Lisboa

I’m young and I’m in Europe: two good reasons for someone to take an overnight bus to and from Lisbon, Portugal. Heading out with my roommate and a girl with whom I graduated from high school, we rode a bus through Thursday night to arrive in Lisbon at 5am. An hour behind Spain, we found ourselves sitting in front of the closed Metro station, eating our packed lunch. The ride and the wait were well worth it because we greeted Lisbon by sunrise. As morning dawned on the Portuguese city, monuments, palaces, castles, and the ocean sparkled in the light. The city lay crisp and cool, uninterrupted and still. We navigated our way to an open cafeteria for strong coffee and croissants. Europe is about eating, it really is. After our second breakfast, we found a small place to stay centrally located, dropped off our bags, and began our tour of this sweet city.

I don’t think I would ever travel to Portugal as a destination from the states, but it was a surprisingly lovely trip. We successfully navigated Metro, bus, train, and trolley. We traveled on Friday northwest of Lisbon to Sintra, a small town tucked into the hills. Sintra is the location of several National Palaces. We journeyed even further into the hills to see the Pena National Palace. What a gem! Intricate design and color surprised up. Ferdinand von Coburg Gotha, married to Queen Maria II (for all of you Portuguese royalty buffs) ordered this palace to be built in the 19th century. This romantic edifice blends artistic styles from Antiquity to the Renaissance, the art of the East, Arab-style domes, minarets and manuelino motifs. The palace was the refuge of the last king of Portugal went he went into exile before the country became a republic. The Palace enchanted us. The inside was ornately decorated, and an interesting look into 19th century opulence and royal life.

The Jeronimos Monastery looms large in Belem, a short trip east of the center of Lisbon, on the river. Like much of Europe, the interaction of the old and new always arrests me. You turn a corner, and suddenly, the Monastery faces you fully. Begun in 1501, the cathedral and the cloister feature a late-Gothic, early Renaissance design. While I have seen more monasteries, cathedrals, and palaces in the past month than in life in total, I’m still overwhelmed by the greatness. It is odd, though, to watch myself get used to the beauty and the greatness as it becomes apart of daily life. Oh, that it would always be powerful! We stopped at Pasteis de Belem for one of the best pastries I’ve ever eaten. Of the 100 employees of the pasteleria, only three know the recipe, and have signed agreements to never share the secret. Made since 1837, these pastries are the crowning jewel in a city famous for their pastries.

Our second day was overcast, and the sky spit at us much of the afternoon. The Torre de Belem and the Monument to the Discoveries sit on the Tagus River. Portugal’s history is consumed with discovery. The Discoveries monument is beautiful, but begs questions concerning whether discovery is something only to celebrate. I believe that discovery and pushing the limits of what we know is a human instinct. But, as a student of history, it is equally important to consider the ramifications of actions. Pushing the main discoverer on the monument are knights, royals, and men of the church. And this is a major part of considering the history of discovery: the church. The more I study, the more I realize that little of the subject of history can be separated from the history of the church. Understanding its role, and its thought process are helpful in deciphering the story we find ourselves in today as a church.

The Torre de Belem is the defensive complex constructed to protect the city. Erected between 1514 and 1520, this tower truly is a fortress. You’ll notice in the pictures that I just had to touch the ocean water. And in true Sarah fashion, ended up sliding in.

Our last stop was the site of the 1998 World Expo. Lisbon only made me love Spain and its culture more. I think Portugal is like the little brother of Spain. Much like Eastern Europe is only now coming into its own, Portugal, having been under a dictator for so long, is just beginning to explore democracy and questions of their identity. The World Expo site was a great testament to the desire of Portugal to move forward and take responsibility for its own growth. At the Expo site was a large, new mall. It was odd to see American and Spanish stores in a Portuguese mall in which you could smoke. The mall stood as a testament to Portugal’s strivings to make up for lost time.

Suddenly, we were climbing back onto the overnight bus. We were only in Lisbon for two days, but it had seemed like an eternity. All in all, time has been playing tricks on me. Full days and new experiences seem to be claiming time faster than ever before, but the days are still rich. And the discoveries, although they include both good and bad, are revealing much to me about this world and who I am in it.