ensuitepilgrim's Blog

TILE MUSEUMThe art of the azulejo

Tile Museum Despite its somewhat out-of-the-way location, this delightful museum is well worth a visit, presenting five centuries of decorative ceramic tiles or azulejos, tracing the history and production of the art form. 

Its collection is the only of its kind in the world, and contains a splendid array of tiles from as early as the 15th century along with displays on how they’re made. It is housed in the monastic buildings of the Madre de Deus Convent, which after renovation following the Great Earthquake had its interior turned into one of the most magnificent in the city. The splendor and opulence of the chapel dedicated to St. Anthony and the chapter house is particularly impressive. Noteworthy amid the rich decoration are panels in the ceiling with gilt frames set with paintings, Madre de Deus Convent including portraits of King João III and his queen, Catherine of Austria. Several other glorious paintings in the church depict the life of saints, and filling the main vault are scenes from the Life of the Virgin. 
The highlight of the museum is a blue and white composition of 1300 tiles, 23m (75ft) in length, of Lisbon’s cityscape made in 1738, prior to the Great Earthquake, and reputedly the country’s longest tile piece. 

My preferences were the tiles from 15-16th century, patterns of Moorish origin. Hard to pick a favourite.
Worth seeing in large scale!
Extremely informative audio-visual presentations – giving the climatic, cultural and economic context to the prevalence of tiles in Portuguese history and its empire. Being a poor country, the use of clay decoration was affordable, durable and available. 

The church soon integrated tiles into church decoration and biblical themes abounded – I found these to be of less interest, notwithstanding the craftsmanship involved – it was realised , too, that tiles withstood extremes of climate unlike tapestries and portraits . 
I shall just include a couple more favourites.

The church is ornately decorated and the Chapter, too, is beautifully preserved. This being a Sunday morning, meant that it was possible to have the rooms to yourself, at times. We first visited this museum 12 years ago and loved it,thedisplays have been enhanced since then. A Lisbon highlight.

Beautiful garden for coffee and…..
 
Should mention that we made our own travel arrangements and stayed in an Airbnb apartment in the old Alfama district.

Lisbon needs longer than four days , but we packed in a great deal; good transport systems, trams, buses, Metro and trains. Except for the waterfront, it is very hilly, but that is more than compensated for, by rewarding , great viewpoints. For a capital city, it is not expensive to enjoy great food and drink- which we did,particularly the seafood. We were blessed with sunny weather and benign temperatures, that helped as we walked 32 miles, over the four days , according to my daughter, Hannah and I must credit her, too, as the photographer in chief on this hugely enjoyable city break.

Dawn over the River Tejo; Belem, a tram , or bus ride alongside the river’s banks was to be, literally, our first port of call.Belem , from its ancient harbours,many voyages of discovery were made. It developed, too, as a place for those who could afford it, to escape the noise and squalor of the city. It still retains its genteel appeal. There are many sites and sights to see  here. The Padrao Aos Decobrimento – projecting out to sea. The Grand Mosteiro de Geronimus and the Palace. Slightly further along is the Torre de Belem.
And to assist recovery after all this exploration ? A Pasteis de Belem….or two .

It was on the return journey, that I spotted the Mercado de Ribera in time for us to disembark and have lunch in a huge hall , with 35 or more different food outlets – it is reputed to be Lisbon’s No.1 tourist attraction , opened in 2014; 1 million visitors a year. Not a place for a relaxing meal, we enjoyed those elsewhere, but great fun. TIP – get your seats before you order your food.

Bon Apetite! 

Then some of us went shopping and one of us found the British Bar, to watch the rugby, with a restorative, or two.

Friday morning, as we set off on the train journey to Sintra, from Rossi Station, I am wondering if it will be very busy, as even this early in March,the train is packed with tourists. On arrival, I was dismayed by the number of touts outside the station, offering all manner of tours, from Tuktuks and taxis to minibuses and more. It would give the unsuspecting tourist the impression that it was not possible to be self- reliant. After a calming coffee, in a tasteful little cafe, the initial crowd had dispersed and we were able to make our way round to the National Palace, on foot, would you believe, in glorious sunshine , tempered by a cooling breeze…one of the reasons the rich and royalty came up here.

We bought a ticket for the three destinations we wanted to visit – the National Palace, the Moorish Castle and the Pena Palace. On entering our first setting, my fears about crowds evaporated. We were able to view all the wonderful rooms, without any problem. See the selection, above.

Entrancing portrait of the greatest New Testament hero -John the Baptist.

One of the most striking features of the Palace are the two, white conical chimneys,

built over the kitchen. The next destination was the Moorish castle and the easiest and cheapest way of getting up there is by the local bus service, which for € 5.50, allowed you to get hop on and off at each destination. So be it.

The ruinous castle was built in the ninth century and within its walls are traces of occupation there, going back five thousand years , including a necropolis and seed/ vegetable silos. It offers majestic views from its forested, mountainous setting.

On such a sunny day, the vistas are remarkable.

Finally, the Pena Palace; Ferdinand II’s ultimate folly , built with his own money and for the best of intentions , as his political influence in Portuguese politics was minimal ; his artistic influence was maximised in his sponsoring of the Arts and his own idiosyncratic tastes – if Disney had been around, it would have thrilled him. It amused and amazed us .

A 19 th century Romantacist edifice, partly adjacent to a former monastery, whose cells, Ferdinand redeveloped, along with a complex addition – the new palace . Hence the seemingly disparate , external paintwork. It’s a flamboyant complex and all the more striking in that it contrasts so vividly with the surrounding greenery of the forest.

You might think that it was no wonder the Portuguese people got rid of the monarchy; they seemed to have lost touch with reality. Still Lord Byron loved it and so did we.

O

With its rippling mountains, dewy forests thick with ferns and lichen, exotic gardens and glittering palaces, Sintra is like a page torn from a fairy tale. Its Unesco World Heritage–listed centre, Sintra-Vila, is dotted with pastel-hued manors folded into luxuriant hills that roll down to the blue Atlantic.
Celts worshipped their moon god here, the Moors built a precipitous castle, and 18th-century Portuguese royals swanned around its dreamy gardens. Even Lord Byron waxed lyrical about Sintra’s charms: ‘Lo! Cintra’s glorious Eden intervenes, in variegated maze of mount and glen’, which inspired his epic poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.

You should view Sintra as a cultural landscape and would need three days to be appreciated in its entirety. We only had a day….

4 am wake up, 7 am flight from Birmingham and a. Long, hot, sunny day , mainly in the Alfama district; one of the atmospheric and at times, bewildering parts of this great city.

Walked over 8 miles, taking in the See ( cathedral ), various squares, small travessas and becos.
The castle was a popular spot and is a useful fixed point for a walkabout.
The Portas de Sol made for a wonderful vista of the  Tejo estuary.

As is so often the case, signs for the Camino were apparent. Not solely for Santiago, but for Fatima, too. A welcome drink was taken by this attractive mural.

We soon realised that the standard , tourist map was inadequate for this area, as such is its warrenlike character, many names could not be listed. Nevertheless, not to be daunted, axway bak to the AirBnB was eventually found – when in doubt, ask a local!

The traditional tiles were to be seen everywhere; almost as numerous as the cobblestones. And a perfect end to the day was found in a nearby restaurant, after we had had a drink in a place specialising in the Fado, the much vaunted , if at times incomprehensible music. I was intrigued by one of the instruments being played- a crossover between a guitar and a banjo, which produced a mellow accompaniment. Almost as enjoyable as dinner, with a jug of wine at  € 2.80. Perfect accompaniment to grilled Turbot; uma boa refeição.