Portugal Day 8
We traveled by metro and modern tram to Belem, a coastal section of the City which was the departure and arrival point for sixteenth and seventeenth century voyages of exploration and the site of the Jeronimos Monastery, the prime architectural attraction in Lisbon. But the line to get in and the press of crowds arriving by tour bus turned us away.
We walked along the shoreline past the 170 foot tall monument to the Age of Discovery commissioned by the dictator Salazar.
It glorifies the nation’s seafaring history during the 15th century and 16th centuries, which provided access to vast wealth, much in the slave trade, and the foundation of worldwide empire.
Returning to our home district of Mouraria, we ate lunch at Shi Mama Dumplings, a modest and very tasty Chinese restaurant across the street from 1908.
The late afternoon weather appeared promising for the postponed boat ride on the Tagus. We passed through the the restored Art Deco ferry terminal which used to provide the only accessa to the south of the country
before Salazar constructed a bridge resembling San Francisco’s Golden Gate.
The old boat with a crew of three carried about 40 people. It never hoisted sail and ran powered by its engine, but any disappointment was allayed by recorded Fado music and bottomless cups of white wine.
Overlooked by the St. George Fortress, the Plaza de Comercios we had walked through on our first exploration of the City shone as it must have for the returning explorers.
Fast asleep after that sea venture I was awakened at midnight by a phone call from from the man in California whom I’m dependent upon as the lead consultant for the awarded Agro-Eco Land Improvement Grant I’d been shepherding for the last six months. He said how are you doing. I said OK but it’s midnight and I’m Portugal. He said, Oh I forgot you were away. I need to talk to you about the budget. I dont know if we can do it. I said let’s talk tomorrow. He said I’ll call you about 2:00 p.m. your time. Despite my unease I got back to sleep.