In & Around Lisboa

After our crazy and windy train ride from Madrid, we arrived back in Lisbon at around 7:30am. We made our way to our hotel and were praying that even though it wasn't even close to noon they would let us check in. Thankfully the girl at the front desk was so awesome because she gave us a room right away.

Once we got all settled in we decided to take a short nap and than hit the town. Well, that short nap turned into a few hours. By the time we woke up it was almost dinner!! So instead of roaming the town, we walked around the neighbourhood, had some dinner, and hit up the supermarket for some bevies and breaky for the next day. We went back to our room, played some cards (my mom hates losing at Gin--the game..not the bottle ;-)) and then hit the hay as the next day we had a full day tour booked to Fatima, Nazare & Obidos.

We were not too sure if we were going to be the only ones on the tour based on the fact that tourists are a rarity in January. As it turned out we had a couple from Italy and a girl from Oakland. YAY--someone else who spoke English! YAY!!!

Our first stop was the religious town of Fatima. It is located in west central Portugal approximately 110 kilometers north of Lisbon, the small town of Fatima is one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world today. But unlike many of Europe's great Marian pilgrimage sites, the sanctity of Fatima dates not from the Middle Ages but only from early in the 20^th century. Fatima was then a small rural village in a rocky region whose main product was olive oil. There are no historical or legendary accounts of the village or surrounding area having any religious importance in earlier times. In the years 1916 and 1917 a series of apparitions were seen by three young children that were to profoundly alter both their own lives and the atmosphere of the peasant village.

According to the faithful, on May 13, 1917, seven-year-old Jacinta Marto, her nine-year-old brother, Francisco, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia dos Santos, saw a white light in the sky above a holly oak tree. The light took form and spoke to Lucia and Jacinta (Francisco could see, but not hear, the apparition).
The apparition didn't tell the children who she was but asked that they return to the same spot on the 13th of every month for the next six months. She said her identity and her message would soon be revealed.

Over the next months, larger and larger groups of miracle seekers joined the children under the oak, though no one save the three children could see the Virgin, and only Lucia could speak to her. On July 13, the Virgin of Fatima showed the children three visions about the fate of humanity in the 20th century, instructing them to tell no one their substance. The two younger children died in an influenza pandemic a few years after the sightings, but Lucia is now 94 and since 1929 has been a Carmelite nun in the nearby university town of Coimbra.

Twenty-four years after she was visited by the apparition, Lucia received an "inner locution" from Mary, allowing her to reveal the secrets she had kept about the first two visions. She told her local bishop; then, several years later, she told the world, in her memoirs. Interpretations abound, but most believe the first vision dealt with the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II and that the second prophesied the rise and fall of the Soviet Union.

The third vision was apparently so terrible that Lucia--known to Fatima devotees, affectionately, as Sister Lucy--kept it to herself until January 3, 1944, when she feared she was dying and sent a letter to the Vatican detailing what Mary had shown her. Until the day before I arrived in Fatima, only three popes and their most trusted advisors knew the contents of that letter. Pope John Paul II is said to have read it only after the attempt on his life in 1981, when he asked that the text of the secret be brought to him while he was recovering in the hospital.

John Paul has visited Fatima three times. On one visit, he donated one of his would-be assassin's bullets to the basilica (it was later placed in the crown of the Virgin statue). The day before my arrival, the Pope gave Fatima a gold ring that his mentor, Warsaw Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, had presented to him when he was elected pope. That same day, John Paul gave Fatima believers something else: the third secret.

Just after the pope beatified Jacinta and Francisco Marto, Cardinal Angelo Sodan, the Vatican secretary of state, explained to the multitudes in Fatima square that this third secret was in fact a prophesy of Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca's attempt on John Paul's life on May 13, 1981. The pope and many others believe it was the Virgin of Fatima who saved John Paul from death near St. Peter's Square--exactly 64 years after the apparition's first appearance above the oak tree.
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Pilgrims from the impoverished north of Portugal often make the stony final approach crawling on their hands and knees, with cloths to bind their bleeding wounds. Still to this day people make their way to the church on their knees. When we were there we saw quite a few people doing this; some with their bare knees against the marble path. It was such a surreal experience. The feeling that overcome my body is indescribable!!!!

After Fatima we made our way to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Batalha Monastery.  For me this was one of the most stunning architectural designs I saw on our whole trip. The detail, the size, the carvings all contribute to its uniqueness. It was built in 1388 after King João I made a vow to the Virgin that he would build a magnificent monastery if she granted him a victory over the Castillians in the Battle of Aljubarrota. 

 

Our next stop was the beautiful town of Nazare. I LOVED THIS PLACE!!!! This picturesque town lines the Atlantic coast and is known for the traditional clothing worn by fishermen and their wives. Unfortunately I didn't get an opportunity to snap any photoz of the the locals. We had  quite a bit of time to kill, so my mom, myself and our new English speaking friend Roxanne made our way to a little restaurant on the beach called Buba's. The seafood was DELICIOUS!  It was such a beautiful afternoon. Later on we found out you can rent an apartment here for $40/night in the down time! SWEET DEAL! Had we only known this beforehand!

And no...I wasn't intending to strike a pose! Hahahaha

Our last stop for the day was the tiny town called Obidos. which lies 100 km north of Lisbon and is without doubt one of Portugal's most classic walled settlements. This quaint town is famous for producing one of Portugal's most famous liqueurs called Ginja which is made from the Ginja berry (it looks very similar to a cherry). Each store that lines the cobblestone streets offered a shot of the alcohol for 1 euro. Well, my mom, Roxanne and I hit up quite a few of those stores. I mean, c'mon, the booze even came in a dark chocolate cup! SOLD! Unfortunately when we arrived in Obidos it was was getting dark, so the conditions were not ideal for taking pictures.

After our long day traveling around and seeing some amazing sites, we got back to our hotel and called it a night.

The next day we got up bright and early and made our way around Lisbon. One of  the highlights for my mom was taking the trolley up to the older part of the city. Once we arrived at the top and took in a great view of the city, it started to rain. Our trip was almost over and this was the second day we were stuck in rainy weather. Talk about luck!

One of the highlights for me was checking out the Torre de Belem.  It was built in the early 16th century in the Portuguese late Gothic style to commemorate Vasco da Gamaa's expedition. This defensive, yet elegant construction has become one of the symbols of the city, a memorial to the Portuguese power during the Age of the Great Discoveries.

 
I didn't have my camera out for much longer after this since the rain was so sporadic.  The next two shots are what Portugal is very famous for - citrus and wine!

That night we met up with Roxanne and went for a very fancy dinner at a Fado club. Fado is a genre of Portuguese music that can be traced backs to the 1800's. The music is characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. However, in reality Fado is simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain structure. There are commonly three people on stage at a time: the singer, a classical guitar player and a Portuguese guitar player. It was neat to experience a concert of a different sort. The food was scrumptious and the wine was flowing! It was a great night. It was fairly dark inside and I did not want to disturb the performers, so as you can imagine the majority of my pix didn't turn out. These two will give you an idea.

The next morning we flew out of Lisbon and headed to Amsterdam. Stay tuned for that post - the last one of my most recent travels! *sigh*****