Lisbon, Portugal: Where the Past and Present Collide

Today I explored Lisbon--the museums and churches of course, but also the winding streets, the waterfront, and a forgotten castle.  I have found it to be a delightful city, not least because it seems to be a place where the past and present are constantly on a peaceful collision course with one another.  For example, the shot above was taken at the Museum of Fado.  Fado is a musical genre unique to Portugal that has its roots in the Afro-Brazilian traditions of the sixteenth-century, but has transformed into something distinctly Portuguese.  Being a lover of all things musical, it was really interesting to learn about and listen to samples of fado from its beginning until the present day.

After the Museum of Fado and a bit of a wander through the Moorish district of Alfama, I hopped on the tram and headed to one of Lisbon's more easterly districts, Belem.  Historically important as the stronghold between ships coming from the Atlantic and the rest of Portugal, Belem was the seat of the royal family and people of importance for many years back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.  Perhaps because of this importance, a monastery dedicated to St. Jerome was built here in the seventeenth century.  Beautiful inside and out, this monastery is a superb example of a combination of Manuelian (one of Portugal's former kings who created his own architectural style) and Gothic architecture.

The next stop was the Torre Belem (Belem Tower).  This was built in the late 1400s as a defense against potential invaders from the sea, and has ample storage for gunpowder and places for cannons (and the top doesn't offer a bad view either).  Here is where I really saw that joint past-present in action: while I was on top of the tower, a navy ship from Brazil happened to be coming in to port.  The ship, with all her men on deck in full dress, fired nine ceremonial cannons towards Lisbon.  Right below me, the army (also in full dress) returned the salute with nine cannon shots of their own from the tower.  It was quite the sight and sound!

After the Tower, it was time for my daily portion of ice cream, which I ate in the shadow of this monument commemorating great sailors and navagationalists from Portugal's rich seafaring history.

Lisbon has an amazing modern and contemporary arts center, complete with several performance venues and a free museum!  Never one to turn down free culture, I spent about an hour wandering around from Picasso to Warhol and back again.  The painting above (I don't know the artist) was one of my favorites.

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of my next event: pasteis.  Pasteis are traditional Portuguese pastries, which are filled with egg custard, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and served warm.  They are so good that I ate them too fast to take a picture!  I did, however, manage to climb the giant hill to the Castle of Saint Jorge to take in the sunset.  The castle itself was also very nice, but the Golden Gate-esque bridge with the colorful sky definitely makes a better picture.  And thus ends my exploration day in Lisbon.  Verdict: past, present, or future, it's a great place to visit!