Day 5 Lisbon

Horticulturist Day turned out to be a semi-bust. We went up to the Jardin Botanica and it was closed for renovations. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had not been all uphill to get there. Rather disappointed, we walked over to the Estada Fria in the Park Eduardo. The Estada Fria is a a very well conceived and pleasant tropical garden that is mostly indoors. It's a fascinating way to spend an hour. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit, but I would not recommend a special trip unless you're really into the jungle plants. It was not yet noon and we hadn't planned anything beyond what we had already done, I succumbed to Sylvia's desires to go to the Castle De San Jorge. I don't know why I didn't want to go, I guess I thought it was too goofy. It was a hike to get there--again mostly uphill--but it was worth it. The castle was build in the eleventh century and was in it's hayday fron the 14th to 17th centuries. I've been in several castles in Europe, but this was a real working one that was much used over the centuries to defend the city Afterward we had lunch in the outdoor cafe on the castle ramparts (see picture of the king at his castle). We only had wine and cheese, but we spent two hours sitting at at our table taking in the view. I guess I was wrong...again?

Since we were renting a car tomorrow and driving up to Porto we thought a map might come in handy, so after lunch we walked over to the Baixa Chaido district to get a Portugal map and were lucky enough to find an open book store. While we were there we stopped in a church called Basilica of the Martyrs. It was started in 1147, destroyed in the 1755 earthquake, and rebuilt right after that. It's not a large church, but it is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. It is extremely well kept and very comfortable. What a find! After that, it was back to the hotel.

Because we're attempting to leave early tomorrow we swore we were going to have a light, early dinner. We ended up going around the corner to a Rick Steves (PBS travel show) recommended place called Bonjardin. They're apparently renowned for their roast chicken on a spit which we had, and it was very good. After a stroll through the neighborhood (which Rick Steves called the eating street), we were back in the room by 10:30. Tomorrow should be interesting since getting out of this city by car is not an easy task and getting to the Porto hotel is even harder. It might be survival of the fittest between Sylvia and I, and I expect to lose again.