Last Day in Lisbon

My last day in Lisbon I intended to visit the castle and Alfama, the only part of Lisbon not destroyed in the 1755 earthquake.  I hopped on the tram to save time.  And missed the stop.  I assumed- wrongly- that a giant castle would be easy to spot.  No problem though, I'd just ride the tram back around.  Then they kicked us all off on the far side of the city.  In the rain.  At that point I decided to bag Alfama and the castle and head over to Belem.

 In Belem I found a monastery that looked like a fairytale castle. 

 Across the street from the Monastery was a park with several fountains.

 Then through a tunnel that passed under a main road and railroad tracks to the waterfront.

 Where I found another castle

 Then back to the city center just at that magic hour when the sky looks like this and the town is lit up...

 

Welcome to Lisboa!

I love my hostel.  I arrived around 9pm on Friday, was greeted and offered soup.  Next morning for breakfast it was fresh baked bread and the best pancake I've ever had, filled with apple and banana pieces.  Yesterday afternoon, I was again offered soup.  With cheese, bread and an apple.  Dinner was bread left over from breakfast.  This morning, more fresh bread and another delicious pancake.

Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk down to the harbor.  Lisbon is less affluent than the Spanish cities.  One block will have incredible buildings, the next will have peeling paint and crumbling walls.  The beggars are more aggressive and plentiful and none of them actually do anything.  In Spain, most people on the street were playing an instrument, dressed up as something, or offering something.  Here they just hold out their hand or cup and shake it in your face.  The best defense is not to make eye contact, or acknowledgment, and for goodness sakes, don't slow down or stop!  Not speaking the language makes it easy to ignore people unless they say Ola directly to me or jump right in front of me, which several did.  I made of the mistake of replying to one and almost got chased down.  Note that all the beggars have warm coats- I do not.

 Once I arrived at city center, I stumbled on the Santa Justa Elevator, then went to the Museo do Carmo, an archealogical museum in a cathedral that was destroyed during an earthquake.

 The museum ruined all my shots with their explanation placards...

Doorway Detail

 Then I went on a pub crawl set up by the hostel.

 I've forgotten just about everyone's name, but I can tell you that there were 2 Canadians from BC, a PHD student from Florida, an Aussie, our pub crawl leader, the night receptionist and her boyfriend, and some other people who's stories I never got.