Bragança, Portugal

After exploring the city of Zamora, my original plan was to check out Lago de Sanabria - a lake located within a natural park northwest of the Zamora province. However due to bad weather, we decided to skip that and headed across the border into Portugal to a town called Bragança.

Bragança appears to be an ancient and somewhat remote town with a 12th century castle still standing. Its history apparently dates back to the Iron Age, when Celtic tribes were commonly known to hew sculptures of boars out of granite (purpose unknown). Some of these sculptures still exist in the town.

As the bad weather persisted (plus there really isn’t a lot to see here), I left Bragança after taking a few shots. Here’s some of what I took. I just love the little picturesque lanes lined with houses on each side!

Above: A charming street leading up to the Castle.

Above: Architectural details on a building.

Above: The Castle of Bragança.

Here's one more of those quaint little lanes...

Lisbon, Portugal [Part III of III]

The last of my current 3 part blog series ends at Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal.

Lisbon is located at the western point right where the Tagus River (which runs from Spain cutting across Portugal from east to west) flows out into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a fairly big city well connected by a network of buses, trams and Metro, linking you to the several important and interesting attractions spread across it.

Above: Looking out over the Tagus River.

Above: The Alfama district.

The heart of Lisbon beats downtown in Baixa, the central historical district. The lively atmosphere from here emanates through to the other surrounding quarters as well, such as Rossio, Chiado, Bairro Alto and Alfama. This entire area is inter-connected by small streets and beautiful promenades, and it’s where most of the historical site-seeing, shopping, eating and entertainment take place. This is the best place to soak in the vibrant Lisbon nightlife, taste some custard tarts, and experience the soulful Fado (some sort of traditional folksong laden with emotions that’s unique to Portugal).


Above: A stall selling hot chestnuts in front of the Arco da Rua Augusta. It's such a heavenly find during a cold winter night.


Above: The Clock at the back of Arco da Rua Augusta.


Above: The shopping streets in Baixa district.

Above: Trams, a traditional mode of tranport in Lisbon.


Above: The Rossio Railway Station with horseshoe arched entrances.


Above: A building in Barrio Alto with its external facade adorned with typical Portugese 'azulejo' (ceramic tiles).


Above: The 45m high Santa Justa Elevator located near The Carmo Convent. Built by French architect, Raoul de Mesnier du Ponsard - an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel.
[See update at bottom of post.]


Above: The Convento do Carmo (Carmo Convent) in Chiado.

Today, the roofless nave opening up to the sky is all that remains of the arches and rubble that caved during an earthquake in 1755. While it is easy to navigate the whole Central area on foot, the rest of Lisbon’s attractions are pretty much spread out on opposite ends of the Tagus River and even across!

The east side of Lisbon is where you can see most of its modern architecture, thanks to the Expo 98. This area along the river bank was where the Expo 98 site was built and it is maintained today as the ‘Nation’s Park’, offering leisure activities and close proximity to The Oceanarium, a Casino, as well as a huge modern shopping mall. Across from the mall is another famous architecture – the Oriente Station – built by Valencian architect, Santiago Calatrava. Other attractions here include the Vasco da Gama Bridge and the Tower of Vasco da Gama.


Above: The Oriente Station - a transportation hub housing a railway station, Metro and bus terminal - yet another masterpiece of Santiago Calatrava.


Above: The Vasco da Gama Bridge on a rainy night. This bridge is 17km long (one of the longest in the world) and factoring in the curvature of the earth is of great importance during its construction. It was constructed in 18 months and was built as part of the new infrastructure in preparation for the Expo 98.


Above: The Vasco da Gama Tower is a 145m high structure with a curved metal support resembling the sail of a boat. At the top, there used to be an observation deck and a restaurant offering panaromic views but it has been left vacant after the Expo.

**Note: In case you're wondering what or who 'Vasco Da Gama' is, it is the name of the Portugese explorer who was known to be the first to sail successfully from Europe to India in 1498.**

The west end of Lisbon where the River Tagus meets the ocean is where the city’s maritime activities take place. Some of the attractions you can find here are the Tower of Belém, the Jeronimos Monastery as well as The 25th of April Bridge, which links Lisbon’s north bank to Almada in the south, where the monumental Cristo Rei statue stands.

Above: The silhouette of the Tower of Belém, a symbolic Portugese masterpiece standing at the Lisbon harbour. It is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Monument.

Above: The 25th of April Bridge - linking Lisbon City across the Tagus River to Almada - is longer than San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge which it resembles.


Above: The Cristo Rei Statue of Christ located on the South bank on Almada, looking over Lisbon with arms open wide. This monument (which is similar to but smaller than the one in Rio) was built in 1959 by the citizens of Lisbon who were thankful that Portugal was spared from involvements in WWII.

More information about Lisbon can be found here and here.

**UPDATE (Jan, 16, 2010): The above picture of the Santa Justa elevator is being shared on artist Susana Mendes Silva’s blog “Santa Justa”, via her invitation. Her blog is dedicated to the sharing of experiences of individuals who have visited the Portuguese National monument, and it is part of a cultural program for the promotion of public art.**

Fátima, Portugal [Part II of III]

Fátima is a small town located in west central Portugal, about 120km north of Lisbon. Following a series of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to 3 shepherd children in 1917, Fátima transformed from a rural village to a popular pilgrimage site visited by millions every year.

It all started on 13 May, 1917, when "a lady more brilliant than the sun" appeared to 3 shepherd kids (Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta) as they were tending to their sheep in their hometown in Cova da Iria. She urged them to pray often, and to return on every 13th day of the next 5 months to the same place, at the same time. She was to reveal some prophecies as well as what she wants of them during the subsequent meetings. During these apparitions, she taught the children to do penance & to pray for peace. She also revealed 3 prophecies to them, and they asked that she perform a miracle, so that the entire village would believe that she had appeared and spoken to them.

Finally on 13 October, 1917, the last apparition took place. By now, news of the apparitions had spread widely even beyond the town and a crowd of 70,000 was said to have gathered with the 3 children, waiting for the lady to appear once again. During this apparition, she finally revealed that she was "The Lady of the Rosary". She then instructed that a chapel be built there to honour her. While no one else actually saw her except for the children, the majority of the crowd witnessed the "Miracle of the Sun", true to her promise. From that day on, she was known as Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima, and all doubts were put to rest.


Above: Statues of 4 Portugese Saints stand on top of the monumental colonnades flanking both sides of the neo-classical Basilica. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima is a huge compound housing the main Basilica, several chapels and parks, as well as a spacious open plaza. Visitors are reminded to enter the premises as pilgrims and observe proper conduct at all times.


Above: Inside the Basilica. The painting above the altar depicts the message of Our Lady to the 3 children.


Above: The Chapel of the Apparitions. The spot where Our Lady was sighted is marked by the marble pillar on which her statue stands.


Above: Rain or shine, many devotees still get down on their knees to show their gratitude & devotion to Our Lady.


Above: The High Cross, at the opposite far end across from the Basilica.


Above: Also facing towards the Basilica on the left, is the sculpture of Pope John Paul II, who is a supporter of Our Lady of Fátima and had credited her for "saving his life" during his assassination attempt on 13 May, 1981. Following that, he had personally visited the shrine on 3 occasions.
*The very bullet that hit but didn't kill Pope John Paul II is encrusted in the crown of the Statue of Our Lady in the Chapel of Apparitions!*


Above: The modern looking Paul VI Pastoral Centre which functions as a place for study and reflection on the message of Our Lady of Fátima.

While visitors throng the Sanctuary throughout the year, most devoted pilgrims make their way there traditionally on May 13 and October 13 every year. Even though there are many hotels (most of which are very new in fact) located all over outside the Sanctuary, be sure to book way in advance of the peak periods if you plan to visit around those dates! For more information, click here.

Lagos, Portugal [Part I of III]

Portugal, the westernmost country of mainland Europe shares the Iberian Peninsular with Spain and this proximity makes it a great destination for a short & affordable holiday - away from Spain.

In this and the subsequent 2 posts, I'll be sharing my travels to some parts of Portugal at different points in time. First, I'll start off with Lagos!



Lagos is a popular (& touristy) coastal city located at the southern coastline of Portugal's Algarve region and it is most famous for its sandy beaches, rugged cliffs and abundant leisure activities. It has a generally casual atmosphere and friendly locals, plus things are relatively cheaper here compared to some other similar cities in Portugal and Spain.



Its compact historical centre is confined within the old city walls and made up of a maze of small streets with an array of restaurants, shops, hotels and attractions. These are all concentrated on the left bank, near the mouth of a river called 'Rebeira de Bensafrim' (which flows out to the North Atlantic Ocean).



Crossing a footbridge over the river will get you across to the fishing port as well as to the Marina of Lagos.


Above: The footbridge linking the old town to the modern marina.



Here you can see lots of docked boats, yachts and catamarans - some of which you can charter for fishing trips, dolphine watching, grotto & cave trips, and even BBQ cruises!



In my opinion, the best time to get across to the right bank is in the evening, when you can enjoy the view of the sun setting over the Marina. Afterwhich, you can settle in for a nice dinner at any of the restaurants located along the stretch of the Marina de Lagos.


Above: One of Lagos' many beautiful beaches - Praia da Batata.


Above: The Ponta da Piedade lighthouse.

Away from the historical center, located at the southern tip of the bay of Lagos is a prominent lighthouse, Farol da Ponta da Piedade. Once a chapel, the building was re-constructed in 1913 and became the lighthouse that it is today, standing 51m above sea level on top of the cliff. However, it is not the lighthouse itself but the stunning scenic views from here that is the attraction.



From the top of the cliff, you get to enjoy magnificent views of amazing rock formations with natural archs and fascinating grottoes. There's a long flight of steps carved into the cliff that gets you right down to the bottom.

Alternatively, you can choose to take a boat from the Marina, sailing along Lagos' coast to Ponta de Piedade and enjoy the view of the nature carved landscape from the ocean!


The coastline is named the "Golden Coast" due to the rocks’ yellowish tone.