Tuk tuk tour around Lisbon

》Ingo was our tour guide and as he says, "My name is like Ringo without the R"

》Lisbon, Portuguese Lisboa, city, port, capital of Portugal, and the centre of the Lisbon metropolitan area. Located in western Portugal on the estuary of the Tagus (Tejo) River, it is the westernmost capital city in continental Europe and serves as the country’s chief port, largest city, and commercial, political, and tourist centre. The city’s name is a modification of the ancient Olisipo (Ulyssipo), and its founding has been attributed to the legacy of Ulysses (Odysseus), the hero of Homer’s Odyssey; to Elisha, purported to have been a grandson of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham; and,
more credibly, to Phoenician colonists. Lisbon owes its historical prominence to its natural harbour, one of the most beautiful in the world.

》Castelo de S. Jorge

The Castelo de Sao Jorge stands majestically above Lisbon. The castle is entwined in Lisbon’s early history; it saw the fall of the Romans to the Visigoths, experienced the fierce conflicts between the Arabs and Christians, survived formidable sieges by the Castilians and witnessed the birth of Portugal as a seafaring nation.

This varied and turbulent history is reflected throughout the castle. There are heavily fortified battlements, medieval royal quarters and seaward views, which inspired exploration within Portuguese kings.

》Quartel da Graça

Located in one of the seven hills of Lisbon, with privileged views over the city and the Tejo river, stands Quartel da Graça, housed in the former Convent of Graça, and originally built for the Hermits of St. Augustine.

Its construction began in 1271. Over the centuries, it has undergone significant alterations, and the Church’s late baroque character is a result of work done after the 1755 earthquake.

The ensemble comprises two cloisters, one main, the larger, intended for contemplation, and another secondary that includes the service area. The cloisters are both square, on two storeys, the lower ones forming Serlian motifs and the upper ones, added later, with bay windows.

》Once a remote outpost on what was thought to be the farthest edge of the known world, Lisbon had established itself as a centre of operations for Portuguese exploration by the 15th century. The city centre was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 but was rebuilt by the marquês de Pombal. This seagirt city of multicoloured houses and elegant parks and gardens is no longer the capital of a vast overseas empire. It has been reconstructed as a bustling modern metropolis. In fact, Lisbon was designated a European City of Culture in 1994, and in 1998 it hosted the World’s Fair (Expo ’98). That event sparked the city’s biggest renewal project since the rebuilding that followed the 1755 earthquake, including the construction of the six-lane Vasco da Gama Bridge, then the longest bridge in Europe, and other extensive upgrades of the city’s transportation infrastructure. The fair also was the primary catalyst for the construction along the Tagus River of an oceanarium, marinas, hotels, commercial complexes, and entertainment venues.Read more