Visiting Igreja de São Roque

 One of the fun things to do in Lisbon is to ride the funiculars around the city that climb the hilly streets around the city and visiting its historical churches.  When we visited Lisbon, we made sure that we rode the Ascensor da Glória which is a funicular railway line that connects the lower Restauradores Square to the higher Bairro Alto district of Lisbon. The ride up was a steep and hilly ride travelling past narrow streets and older buildings of Lisbon. When we reached the Bairro Alto, we walked towards the Igreja de São Roque, the Church of San Roque, a Jesuit Church known for the early 17th Century baroque style chapels in gold. This Church was built in the 16th Century and survived the Lisbon earthquake. When in Lisbon, do not miss riding the funicular railways around the city and visit the historical church in the Birro Alto district of Lisbon.  

 

 

Chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua, patron saint of Lisbon. St Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal.

 

 

 

 

 
Funicular, Ascensor da Gloria.

View from the top at Bairro Alto.

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Holy Week: Jeronimos Monastery

 During Holy Week, it is a tradition among Catholics to visit several Churches to pray and reflect on the Passion of Christ. When we visited Lisbon last October, we made sure that we visited the Jeronimos Monastery  in the town of Belem in Lisbon. This site was the former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome, the building of this enormous Church and Monastery was initiated in 1501 and completed 100 years later in 1601. The whole building facade and interior were designed in the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon, carved with intricate ornamentations. This monastery was classified a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. Inside the Church of Santa Maria, dedicated to our Mother Mary, there were several Portuguese monarchs and their royal families buried near the main altar and the famous Portuguese navigator and explorer, Vasco Da Gama. Just walking around and exploring the architecture, the history and the Church was full of the history of Portugal. This is one of the beautiful and historical buildings we have ever visited. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May this Easter be a season of forgiveness, hope and renewal. 

Happy Easter! 

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Churrasqueira A Valenciana Restaurante

One of my favourite dishes here in Toronto is the Portuguese chicken. During our visit to Lisbon, we made sure to eat at the popular Restaurante A Valenciana, a churrasqueira that cooks the best grilled chicken in Lisbon. Even our taxi driver agreed and told us that we are going to the right place to taste the best grilled chicken in Lisbon. They serve the spicy hot piri piri sauce in a chemical style bottle which says that this is a serious sauce and not to be messed with. We had salad, rice, fries and the chicken for our dinner was grilled perfectly.  The service was impeccable with friendly and helpful staff as they won’t hesitate to give advise on what to order. They were so helpful that they even called us a taxi under the rain so the we can go back to our hotel safely.  

 

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Taste Of Tradition: Pasteis de Belem

 In the Belem district of Lisbon, there is the famous and ancient Pasteis de Belem, established since 1837 where they still make the flaky pastel de Belem, custard tarts that originated from the ancient recipes of the monks that lived in the nearby Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. They still make it by hand and then baked to its sweet perfection. When we visited, there was a long line outside. It was busy inside with all the tables full. I tried the hot chocolate together with the tarts. It was so delicious, the flakes so delicate, the custard so light and sweet at the same time. As you can see, the visitors in the line all looked so serious. Who would have thought that buying the pastel de Belem is still serious business in the 21st Century?  For someone with a sweet tooth like me, visiting the original place where the Portuguese tarts began is definitely worth a visit. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lisbon: A City Of Discoveries

 This year, we travelled to Portugal. Our first stop was Lisbon which we learnt is a city of discoveries. It turned out that there are so many to see and learn around Lisbon.  The views from above as our airplane, TAP Portugal, the national carrier was about to land were spectacular  that truly impressed us. So breathtaking, a sign that our expectations will be exceeded and that we will have many more to discover in this country. As you know, Portugal was a country that started the expeditions beyond Europe to discover India, Asia and North America. Now, it is time for us to discover Portugal. 

View of the Vasco de Gama Bridge, the longest Bridge in Europe built right on the Tagus River.  

 

Ghostly arrival of a Cruise Ship on the Tagus River in Lisbon. 

 

Belem Tower built in the 15th Century to protect the city from pirates. This is where the expeditions started to discover the New World. 

 

Monument of the Discoveries to celebrate Henri The Navigator, Vasco De Gama, the sailors and religious priests that joined to discover the New World.

 

View of the Monument of Discoveries. 

 

Lisbon is a city of many Hills. View of the Tagus River from the Palacio Nacional. 

 

 

Night view of Lisbon from Alfama, the old district. 

 

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