Today we woke up ready to explore Lisbon! But first, there was a tremendous learning curve. First, Lisbon is one hour earlier than Spain so even though the kids slept in... They didn't really. Next, had to figure out how to use the washing machine since Danny soiled his bed. I think it dries too, but I am currently using the clothes lines outdoors to be safe. We also learned that even with an adapter, if you plug 110 speakers into a 220 outlet... you can fry them. :-(
But, once we dealt with all that, we were off to explore! First we walked up the hill to the old castle, which is literally just behind our street. But the hill is so steep here that the houses of several stories are built into the hill, and the next road behind them is 5 stories higher than the road in front! The kids enjoyed climbing the castle battlements, peeking through strategic shooting holes, and surveying the city.
Then we walked down the hill to the cathedral, stopping at some good vantage points along the way, and watching the bright yellow trolley cars that navigate the hillsides. The cathedral, called the Se, is a Romanesque building with arching stone ceilings, stained glass rosette windows, and huge paintings. We were just in time for Mass, which was convenient since it was the 4th Sunday of Advent. Of course it was in Portuguese, but the great part about being Catholic is that the Mass is the same everywhere in the world, so we still knew the responses and exactly what was going on. It was the first time the kids had been in a Cathedral or heard organ music (Danny liked it, Sophie plugged her ears!) so that was a cool experience for them. Funny story: as soon as they saw the priest standing on the top of the Cathedral steps in his robes, Sophie said, "Look, it's Grandpa!" (My dad is a deacon and the kids have been to his Masses before). He DID actually look a little like my dad, and we all had some pangs of homesickness as he started Mass in Portuguese.
A few words about the Portuguese language: it is NOT at all like Spanish, even though many words look very similar. Apparently it developed separately from the Romance languages, with Moorish (arabic) influence. But it actually sounds very slavic, closer to Russian than anything else. So I can read some of it because it looks like French or Spanish, but I can't speak it, and it is difficult to understand. Luckily, almost everyone speaks some English, especially here in the capital. The Portuguese are very friendly and outgoing, so we have not had any problems so far.
After Mass, it was definitely time for lunch. These hills are no joke, and everyone was getting tired. Daddy was the one carrying Alex in the baby backpack, which worked really well, but I felt like I was dragging the other 2 up the hill. We found a delightful tiny restaurant with DELICIOUS chicken and sausage dishes, hearty bread (with cheese and beet spread??) and good wine. Then it was home for some well deserved naps!
As evening fell, the lights came on in the city, and we could hear the music from the Christmas festivals in the squares below us. So we had an early dinner in our apartment, then wandered downhill to Rossio, the main village square. There was a Christmas carnival with several kiddie rides, and lots of vendors. Sophie was most excited about the Ferris wheel actually, which is funny because I don't think she has ever been on one. Danny was thrilled about the carousel, which we out Alex on for the first time. Everyone loved it! Their eyes and smiles got so big, and Alex did not want to let go of his horse! We also got to play and take pictures in an enormous Christmas ball made out if thousands of red lights. We could walk inside it and look up at it, which Sophie basically thought was the most amazing thing ever. It was a long, but very rewarding day, and a great start to our vacation!
No comments:
Post a Comment