Ship Happens in Portugal

Prior to leaving Dublin, I had heard the ship was going to be heading into a storm prior to reaching Lisbon, Portugal. We had decent weather up to that point in the entire voyage, but I knew it couldn’t last forever. Apparently seasickness is easier to prevent than to treat, so I didn’t risk it and took some meclizine as a precaution. The ship was rocking the entire two days we were at sea, but the first day and a half were pretty typical. Swaying back and forth, occasionally losing your balance and running into a wall…you know, the usual. However, the night prior to reaching Portugal was rough seas with 13-foot swells. It was impossible not to feel the ship moving, all the outside areas were closed off, and the 2nd deck portholes were closed (because if the seas are rough enough, they can sometimes break…no thanks!). Not everyone managed the rough waves, as there was an interport lecturer, who had just gotten on the ship in Dublin. She did not make it half-way through her presentation before seasickness caught up to her. In addition, I heard people were getting airborne in their beds (ie: which I don’t doubt). Finally things all around seemed to be falling. My cabin was good, but even lying down I could hear things rolling back and forth or loud thuds on the ground in the cabins next door to me. I asked people who have been on past voyages to rank the rocking from 1-10; most said it was an 8 and some said it was the worst they have been in for an extended period of time (the really rough seas probably lasted 6 hours or so). Truth be told, besides struggling to walk or going up steps, it didn’t bother me at all. The rocking put me right to sleep (though I stayed up till 3am to catch up on blog posts, so maybe I was just too exhausted) and I didn’t wake up till my alarm went off at 6:30am, so I could watch the ship come into the port of Lisbon. As we passed under the 25 de Abril Bridge (or 25^th of April Bridge…Freedom Day in Portugal) and by the Cristo-Rei (Christ the King statue measuring 92ft tall (6ft shorter than Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janiero)…overlooking the Tagus River), we were riding calm seas and the view of the city was fantastic!

25 de Abril Bridge (above) & Cristo-Rei (above and below) in Lisbon, Portugal

The MV Explorer came to port in a perfect location. The ship was in the Jardim do Tabaco, right next to the city center and a few major landmarks. Unfortunately, I was on-call the entire first day in Lisbon, so after helping with the disembarkation of the ship, I went back to bed. I had a relaxing and quiet day on the ship as everyone else seemed to head out right away to explore or travel. Moreover, many people were choosing to do overland travel between Lisbon, Portugal and Cadiz, Spain. This meant individuals didn’t have to come back to the ship prior to the ship leaving Portugal, but just needed to be on the ship prior to leaving Cadiz five days later. This meant SASers were heading to Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, and elsewhere to spend their 5 days on the Iberian Peninsula. Unfortunately, I had to be on the ship, as I was on-call during the “in-transit” day to Cadiz.

In the afternoon, I decided to take a 30-minute break from the ship and run around to see as much as possible in the city. RDs who are on-call can leave the ship for three 30-minute breaks, so long as they stay within sight of the ship and have some way to get contacted. I power walked to the Terreiro do Paço (the Commerce Square) where I saw a statue of King José I. He led in the rebuilding of the city after a giant earthquake followed by a tsunami and fire destroyed most of Lisbon on November 1, 1755. I was looking to run to one more place before heading back, when I ran into an RD, Patrick. Turns out Patrick was heading back to the ship to do a few things and then staying for dinner, so he volunteered to be on-call for me for about 2 hours, to give me more time to wander the city. Did I mention the staff I work with are awesome…this is just one of many examples! 

Terreiro do Paço & the statue of King José I

With the additional time, I decided to walk (no need to continue speed-walking) the entire city center and saw the Lisbon Cathedral (a Roman Catholic Cathedral, the oldest church in the city, and the seat of the Archdiocese of Lisbon) and the Santa Justa Lift (built in 1901, it is the only remaining vertical lift in the city and stands 148ft tall), before heading to the Costelo De Sao Jorge. I started navigating the roads and soon saw a similarity to Brussels. Lisbon does not have a grid system in place; instead, there is no rhyme or reason to the direction of streets (meaning a street can connect with another street at any other possible angle, except apparently perpendicular). Now the castle was situated at the top of a hill and I quickly realized I actually didn’t need to follow a map to get to the castle. When I came to an intersection, I looked at all possible roads and chose whichever one was the steepest uphill climb (no matter the direction it was going). I repeated this step six times or so and successfully made it to the ticket office of the castle. Roman Victor!

The Lisbon Cathedral & the Santa Justa Lift

This national monument occupies a privileged area of the old medieval citadel and consists not only of the castle, but the ruins of the former royal palace and part of the neighborhood for the elite. Although the first fortification on this hilltop dates to the 2^nd century BC, archaeologists have identified a human presence as far back as the 6th century BC. The Moors rebuilt this fortification in the mid-11th century on top of the hill because it was the most difficult place to access in the city. The fortification was not meant as a residence, but instead a place where military would be housed in case of a siege. It wasn’t until the 13th century that it became the home for the Royalty, and was the place of coronations during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. Walking the old castle and the ruins was extremely interesting, but another highlight of this monument was the excellent views of Lisbon.

Views from the Costelo De Sao Jorge

After snapping plenty of pictures, I headed back to the ship (this time choosing the most downhill street at each intersection, eventually making it to the dock) to relieve Patrick. I was on-call till 8:00am and I pretty much worked the entire night/morning. In a future email, I will explain my evening on-call responsibilities while in port…and possibly share a few stories. Just know the shift is not fun or exciting (though sometimes the stories can be…especially after the fact). It was a rough night, but as we RDs say on the MV Explorer, “Ship Happens.”

After being relieved from my on-call responsibility at 8:00am, I immediately boarded a bus for a SAS Field Program. I was heading to Sintra & Pena National Park, a short 45-minute drive from Lisbon. On the drive to Pena Park, the bus passed lots of public squares, parks, and museums. Our tour guide would chat about them as we quickly went by, but I realized there was a ton I didn’t do/see in the city. Our program started with a visit to Pena National Palace, which is situated in Pena Park, a wooded area with a scattering of lakes. It would have been ideal to wonder around the area, but we were on a schedule (besides…it was raining and that put a damper on being outside for extended periods of time…somewhat literally). The palace is a national monument constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th century romanticism. The architecture is an intentional mixture of eclectic styles including, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, neo-Islamic, and Neo-Renaissance. The Palace is associated with the Portuguese Discoveries and constructed from an original convent that was built to celebrate the first sight of Vasco da Gama’s (a Portuguese explorer and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India) returning fleet. Afterwards we headed to the town of Sintra, which along with Pena Palace, Sintra National Palace, and Castelo Dos Mouros, has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. After wandering in the village and seeing the Sintra National Palace (outside) we headed to a local restaurant for a traditional Portuguese meal.

Pena National Palace

Dining Room in Pena National Palace (imagine a Vale Brunch here!)

Sintra National Palace

The meal was a 3-course meal consisting of an array of appetizers (prosciutto, cheese, bread, and salad); vegetable and lentil soup; and a main course of espetada (or marinated beef on a skewer), French fries, and rice. The entire meal was delicious and when they noticed a plate was empty, the servers would just come back to the table and offer more. After the filling lunch, the bus headed to the small beach/resort town of Cascais. We had beautiful coastal views almost the entire drive and the sun finally came out, making it even more pleasant. We had around an hour to wander around the town, sit by the water, and just relax in the sun. We made it back to the ship at 1700. Luckily, since 400+ participants were traveling overland between Lisbon and Cadiz, the RDs did not have to work our usual Embarkation shift. Instead, similar to the students, we didn’t have to be on the ship till “on-ship” time, which was scheduled for 1900. Thus, when I made it back (even though I was exhausted from not sleeping the previous night), I dropped off everything but my camera, and headed back out to explore more of Lisbon.

Students enjoying plenty of espetada!

Beach Town of Cascais

There were a few noteworthy landmarks near the ship I hadn’t seen, so I headed in their general direction. They too were up on the hill overlooking the Tagus River, so I followed my rule and started going up the steepest streets until I ran into the sites. My first stop was the National Pantheon. I walked in at 5:05pm and saw the ticket office closed at 5:00pm (though I noticed a sign saying it was open till 6:00pm). I greeted the man at the ticket office with as friendly an, “Olá” as possible and followed it up with, “Você fala Inglês,” which means, “Do you speak English?” He confirmed he did, so I started chatting with him about anything/everything. He was a talker and soon was explaining his life to me, which includes spending time traveling through the east coast of the US and he was actually looking to move to Boston at the beginning of 2014. After chatting for about 15 minutes, he allowed me entrance to the National Pantheon and explained which order I needed to see things in, to make the most of my final 40 minutes there. A benefit of being the last one in the door (by 20+ minutes) was that I felt like I had the place to myself (I practically did, as there were less than 10 people in it at the time). It is a beautiful building and the interior of the church is dominated by curved spaces of the central crossing and naves. The Pantheon stands on a hill overlooking the Tagus River and is an icon of Lisbon’s cityscape. The construction of the Church of Saint Engrácia began in the 16th century, but was not officially completed till the 20th century, when it was converted into the National Pantheon. In addition, important Portuguese personalities are buried at this site: 4 Presidents of the Republic (including the 1st elected president in 1911, Manuel de Arriaga), writers, and even a famous fado singer (a music genre traced back to 1820s Portugal, often characterized by mournful tunes/lyrics and linked with a feeling of loss). A visitor can climb to the dome and walk out on a terrace, which has a majestic view of the city, the river, and even the MV Explorer! The entire time I explored the National Pantheon, a recording of a women singing opera was playing (I wish it would have been an actual person practicing) and echoing throughout the building. It was beautiful and reminded me of the scene in the Shawshank Redemption, where the inmates stand in awe at a wonderful opera voice playing from the loudspeakers. Before exiting, I finished off the few Portuguese phrases I know, by telling the employee, “Obrigado. Tengo un bon dia!” (Thank you and have a nice day). The visit to the National Pantheon was a highlight of my time in Lisbon!

National Pantheon in Lisbon, Portugal

View of the MV Explorer (aka: Home) from the Terrace of the National Pantheon

I wandered around the city a little longer, passing the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (a 17th-century church and monastery, founded by the first Portuguese King Afonso Henriques) and finally heading back to the ship. By exploring the city, I had effectively missed dinner, so I went to purchase food from the Pool Bar (in the aft of deck 7) for the first time on the voyage. The menu actually has plenty of options, so I chose a chicken sandwich and fries (not very Portuguese, but the options are limited on the ship), which actually hit the spot. I won’t use this option often on the voyage, but it’s nice to know it’s there, if needed. The ship left Lisbon at 6:00am the next morning and we were headed for one full day of travel at sea to Cadiz, Spain.

My experience in Portugal (though it was limited) was very positive. The people there were extremely friendly and seemed to all speak English (and didn’t seem annoyed doing so). I will add that I used the few phrases I learned while purchasing a bottle of wine to bring back on the ship and the women working the register started rambling in Portuguese to me. I had to explain (in English because I didn’t learn those specific phrases in Portuguese) I don’t speak Portuguese and the woman was shocked. She complimented me on my pronunciation and explained I completely fooled her as she thought I was Portuguese. Success! Well…kind of. I’d make my new goal to make at least one person in each country think I’m a local, but I don’t want to disappoint myself…as I doubt I have any chance of passing as a local in both Morocco or Ghana.

Clearly...Lisbon, Portugal Loves Me & Wants Me to Return!

Vamos a ir a España!

"Luck? Perhaps. But more often, I dare say, luck is simply the advantage a true warrior gains in executing the correct course of action."