A rainy and chilly morning in Albufeira to start the day, but no matter, we’ll just sleep our way on the bus to better weather as we head North towards Lisbon.  Traffic is good so we make excellent time to the capital where we crossed the 25th of April bridge and had lunch next to the monument to Prince Henry the Navigator.  There, our guide met us and gave an explanation about the many travels of Portuguese explorers as they searched for cheaper routes to bring spice back from Asia.  Many familiar names were mentioned, like Vasco de Gama, who are very well known to us in Macau.

Next was a tour of King Manuel’s grand church, containing Vasco de Gama and Luis de Camoes’ tombs.  There were many strange decorations like carvings of ropes, seaweed and pineapples to go along with the marble elephant bases of the tombs of the royal family.  (The king was the first person in Europe to own an elephant as a pet.)  Attached to the church is St. Jerome’s monastery built in the gothic style.  We had a bit of time to wander and take pictures or buy some souvenirs, but most of the students opted for the ice cream at the meeting point because it was actually warm today!

Eventually we boarded the bus for a brief stop at the Belem Tower, used for defence in former times, and also decorated in the same Manueline style as the church (the only two surviving examples after the quake of 1755).  Then we had an informative tour around the city on the bus where we saw many examples of the Azulajos tiles and wrought iron balconies for which Lisbon is famous, followed by free time in the Baixa district.  There were quite a few shoe boxes in evidence when we all got back on the bus and everyone had stories about how they quickly learned how to say no to the many persistent street vendors in the area.

Dinner was breaded cod, rice with beans, fries and stewed beef and the friendly waiters were more than happy to pile heaps of the delicious food onto everyone’s plates until we were all stuffed, but as Marcelino discovered, even if you’re too full for chocolate mousse, there’s always room for some caramel pudding!

Finally we got to the hotel and some even had a bit of time for a dip in the heated pool before heading to bed.  It’s going to be an early day tomorrow as we travel up to Porto, so, better get some sleep!