Xmas in Portugal - Day 5: Lisbon Christmas Church Tour

It's Christmas Day, and our last full day in Lisbon, so we try to get in as many churches as we can in a few hours. The forecast again says, rain, but it seems quite nice out. First, we go back around the Igreja de Sao Roque to the Miradouro Sao Pedro de Alcantara and the neighborhood of the Barrio Alto. From here we can see the Igreja Paroquial da Graca on then hill opposite. A short walk down to the small-is Jardim do Principe Real, and there is another view from there. Here we can see the Estrela Basilica (the large domed church) and the Igreja Santa Isabel (with the two towers).

 

  

 

We make our way back down the hill, and end up back on the Avenida da Liberdade. We walk back down to the Rossio train station, and take the stairs back up to the Igreja do Carmo, then back down the other side toward the Rua Augusta, the main pedestrian drag down central Lisbon.

 

 

Past the Rua Augusta, we come upon the Igreja Paroquial de Sao Nicolau. This turns out to be a little gem, and we take a moment to soak in the sparking pastels. It seem to be the most appropriate place to be on Christmas Day. The side chapels are all well composed; the last chapel on the left is the domed space pictured in the top-most photo of this post.

Further along, we come across the Igreja da Madalena. A bit darker, and with slightly odd interior proportions, it is full of smokey insence.

 

 

Into the Alfama, now, and we approach first the Igreja Santo Antonio. Then, directly behind that is the Se (Cathedral) of Igreja de Santa Maria Major de Lisboa. The Cathedral is closed after services, so we make our way around by following the line of orange trees.

 

 

 

 

We climb the stairs behind the Cathedral, and pop out near the Miradouro de Santa Luzia. Here there are two small churches: the Igreja de Santa Luzia and the Igreja Paroquial da Freguesia de Sa o Tiago. Facing the Miradouro is the Igreja de Santo Estevao.

 

 

Higher up now, we can see both the Igreja de Santo Estevao and the Panteao Nacional de Santa Engracia (the National Pantheon) – which we could also see at the Feira da Ladra.

As we continue to climb the hill, we finally reach the Castelo de Sao Jorge, and then make our way back down.

 

 

 

 

We finish Christmas Day, and our stay in Lisbon, with dinner at the Porter restaraunt, in the Corpo Santo Hotel. When we got lost trying to find the Tagide, the good folks at the Porter went out of their way to point us in the right direction, and we want to reciprocate (the problem wasn't longitude or latitude, it was altitude). Dinner is quite good: vegetable soup to start; then filet steak, foie gras, and mashed potatoes (for 16 euros!); then chocolate gateau with raspberries and ice cream – rich, richer, richest. Our near-sighted server is so kind, but he sure makes me nervous.

Merry Christmas to one and all.