Visiting Obidos

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning we headed to the small village of Obidos. It was definitely a tourist town but fun to visit. It has a castle, good views, narrow lanes, churches and  beautiful tile work.

Seeing more around Lisbon

This morning we drove to the suburb of Belem where we visited the National Coach Museum which houses an unique collection in the world consisting of vehicles from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries including coaches, berlins, sedan chairs and carriages.

Then we walked around the port ares where the Portuguese ships left from during the age of exploration. There is a large monument there to honor explorers.

The harbor has a bridge that was designed byt the same architect that designed the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn't enter but saw the outside of the Jerónimos Monastery. it is a stunning 16th-century Manueline-style masterpiece of design. 

 

 

 

 

We had free time in the afternoon and after a nap I walked around a large park that across the street from our hotel. One of the buildings had several scenes made from tiles. Ornamental tiles are a well-know art form perfected by the Portuguese. There were many beautiful bougainvillea in the park. 

The day finished at a restaurant where we had a very good meal and listed to Fado music. Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal. Fado music is characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sense of resignation, fate and melancholy.

 

Learning about Lisbon and Portugal

This morning we visited the Queluz National Palace. It is an 18th-century palace and one of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe. The palace was conceived as a summer retreat for King Joseph I's brother, Peter of Braganza. It is modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France.

We drove to the seaside town of Cascais and had a guided tour about the town.  Interesting information is about the designs of the sidewalks in Portugal. In this picture you can see how the design creates an optical illusion. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a traditional Portuguese lunch in Lisbon and then had a walking tour of the city center. 

The fountains and sculptures in the major roundabouts remind me of the the ones in Rome. There is some urban art and many sidewalk cafes int he city center of Lisbon.

 

We ended the day with a lecturecby a university professor about the history of Portugal. I admit that I struggled to stay awake after a day of mostly outside activity and walking about 4 miles. 

First Day in LIsbon,, Portugal

I was in Oregon for a little over a week after my trip to Asheville, NC. Now I am on another Road Scholar trip and it is to see some of Portugal. I had an 9.5 hour overnight flight from Portland to London Heathrow airport and then a flight dwon to Lisbon. My high school classmate, Donna, had arrived earlier in the day. We met this morning for breakfast at the hotel. 

We decided to walk to a nearby park. There were three museums in the park and I wanted to see them and Donna decided to walk back to our hotel.   

The park had small lakes, families enjoying a lovely Sunday and some saundering on the trails.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't appreciate the art in the Modern Art Museum but many ot the items on display in the main museum were very lovely. I am extremely fortunate as it is another travel day with perfect weather.

I meet our tour leader and fellow Road Scholar travelers for a meeting and dinner thiw evening.  

Seeing more of Asheville and the area

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning Martha took me on a long walk in her neighborhood that is called Biltmore Forest. Biltmore Forest is an incorporated residential town situated just south of Asheville and nestled between the historic Biltmore Estate and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The land was acquired from the Biltmore Estate in the early 1920s following a recommendation to develop unused estate acreage. Walking the neighborhood is like going ona a tour of homes wih a golf course tucked in the middle.

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon Roger took me for a ride to the towns of Montreat ,where Billy Graham lived, and Black Mountain, which is a small artsy town. We drove through the campus of the Warren Wilson College. It tucked into the hillside of a mountain. On the way back to their home we stopped at the Blue Ridge Parkway National Park Visitor Center.

 

 

Another good day in Asheville

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left the mountain cabin mid-day and headed back to Asheville. The neighborhood where Roger and Martha live has some large homes. On a walk this afternoon we saw quite a few wild turkeys. They are large birds and are totally unafraid of humans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This evening Doug and Ann, who were on the trip I took to South America last February, came to Roger and Martha's home for a light meal and a good time of visiting. Still no rain even though it has been forecast that there is some. 

 

 

Saturday in North Carolina

This morning I woke up to bird songs and a light mist. The cabin where I am staying is an extremely peaceful place. Roger and Martha took me to Sylva. It is the county seat of Jackson County. The Jackson County Courthouse was constructed in 1914 and is located on a hill at the end of Main Street in downtown Sylva. Since 2011, the Jackson County Courthouse has been the site of the Jackson County Public Library after a new County Justice Center was built in 1994. The Tuckasegee River runs thought the town.

Roger and Martha's daughter and son-in-law came with their two children, Leo, age 3 and Lily, 11 months. It was fun to spend time with the grandchildren while the parents went to a wedding. Roasting marshmallows in the fire pit was a highlight for Leo.

 

Poppy duty for Roger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leo loved the marshmallows.