In our travels we have learned to pace ourselves a little, make sure there is downtime peppered through out the trip. Today was such a day, our Sintra tour took a lot of energy so we slept in before going out for some afternoon and evening activities. However with Lisbon having seven hills (sete colinas) like Rome one is always getting leg work in just by walking out the door.
Lisbon is home to the worlds oldest operating bookstore, Livraria Bertrand which was founded in 1732. It has moved several times due to disasters, etc but has persisted throughout. Being a bit of a bookworm I had to check it out. It was uphill from our hotel, of course.
“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx
After a little tram watching Carmo Archaeological Museum was the next stop. Founded as a convent in the 14th century, it was heavily damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, parts ot the church was reconstructed however the nave was left open to the sky making the surviving arches a unique sight to see. It became an archaeological museum in 1864 with the restored apse chapels used as exhibition rooms. The museum did play an important role in modern Portuguese history. From 1926 to 1974 Portugal was a dictatorship, by the 1970s the country was tired of economic strain and unpopular military campaigns in Africa. The military rose up in what became known as the Carnation Revolution (Revolução dos Cravos) and in an almost bloodless coup threw out the authoritarian government and put the country on a path to democracy. As events unfolded the last dictator, Marcelo Caetano holed up in the museum before surrendering. What a story this place has.
After more rest we dined at As Velhas which was recommended by a friend. The name means “The Old Women” and had some great comfort food.
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