Day 9 - Trip Across the River to Cacilhas

Day 9 - Sept. 9, 2013


Got an early start to take the ferry across the Tagus River to Cacilhas. On our way to the ferry terminal, we walked through the Praca do Comercio, the grand square that is situated with the Tagus River on one side, and the streets leading to the Baixa/Chiado (the district of Lisbon where our apartment is) on the other.  Before we reached the center of the square, we noticed something odd on our left.  A museum of Beer???

Arco do Triunfo, leading to Rua Augusta, the main pedestrian shopping street in the Baixa/Chiado district of Lisbon

Bronze statue of King Dom Jose I, ruler during the great earthquake of 1755, sits center stage in Praca do Comercio

From here, we proceeded to the "river bus" or ferry terminal to take the 10 minute ride across the river to Cacilhas. Some beautiful views of Lisbon can be seen from there.  While on the ferry we were able to get a great shot of a colorful flagged ship, the bridge in the distance with our main destination of Cristo Rei in the background.

Once across, we stopped at the lighthouse and then walked over to view an old sail ship nearby, but came upon a cool and very old submarine, The Barracuda docked in front of it. 

The N.R.P. Barracuda after 40 years of service.  At the end of 2013, this will be a museum open to the public 

 

The Dom Fernando II e Gloria, a 50 gun battleship of the Portuguese Navy, had it's maiden voyage in 1845 and retired in 1878

 

Heading uphill on the main street, we made our way to catch bus 101 to take us to Cristo Rei, Christ the King statue.  It sits at the very top of Alameda/Cacilhas, so walking up is out of the question unless your geared for a strenuous hour walk.  Not!!  The statue is based on the one that sits atop a hill in Rio de Janiero, and looks out over the river and city of Lisbon.

From the top, it's beautiful looking out at the surrounding landscape of Lisbon.  The "April 25th Bridge" was constructed with a likeness of the Golden Gate by the same company, The American Bridge Company, and inaugurated on August 6, 1966.  It's the 23rd largest suspension bridge in the world.

25 de Abril Bridge

Here are some more photos looking out across the river from the top.

In the forefront, monument of Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Discoveries Monument) in the parish of Santa Maria de Belem, Lisbon

 

Looking at Belem Tower, or also called The Tower of St. Vincent

A view out to sea, where the Tagus River meets the Atlantic Ocean

After spending about an hour at Cristo Rei, we decided to make the walk down.  Coming down the main street close to the ferry terminal, we captured the festiveness of the area and felt like we were back in 1920's Chicago......

Bizarre!

 

Before heading back on the ferry, our plan was to stop and eat at a quaint little restaurant on the river next to the terminal, Farol.  It was highly recommended on Trip Advisor and reasonably priced compared to seafood restaurants in the heart of Lisbon.  Because the restaurant is noted mainly for fresh seafood and I prefer shellfish (which was quite expensive), I succumbed to ordering an octopus dish that was absolutely fabulous.  Terry ordered the grouper and was not disappointed in the least.  We ordered a bottle of "green wine" famous in Portugal which really is nothing more than a sparkling wine like champagne.  Terry wasn't fond of it, but was able to enjoy it with fresh squeezed orange juice for a Mimosa.  Both of us were happy then.

Farol Restaurant

Grilled Octopus with roasted potatoes smothered in onions and garlic

Grouper with roasted carrots, broccoli, and buttery potatoes

Vinho Verde (Green Wine)

We had a fantastic full day in Cacilhas and before going back to the apartment we decided to stop for a beer for Terry and wine for me.  Well, needless to say, I had my fill that day!  We had plans of going out for a stroll at night along the river, but by the time we got home, I was done.  I told Terry I'd be raring to go in about two hours, but never woke up and slept 15 HOURS!!  Whew!