Up hill both ways

February 2, 2017

Remember the tale parents are supposed to have told children who complain about hardship - "When I was a kid I walked five miles to school every day - up-hill both ways."? Well today that's how I felt.

We took off up a narrow street to explore Mouraria, our neighborhood and one of the oldest sections of Lisbon where Fado is sung, streets are narrow and stairs seem to go on forever. And we just continued going up the winding narrow streets dotted with stairways, also going up.

We walked past the Igreja de Sao Cristovao (Church of St. Christopher), built in the 1700s and now under renovation. The interior was impressive, although too dark to really enjoy the art.

Exterior of the Church of St. Christopher

View from the top - almost

Then we continued up to the plazas that overlook the river Taugus with amazing views of the bridge - the perfect place to stop for a coffee and sweet and enjoy the view. Then, onward and upward to the gates of the castle. Now, at this point one would think that we had reached the top and could now go down. But no!

After a short down-hill section we were again going up towards the Graca Convent that sits atop another hill adjacent to the castle.

"Graça Convent is one of the oldest convents in Lisbon. According the legend, in 1362 the statue of Our Lady of Grace appeared in the network of a fisherman. The convent part is nowadays used by the army and is not open for visits, but the church is still in use.

Most of the original Graça Church collapsed in the earthquake of 1755, so what you see today is an 18th century baroque monument. Inside it is partly decorated in 16th and 17th century tiles, while outside is Sophia de Mello Belvedere (famous Portuguese poet ) which is one of the city's most popular viewpoints."

We can see both of these edifices from our apartment but never realized how close and accessible (if you don't mind walking up-hill for two miles) they are.

By the time we returned home we had traversed over three miles - up-hill. Gotta love this city! And we do.