Today was very busy, but it was all worth it. I slept 9 hours last night, and I woke up rested and on Lisbon time. Breakfast was delicious, and we all left for a city bus tour at 9:00. When we left. the weather was in the low 70’s, but it climber to the high 80’s by mid-afternoon, and there’s not a cloud in the sky.
We spent most of the tour in Belen, a lovely district of Lisbon. My first impressions of Lisbon are all positive – it’s clean, upscale, bustling, and hilly. There is graffiti on walls, but that’s all. There’s no trash and no obvious signs of a homeless problem. Our guide said that they are having an immigration crisis that the government is struggling with.
First, we visited the Jeronimos Monastery, a very popular tourist attraction with really long lines or people waiting in full sun to visit. Our group had reserved tickets, so the wait was tolerable. There were lots of stairs, but my knee handled these well. Cloistered monks used to live here and celebrate Mass in the beautiful cathedral downstairs.
After leaving the cathedral, we were treated to the most delicious pastry, a pasteis de Belen, a custard egg tart. Apparently, they make these on the ship, so we’ll have them every day.
We then visited the Belen Tower on the Tigris River, and then the Discovery Museum.
It’s hot out, so we went back to the hotel, and I worked out at the gym before joining some fellow travelers for drinks and dinner. Tomorrow, we’ll be touring again on the way to the ship.