Emirates is great airline. We had a
Friday evening departure and boarded the massive A380. The first 14 hour leg
was aided by the narcotics provided by Kerry and we arrived refreshed early on
Saturday in Dubai. Sharon’s first class points status had us in the first class
lounge before heading to our connection on to Brussels.
Children's Play area Dubai
Couldn’t help but
notice no less than 15 Emirates A380s at various stages of loading and
unloading at Dubai airport.
Canal in Bruges
Upon arrival at Bruges we
worked out that it was our sixth visit to this mediaeval city and we never tire
of its charm and interest. Weekends are generally crowded by a sea of tourists
which is understandable given the fine pedestrian precincts, great food options
and the gracious canals that meander through this town.
Garden at B n B
Each time we have
stayed in a different precinct. It was a town of artisans and many guilds were
established here. Several impressive 12th and 13th
century churches – and bricks rather than stone work was often used. There is
always some restoration underway. Our accommodation was in a beautifully
restored 18th century house which operates now as a BnB. John and
Maureen Sidoti joined us there on Monday.
Canal Scene Bruges
Sunday brought a
sharp spike in activity with the conduct of the inaugural Bruges Marathon. The
prize winners all ran a creditable two hours 25 minutes and looked disturbingly
refreshed upon entering the town square for the finish.
Magnificent restored organ and marble setting
Each day I did my
constitutional brisk walk for an hour or so – but as sunrise wasn’t until 8:00
it was mostly in the dark. I usually took a route outside the city walls – the
biggest hazard was bicycles everywhere aided by flat terrain. Kids were riding
to school in the dark and crossed so many locks and bridges on the almost grid
like pattern of canals that radiate away from the town.
St Mary's Church Bruges c 13th century
Maureen had booked
a very elegant restaurant for our respective birthdays which fell around this
time. We saw a few interesting exhibitions in various galleries in Bruges –
including a piece on apartheid which was staged in the beautifully restored old
13th century hospital.
Autumn scene Bruges
On Wednesday we took
a hire car and drove to Damme for lunch. It is a pretty little market town on
the canal which runs several kilometres to the coast. We enjoyed a lovely outdoor
lunch and then drove on to Sluice in the Netherlands. This was another town
built on a canal and now has many pedestrian precincts.
Church Ruins Damme
The real find later
in the day was the university town of Middleburg. It had a beautiful market
square and towering abbey and church with artworks liberally dotted about.
Damme
We headed south
into France on the following day to the town of Cassel which is on the only
hill for kilometres of rich flat rural land in every direction.
Marshall Foch, General of the French forces in WW1 understandably chose this as
his HQ site.
Town Square Middleburg
We then went to the
surprisingly large town of St Omar which had been established in the 800s.
There is a temptation to think if you have seen one old church or cathedral
that you’ve seen them all. But St Omar’s had many unusual and fascinating
features including inscriptions reporting alleged miracles in support of one
proposed saint or another.
Art Installation Middleburg
Perhaps the most
interesting find was a stone schedule listing the name of each bishop (or
cardinal) who had been in charge of this diocese dating from the 900’s.
Cassel
Countryside view from Cassel - excellent location for military HQ
Temporary occupancy of the Confessional at Cassell
We visited Ghent
which is 30 minutes from Bruges by train. This old university town is populated
by young students and has a real vibe. The old town centre has interesting
churches, forts and public buildings all concentrated in a very compact area.
Old Town Centre Ghent
Our taxi driver was playing Latino music and upon inquiry we discovered it was
Cuban tango music and he was a serious instructor, DJ and exponent of this
genre of tango. Given that most tango dancing is very nocturnal - he had 2
hours sleep before driving his shift on this day!
Street scene Ghent
The Keep in Ghent
Our next stop was
Lisbon via an early morning Ryanair flight from Brussels. It was then a short
trip to our apartment in a very old part of town. Antonio, the landlord,
welcomed us.
"Book Desk" and Chandelier in Ghent Museum
Fellow Traveller
The precinct had very narrow streets and a form of communal living
with conversations wafting across the street from windows and kids playing into
dusk in the street. We noticed ‘regulars” who set up a chair on their doorstep
to engage with whomever they see strolling past.
Our street in Lisbon
Excellent eateries dotted
around the area- all proved outstanding. We stumbled across a magnificent
restaurant in a converted convent. A small door and sign was the only
indication of its presence. The seating area opened on to an enclosed
colonnaded square – simply stunning.
Old Town Lisbon
Our first
exploration was in the Belem district- (there is a Sweet Belem cake shop in
Petersham – which is the cultural home of the Portuguese in Sydney).
Intricate tiled facades abound
Restoration of
public and private buildings is continuing apace. In some ways, like Sydney,
there are cranes across the skyline, but it is in the densely crowded old parts
where you hear the whirr of grinders and saws as homes are gutted and
renovated. The streets are narrow and generally cobbled – it is amazing that
tradesmen and deliveries can actually get to these dwellings. Much of the town
is dirty and dusty but most noticeable feature is the relentlessly hilly
landscape.
13th century monastery at Belem
You might suspect
the population on average would have benefited from all this climbing- but that
is probably offset by the amount of smoking still happening in Portugal.
Trams in Lisbon
There
seems to be a strong sense of community - conversations between residents being
shouted across the narrow streets; early morning gatherings in the little shops
or coffee houses that appear in nearly every block; endless tavernas for end of
the day drinks and just sitting on the door step with a cigarette and the paper
ready for a chat in case anyone should wander by.
Estrella Basilica Lisbon
On Tuesday set off
to the Estrella Basilica a vertical walk of just over a km from our apartment. We
paid 2 euro for access to a winding staircase to its bell tower and roof. There
was an option to enter the dome and walk along a narrow gantry inside it. But
my fear of heights/falling and common sense dictated that I decline that
option.
Estrella Basilica
Parliament of Portugal
We had a magnificent view from the roof across a nearby park and
gardens and across the coastline far below the hill. Got a shock when the bell
rang.
We then walked
through the gardens and down past the Parliament Building and Prime Minister’s
residence towards the Braxia precinct.
Street theatre lisbon
Although hilly, the walk was generally
descending which was a pleasant change. We visited two quite different styles
of church – both dating from the 13th century. Some of the chapels
off to the side were exquisite.
View from Pantheon
While inlaid marble and tiles in the Moorish
tradition were common there was plentiful use of timber – much of which was
painted in gold leaf. One of these had been designed and built in Florence
under a commission from Lisbon and then brought to the site for installation.
Side chapel to St Anthony - made in Florence and transported to Lisbon
We then came upon a
church ruin from the 1755 earthquake – the structure of porticos still stands
but the roof has gone. The site has been cleverly used to house a museum of
antiquities at the rear of what was once the church.
Church ruins from earthquake - now a museum
As well as being
known for its ubiquitous Portuguese tarts, Lisbon must surely hold some type of
record for the most museums. There is plenty to celebrate of course, after all
Portugal was once a great seafaring nation.
Interior of Pantheon - resting place of Portuguese heroes
But the great seafaring nation with
trading ports in Timor, Goa, Angola, Malacca and of course Brazil has museums
for diverse topics including Puppets, Archaeology, Planets, Decorative Arts,
Coaches – and even Pickpockets!
Prace de Comercia
Portuguese tarts (Naturo
Tarte) are widely available at only a euro each and are served fresh and warm. Trams need to be
short to negotiate the narrow winding streets – but public transport is popular
and cheap.
Alfama district with Fort in the background
The last King of
Portugal and his son were assassinated in 1908 and a republic was formed
thereafter. We went to the St Vincent monastery and saw a mausoleum which
included the caskets of both the king and his son.
The monarchy dated
from the 1200’s and various intermarriages among European royal families. The
royal palace was constructed in Sintra to the west of Lisbon in the 1300’s and
remodelled over the centuries.
Municipal building Sintra
It is now a museum and many of the rooms
replicate life from when it was the palace. In the 19th century using his
“personal wealth” the king rebuilt an old monastery into a fabulous castle
overlooking Sintra.
Pena Castle at Sintra
Pena was the last castle of the monarchy. Reception rooms
were lavishly furnished with references to colonial styles and included tiling
in deference to occupation by the Moors centuries earlier.
There were several other
highlights of Lisbon.
The Pantheon
Near the port is a
former basilica which is now a Pantheon holding the tombs of prominent
historical figures including artists, sportsmen and explorers as well as
presidents and revolutionaries. It is a very graceful building and cleverly
adapted for its purpose.
Church of St Vincent
Nearby was the
Church of St Vincent and its adjoining monastery was a real find. The Church
had aligned itself with the monarchy over the centuries and, as Princes of the
Church, had similar trappings to noblemen.
Ornate vestry in monastery Chapel
With the overthrow of the monarchy
in 1908 the Church had its influence severely curtailed and many of its
clerical orders were banned.
Monastery at St Vincents
An Armenian of
British citizenship made his fortune by brokering massive deals to secure oil
rights for exploration and production companies in the middle east early in the
19th century. He became fabulously wealthy and indulged his passion
for art in all its forms.
St Vincent's Monastery
His name was Calouste Gulbenkian and he left his
estate and purpose built museum to the state. The museum was set in spacious
gardens near the newer part of the city. It was quite a contrast
to visit a department store an hour later and to hear The Seekers singing “I’ll
Never Find Another You” being piped through the store!
Grounds of the Gulbenkian Museum
A fantastic new
museum has been purpose built to exhibit horse drawn state carriages from
western Europe. It is such a great idea and this two year old building has an
extensive collection with fascinating history of each vehicle.
Carriage Museum - Belem
As well as the
elaborate decoration and carvings, the paintwork and upholstery are amazing. It
was also interesting to see how technological improvements in suspension and
braking were introduced along the way.
Gilded coach - Coach Museum
Our four hour drive
on Sunday from Lisbon to Porto was along a deserted freeway. It seems that
recent serious bush fires had dissuaded people from heading north at this time.
We saw large tracts of burnt out forest – pine and eucalypt – and the weather
had been unseasonably warm which might also have been a factor.
En route we stopped
at Obidio – a walled mediaeval town – which was hosting the last day of its
annual literary festival. One exhibit used discarded military ordinance to
create figures – very creative and effective artistry.
Artwork from armaments
The final 300
metres of our otherwise very fast 300km trip from Lisbon to Porto took half an
hour! Turns out that road
closures were the reason – an annual university student “event” was being held.
As we crawled into the city centre we saw young people neatly dressed in what
seemed to be school uniforms – with blazer and ties – and most also had a an
academic gown or shawl. We assumed it was some form of high school graduation –
but there appeared to be hundreds or even thousands of these students. Then we
noticed that some had beards and others were drinking!
Student parade - Porto
We made inquiries and
discovered that this annual event was to welcome all first year students at the
various universities in Porto. The older students were wearing the very formal
“uniforms” whereas the newcomers wore very brightly coloured clothes to denote
their particular faculty! This event runs for a few days with much celebration
and we saw the final few hours which included a parade of the newcomers – much
like a demonstration that would be staged in George Street in our student days.
Porto
It is common in
Sydney to have a “window cleaner“ hover at traffic lights and offer to clean
your windscreen for a fee. The Portuguese equivalent we discovered was guys
identifying kerbside parking spots and guiding you into these invariably small
and tight bays.
Porto
Porto is the second
city of Portugal and a major trading port. It has a compact old centre where
the Doura River meets the sea. It is the gateway to a major wine growing area
and the British assisted in developing fortified wines such as Port over
several centuries in this area. Again it was hilly, but was well served by wide
pedestrian areas.
Porto Rail Station - note wall tiling
The port area is
dominated by a magnificent Franciscan church with very ornate decoration in the
baroque style – and catacombs beneath.
We visited Guimaraes – small medieval town about 50km from Porto. It had a beautiful open square a
13th century Palace and Fort which were well preserved and decorated
as they might have been in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Remembering that Portugal was a significant sea power and trading nation at the
time, it was not surprising to see exquisite Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain
shipped in from China.
Guimaraes
Our drive back to
Lisbon uneventful (except for a detour from the motorway to get early morning Portuguese
tarts which proved illusory and cost us 30 minutes!!
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