Overwhelmed by Lisbon

Okay, it may have been the heat, the schedule for the Hop On-Hop Off bus or simply that it is a big city but I found Lisbon overwhelming.  As we are staying in Cascais, about a 45 minute drive away, obviously getting in and out of Lisbon takes time.  The first day, we caught the HO-HO bus and, while it was a lovely ride along the coastline through the seaside villages to get there, it took 1 1/2 hours.  Since the first bus was at 10 a.m., we didn't get there until nearly noon.  We spent some time wandering down the beautiful main avenue reminiscent of the Champs Elysees.  We then decided to take another one of the routes offered by the bus company.  We waited and waited but no bus came.  By then, we were hungry and tired so we simply went to a cafe for a salad and a drink then walked back to the terminus for the bus that would take us back to Cascais.  While I know there was probably lots of interesting sites to see, the heat was getting to us.  Sadly, we gave up!

The next day, we tried a different approach.  We took the train from Cascais to Belem (35 minutes) where two of Lisbon's UNESCO World Heritage sites are.  The train trip was only 5 Euros return and the trains go every 20 minutes - a lot more often than that HO-HO bus!  At Belem, we wandered over to admire the Age of Discoveries Monument and then walked through the gardens to the Jerónimos Monastery or Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.  It was clear from the hoards of people outside and long lines we wouldn't be visiting that!   

The other UNESCO site here is the Belem Tower which we had seen from the bus the previous day.  Because of the heat, it was a bit too far for us to walk to so we skipped that. 

Following is information from the Internet about the three main sites at Belem:

The Jerónimos Monastery or Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus River in the parish of Belém, a Lisbon municipality.  It was secularised on 28 December 1833 by state decree.  The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon.  It was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Tower of Belém, in 1983.

Belém Tower is a fortified tower also located in Belém.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with the nearby Jerónimos Monastery) because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries.  The tower was commissioned by King John II to be part of a defence system at the mouth of the Tagus River and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.  The tower was built in the early 16th century and is a prominent example of the Portugueseanueline style but it also incorporates hints of other architectural styles.

Also located on the river front there is the sail-shaped Age of Discoveries Monument.  Despite the fact this monument is not a historical monument proper, it does call forth one of the most thriving historical ages of Portugal, that is, the age of the great geographical discoveries, when Portugal would dominate the sea trade between the continents.  The Age of Discoveries started in 1415 with the capture of the North African city of Ceuta by the Portuguese and reached a peak at the turn of the sixteenth century when Vasco da Gama discovered a shorter route to India and Pedro Álvares Cabral discovered Brazil. The creation of trade posts and colonies on the new trade routes led to a Portuguese empire that spanned three continents, bringing wealth to Portugal and Lisbon in particular.

I am sure we missed a lot of what Lisbon has to offer but "it is what it is".  It was just too complicated, not to mention time consuming, to try to take the different bus routes to see it all.  Our plan for Wednesday is to have a relaxing day and just hang around Cascais.  It is a delightful spot with much to explore.