The City of Seven Hills

Lisbon is also known as The City of Seven Hills, and after spending a day there we know why.  We walked up and down so many steep hills that day, and most of them were cobblestoned which made it much worse. There are so many things to love about this vibrant city, but the hills weren't one of them. If nothing else, it showed us just how much we are out of shape.

Lisbon is the second oldest capital in Europe, next to Athens. It was originally settled by the Phoenicians around 1200 BC. Over the centuries the Romans, Visigoths, and Moors all had a turn ruling the area.  In 1147, Lisbon was recaptured by King Afonso I of Portugal, marking the beginning of its development as a Christian European city. During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, Lisbon became a global hub of trade and navigation, fueling Portugal's maritime empire. 

Although Lisbon was built up in the middle ages, the defining event that shaped "modern" Lisbon was the devastating earthquake of 1755 (and resulting fires and a tsunami), which destroyed two-thirds of the city. Entire neighborhoods disappeared and an estimated 15,000 people perished.  In the aftermath, the city planners, led by Marquis of Pombal, began the monumental task of redesigning and rebuilding the ancient city.

Our plan for exploring Lisbon our first time was to take the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus around to the major points of interest.  We were able to get tickets right off the ship, but unfortunately, in order to get to the route that would hit those sites, required us taking another route to get to the main HOHO hub.  Initially it was fine as we got to see Lisbon as we went, but it ended up costing us valuable time and meant that we couldn't get to see all the points of interest we were wanting to see.

Well - it was the extra 45 minutes on the HOHO bus, but mostly, once we arrived at the castle, we realized just how much there was to explore.

Lisbon Castle - Castillo Sao Jorge

Castillo Sao Jorge has watched over Lisbon for over a millennium. It was originally built by the Moors in the 11th century.  In the 12th Century it was captured by Portugal's first King, King Afonso Henriques I. King Afonso expanded the fortifications and over the centuries the castle was used as a royal residence and a military stronghold. During the earthquake of 1755 the castle was left largely in ruins.  It underwent extensive restoration in the 1940s where they have maintained it's original form and architecture.

In order to get to the castle grounds we had to pass through the Arco do Castelo Gateway. While it is relatively young (1846) it serves as the grand entrance to the Castle area.

Once we entered the castle grounds we were in Square of Arms.  Within the square was a statue of the 1st King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques.  From this square we had amazing views of the city.

The Royal Palace is now mostly in ruins. It consisted of a series of buildings from different time periods.  Many courtyards were connected by stairs and balconies.

Just a couple of the many peacocks that live in the area surrounding the castle.

Next to the Royal Palace stands the older part of the castle - the fortification of the Castilo Sao Jorge.

Crossing over the stone bridge took us to the inner part of the fortified castilo.  The castilo is the highest point of the castle and is divided into two sections.  It is surrounded by two sets of walls and ten towers.  While only the restored walls remain, we thoroughly enjoyed walking around inside the fortress and along the ramparts, taking in the views of the city and exploring the historic structure.

There are on-going archeological excavations which show three different time periods from the 7th century BC, the 11th century, and the 15th century.

Once we finished at the castle we rushed back down the hill to catch the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus only to realize that we didn't have time to make it to the other sites we wanted to see.  Instead, we rode the bus around a little more and then made our way back to the ship.  

Belem Tower

Not having time to see this while we were in port, we had to settle for seeing it as we sailed back down the Tagus River to the Atlantic Ocean. The tower is one of the most iconic sites in Lisbon. It was built in the 16th century as a fortification to protect the city from enemies approaching from the water. It was also the embarkation and disembarkation point for Portuguese explorers.

The monument of Discoveries

We had to settle for seeing The Monument of Discoveries as we sailed out of Lisbon as well.  This monument was erected 1960 to celebrate Prince Henry and the Portuguese explorers of the new world.

As we sailed away I felt that we left so much unseen.  I suppose that means we need to return one day to pick up where we left off.