![\"Sun](\"https:\/\/www.tosti-lane.com\/dtlblog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2016-1121-DTL-LD2-32-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>First up is a bus ride through Lisbon rush hour traffic to the shores of the river Tagus, and the Belem district, first stop being the Tower of Belem. Belem is a Portuguese for Bethlehem, after which the district and the tower are named. It’s raining gently when we get off the bus, but the sun comes out for a beautiful look at the tower, enhanced by the active surf surrounding it.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Next, we’re taken on a short ride to the Monument To the Discoveries, which is totally surrounded by scaffolding. Still interesting, with a reasonable view of the famous bridge acros the Tagus river (which is almost a twin of the Golden Gate).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next we go by bus to the Jeronimos Monastery, which is actually closed on Mondays. The Marine Musuem (Museu de Marinha) is open, and we take a short tour through the museum, with a stop at the cafe for coffe\/tea and as one of the “famous” Portuguese Egg Custard tarts. There is a visiting Egyptian dignitary, which occasions a military parade, somewhat complicating the route for the bus driver into the space. The guide is deeply nervous that some of the people on the tour will wander off to the famous old bakery of Belem and not make it back to the bus, so she spends 10 minutes extolling the quality of he egg custard tarts in the museum cafe. (They are pretty good)<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a>Next, we roll on toward the Alfama neighborhood of old Lisbon, the classic narrow streets and alleys and hilly stairs and ramps. We wander through the streets and provide entertainment for the bemused (or not) local folks. Finally, it’s back to the hotel, where Linda and I basically crash for a couple of hours awaiting the next adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Said next adventure is an excursion to the Museuo Nacional do Azulejo, or National \u00a0Tile Mesuem. This museum is closed on Mondays, but Viking has arranged a private visit\/tour for our small group – about 20 people. Part of the visit is a workshop in which we each paint colors onto a tile which will be glazed for us later in the week and delivered to us on the boat. The Museum is located in the former convent Madre\u00a0de Deus, founded in 1509 by Queen D. Leonor. There are two very beautiful chapels and extensive displays of tile art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As before, we returned to the hotel and crashed for a couple of hours, and then embarked on the “Taste of Lisbon” evening trip to a restaurant in the Alfama district for dinner and a Fado show. Dinner was simple but good, the Fado presentation was – long. Some of it was quite nice, nice musicianship, singers were accomplished and entertaining. But, there were interminable folksy performances which were fairly impenetrable because of th assumption that the audience was part of the local culture. And, despite smoking being disallowed in the space, there were one or two people who ignored the waitstaff’s request to stop, making the long show that much more difficult to endure.<\/p>\n\n\n
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