The Castle of Sao Jorge

Monday, December 28, 1998 (continued)

While sitting eating my bread, I noticed a sign pointing to a castle. I hadn’t really planned to end up at one of the most popular attractions in Lisbon, but up the hill I went to visit a wonderful castle.

The guide book says that Lisbon’s first inhabitants settled on this hill where the castle sits. In the past, to occupy the castle was to occupy Lisbon itself and it is said that Julius Caesar resided there for a while. The castle is now mostly a compound of enclosed spaces rather than a living quarters. The grounds contained several fountains, some very old and it looked as if they were fed from underground springs. I noted some old ovens and root cellars within the walls, and one could easily see where the animals must have been kept. The picture below shows how deep the windows are and one can imagine the battles that must have occasionally been fought through those window slits.

I needed to use the toilet near the castle but didn’t yet have my requisite coin for the toilet lady. I asked her as best I could if I could go in anyway and she acknowledged OK with a most sorrowful shake of the head - so bring your escudo/euro coins folks, most toilets have an attendant!

After a couple of hours at the castle I began my walk back down the hill. I stopped at an ancient church, the Se Cathedral, that I am at loss of words to describe except that it was huge. It dates back to 1147 when the city was taken from the Moors by Portugal’s first king. Described by the guide as “gothic-style cloisters, a Romanesque facade,  and occasional touches of Baroque.” Each cloister had its own alter and could hold a small congregation. There must have been 10 or so of these alcoves arranged around the main congregational room that was as large as a football field. Walking inside the church was like walking on some other planet. The voices from a distant past seemed to spook out and fly like spirits in the strange air. Apparently in 1388 a riotous crowd threw Bishop Martinho Anes to his death from one of its towers because he was Castilian and originally appointed by the Avignonese Pope, Clement VII. We wouldn’t want that!

I eventually walked back to my hotel. During my walk back I came across an large and ancient mural made entirely from glazed tile of a Tagus river scene. If you look very closely you can see a cat at the bottom of the picture below the bush.

When I got back to my hotel I realized that I had just walked all night in Colorado time! I took a nap and then walked toward downtown around 8:00 PM local time, looking for a good restaurant. They all looked too busy for me as I was up for a nice quiet dinner, so I ate at the hotel restaurant which had very good food. I write this section of my journal at 11:00 PM local time and 4:00 PM Colorado time. No wonder I’m not too tired. But eventually I got to sleep after watching a little local TV.

Tommorow, Day 3 of the trip, we visit (what´s left of) Expo 98... Click Here.