Baixa Chiado, Lisboa

Ola
We're planning on an easy day today (ha, likely story (!)). We're off to another area of Lisboa called Baixa Chaido (pronounced something like "bay shuh che ardo" - we'll master it one day!). It's the main downtown area between the hills and where all the main squares of the city area (ie Figuera, Rossio, Comercio) that we've been to quite a few times. We mainly travelled in the Metro which is the underground train system and it's a really good system. Interesting, the station for Baixa Chiado is about 5 flights of escalators underground!!

We go to check out the Convento Carmo, which is a Convent built around 1400. The roof fell in during the 1755 earthquake, so they removed all the rubble and started to restore it. But in the 1840s (during the renovation) there was a new "Romanticism" movement where they decided to keep ruins rather than fully restore things so they decided not to put a new roof on. So what is there now is the structure sans roof. But still its quite magnificent and there are many interesting artifacts around the walls. Also in the Sala rooms at the back are a lot of artifacts, and sarcophagus and mummies and tombs, plus an informative video presentation.

Good view of Convento - sans roof

Where's the roof!

Another shot at Convento - sans roof

One more shot of Convento without roof

Walls around Convento Carmo

Kerrie and Bob in mirror at Convento Carmo

Wall at Convento Carmo

Another small tomb at Convento

Mummies in Convento museum

One of the mummies

Outside, we went around the side and to the back to a nice view, particularly of the Escalator de Justa (what we called "Justa Escalator") which is still not operational following the "incident" with the yellow tram. The reason is that the same "maintenance" company that was looking after the yellow tram was also looking Justa Escalator - so they said "no way José", not using the escalator.

Justa Escalator

Justa Escalator

Went to the Cathedral but it is a fairly simple structure so only took an outside shot and one inside but decided not to pay an entry fee.

Cathedral ceiling and walls

Young students from the Business and Economics School performing in public square

Boys repairing cobble stone path!!

Good view down mall through archway

Bob on walkway overlookiing Baixa Chiado

View over Baixa Chiado district

After a disastrous attempt to find the bus stop to go to another attraction (it was raining, Google took us around in circles in a 100m radius in an open square and the stop still didn’t appear) - we got the shits and went home to dry off.

Had a relax and then went back out to Time Out Market for dinner again. Someone (guess who?) got talking to a Canadian couple while Bob was away in the long queue for glass of wine for guess who? Anyway , an hour and a half later and it’s 9.00pm and no dinner has been had!! So off to order - I have salmon (delicious) and Bob has Piri Piri Chicken (can’t get more Portuguese than that). A bit more chat, then a Gelato (small!), and back on train home, and late to bed at 11.00pm.

By the way, the weather during our trip has been amazing, lovely and sunny and a bit cooler in the mornings and evenings. It's a lot warmer than we thought it would be.

Adeus - off to pick up the motorhome tomorrow !