tower is built over the river, not just beside it.

Monuments 

The Torre de Belém Gardens leads on to the Museu do Combatente (Army Museum) and the impressive Monumento aos Combatentes do Ultramar (Monument to the Overseas Combatants).

Then the Monumento aos Combatentes das missões Paz, the Monument to Combatants of the Peace Missions.

Return to the hotel

Having walked through the Belem Gardens and beyond we made it to the Algés area of the city where we were able to catch a modern tram (the E15) back along the river front. 

The tram takes us right under the bridge from which Drew will be beginning the race tomorrow.

The tram terminates at the stop called Calvário (Calvary) and from there we catch a bus back to Cais do Sodré and from there by Metro to Alameda arriving back at the hotel at 3.15pm, feeling we've made good use of our visiting time today.

A brief note on Carris Card use

For those, like me, who like to keep a record of our savings on public transport, it is worth noting that we bought our Metro Card for €6.60 at 2.15pm yesterday. By 2.15pm today we had used it for 3 metro and 3 bus trips last night, and two metro, two bus and one tram by 2.15pm today - i.e. 11 trips at €1.65 each - €18.15 a discount of €11.55 over the pay as you go option! 

Time to buy another card at Cais do Sodré (at 2.20pm) before our metro trip back to the hotel.