“Life is just learning to dance in the rain — enjoy every drop and enjoy every pain.”

Mary Rose

The day started out promising with the sun and clear blue skies. That only lasted a few hours. Then another disappointment, we would not be touring the Mosteiro dos Jerominos as originally planned due to a dignitary visiting the city. With heightened security and a State welcome at the site it was closed to the public. We had a walking tour around Rossio in the Baixa district. This was the same area Lynne and I had been the previous day, but this time we had a local expert to tell us more historical facts than my brain can remember.

Next we ventured to Belem Tower. The weather started to turn just as we got off the bus. The tower was built in 1514-1520, and is one of the best known symbols of Lisbon. While driving to the tower we passed “museum row” as well as the Ponte 25 de Abril – a mile long bridge that is a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was designed by the same architect and the iron came from the United States. At Belem Tower, the queues were long to get in, and our local guide said it really isn’t worth it. She said the best pictures are of the tower itself. I can only imagine how nice it would be to catch a photo of this on a sunny day. Marco, our tour director, knew we were disappointed with the news of Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, so he would not let us miss out enjoying Pasteis de Belem from Antiga Confeitaria de Belem. They have been making these egg custard treats since 1837. They say the long queues are worth the wait…I fully agree – best on the trip!

After the tower, we had one more stop for the day. Just outside of Lisbon at the National Palace of Queluz, constructed in 1658 – 1758. This palace is Lisbon’s Versailles. Do you notice a theme yet – quite a few places around the city are replicas of monuments the country admires. They even have a statue similar to Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer. The palace was originally a hunting lodge, later converted to the summer palace, and in 1794 the royal family’s permanent residence. Of course I had to take a picture of the “pee pot” set in a beautiful wooden cabinet. As a nurse I figured this was just a very fancy urinal. The story of the royal family is that of modern day soap operas. Maria I was the eldest daughter of Jose I. She could not take the throne until she had a suitable husband. She married her uncle, Pedro…the rest is history.

The gardens were beautiful, and they even had a pool built with tiles, but with the rain I didn’t take the chance of my iPhone getting wet. I did manage to snap a few shots to share between rain drops.

Although the day was not as planned with the changed itinerary and the weather not cooperating, I was reminded while venturing through the palace to always look around, and don’t forget to look up. If you always look at what is right in front of you, you may miss a beautiful view.

Just a small taste of Lisbon for me, and for you. Tomorrow we head to Porto, stopping in Óbidos and then Nazaré for lunch as we continue north.

Ciao 💕