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May 14, 2016, Saturday — Jeronimo Monastery, Lisbon, Portugal

The Moorish surrender to King Afonso at the 1147 Siege of Lisbon

The 1384 Siege of Lisbon in Froissart's Chronicles

16th-century illuminated manuscript of Lisbon, in the Crónica de D. Afonso Henriques by Duarte Galvao, depicting the castle and walls, including the Royal Palace (Alcáçova) (1505)

Ribeira Palace and Lisbon society, in 1662 - by Dirk Stoop. The Palace was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake and never rebuilt

The oldest known image of Lisbon (1500–1510) from the Crónica de Dom Afonso Henriques by Duarte Galvão

Section of the Cerca Velha (Old Wall) of Visigothic origin in about 600 AD

São Jorge Castle (St. George Castle) and the surrounding areas of Castelo and Mouraria

Praça de Camões at Christmas

panorama of Lisbon

Alfama, with the churches of S. Vicente de Fora, S. Engrácia, and S. Estêvão, and the Tagus behind

Rua Augusta Arch, in Downtown Lisbon

Statue of poet António Ribeiro, the "Chiado", in the Chiado Square

A view of the Parque das Nações at night, with Vasco da Gama Bridge in the background

A view of the city with Lisbon's cathedral in the background

view from Hotel Mundial

view from our hotel (Hotel Mundial) of Martim Moniz square

A busy day, today. First a city tour where we saw the statue of King Joao I, named king of Portugal in 1385, then the statue to the Marques of Pombal, who oversaw the reconstruction of the city after the disastrous 1755 earthquake and tsunami. We went to the highest point in Lisbon, in Edward II Park to see panoramic views of the city.

views from our hotel (Hotel Mundial)

streetcar

school kids dancing in the street

statue of King Joao I (King John I) who was named King in 1385

mosaics in the parks

In Parque Eduaardo VII, a statue to the Marques of Pombal, who oversaw the reconstruction of the city after the disastrous 1755 earthquake and tsunami (and after the cowardly King abandoned his subjects and decamped)

St. George Castle from Parque Eduardo VII

fountain that commemorates the revolution of 1974

at the base of the Marquis of Pombal’s statue are scenes of commerce and building after the 1755 earthquake

even the "Auto Palace" has beautiful ceramics on their walls

Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

nice modern mosaics, too

modern mosaic

wall art

May 14, 2016, Saturday — Lisbon Cathedral

We went to the Igreja Conceiçao Velha (Lisbon Cathedral). Lisbon has been the seat of a bishopric since the 4th century AD. After the period of Visigothic domination the city was conquered by the Moors and stayed under Arab control from the 8th to the 12th century, although Christians were allowed to live in Lisbon and its surroundings. In the year 1147, the city was reconquered by an army composed of Portuguese soldiers led by King Afonso Henriques and North European crusaders taking part on the Second Crusade. A new cathedral was built on the site of the main mosque of Lisbon.

Lisbon Cathedral, or Igreja Conceiçao Velha

Juan-José Perez talks to us about the Cathedral and its history

main altar

Luís Vaz de Camões tomb

stained glass and vaulted ceilings

stained glass and vaulted ceilings

local guide Alejandra Bartolo talks to us about the Cathedral while Judy Beck, and Val Burgess, with Ed Barrett and Terry Adams in back listen

main altar of the Lisbon Cathedral, or Igreja Conceiçao Velha

close-up of the main altar of the Lisbon Cathedral

rose window

rose window with Christ on the Cross

one of the many confessional doors

Luís Vaz de Camões tomb

When we left the Cathedral we were given a great surprise. Juan-Jo had arranged to buy us each a Pastel de Belem, a scrumptious egg-custard. Pastéis de nata were created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Jerónimos Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém, in Lisbon. These monks were originally based in France and loved these pastries which could be found in local French bakeries. At the time, convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg-whites for starching of clothes, such as nuns' habits. It was quite common for monasteries and convents to use the leftover egg yolks to make cakes and pastries, resulting in the proliferation of sweet pastry recipes throughout the country. Following the extinction of the religious orders and in the face of the impending closing of many of the convents and monasteries in the aftermath of the Liberal Revolution of 1820, the monks started selling pastéis de nata at a nearby sugar refinery to secure some revenue. In 1834 the monastery was closed and the recipe was sold to the sugar refinery, whose owners in 1837 opened the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém. The descendents own the business to this day. There is always a huge line of people waiting to buy these pastries, so I didn’t think we’d get any, but Juan-Jo got them for us! They were GREAT!

Pasteis de Nata
Portuguese Custard Tarts
Makes about 40 pastries

INGREDIENTS

For the pasteis de nata dough

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus two tablespoons water
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, stirred until smooth

For the custard

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk, divided
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks, whisked
For the garnish
Confectioners’ sugar
Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Make the pastéis de nata dough

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour, salt, and water until a soft, pillowy dough forms that pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 30 seconds.
Generously flour a work surface and pat the dough into a 6-inch square using a pastry scraper. Flour the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Roll the dough into an 18-inch square. As you work, use the scraper to lift the dough to make sure the underside isn’t sticking to your work surface.
Brush the excess flour off the top of the dough, trim any uneven edges, and, using a small offset spatula, dot and then spread the left 2/3 portion of the dough with a little less than 1/3 of the butter being careful to leave a 1 inch plain border around the edge of the dough.
Neatly fold the unbuttered right 1/3 of the dough (using the pastry scraper to loosen it if it sticks) over the rest of the dough. Brush off any excess flour, then fold over the left 1/3 of the dough. Starting from the top, pat down the dough with your hand to release any air bubbles, and then pinch the edges of the dough to seal. Brush off any excess flour.
Turn the dough 90° to the left so the fold is facing you. Lift the dough and flour the work surface. Once again roll it out to an 18-inch square, then dot the left 2/3 of the dough with 1/3 of the butter and smear it over the dough. Fold the dough as directed in steps 4 and 5.
For the last rolling, turn the dough 90° to the left and roll out the dough to an 18-by-21-inch rectangle, with the shorter side facing you. Spread the remaining butter over the entire surface of the dough.
Using the spatula as an aid, lift the edge of dough closest to you and roll the dough away from you into a tight log, brushing the excess flour from the underside as you go. Trim the ends and cut the log in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or preferably overnight. (The pastry can be frozen for up to 3 months.)

Make the custard

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and 1/4 cup milk until smooth.
Bring the sugar, cinnamon, and water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 220°F (100°C). Do not stir.
Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, scald the remaining 1 cup milk. Whisk the hot milk into the flour mixture.
Remove the cinnamon stick and then pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream into the hot milk-and-flour mixture, whisking briskly. Add the vanilla and stir for a minute until very warm but not hot. Whisk in the yolks, strain the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside. The custard will be thin; that is as it should be. (You can refrigerate the custard for up to 3 days.)

Assemble and bake the pastries

Heat the oven to 550°F (290°C). Remove a pastry log from the refrigerator and roll it back and forth on a lightly floured surface until it’s about an inch in diameter and 16 inches long. Cut it into scant 3/4-inch pieces. Place 1 piece pastry dough, cut side down, in each well of a nonstick 12-cup mini-muffin pan (2-by-5/8-inch size). Allow the dough pieces to soften several minutes until pliable.
Have a small cup of water nearby. Dip your thumbs in the water, then straight down into the middle of the dough spiral. Flatten it against the bottom of the cup to a thickness of about 1/16 inch, then smooth the dough up the sides and create a raised lip about 1/8 inch above the pan. The pastry sides should be thinner than the bottom.
Fill each cup 3/4 full with the slightly warm custard. Bake the pasteis until the edges of the dough are frilled and brown, about 8 to 9 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the pasteis to cool a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack and cool until just warm. Sprinkle the pasteis generously with confectioners’ sugar, then cinnamon and serve. Repeat with the remaining pastry and custard. These are best consumed the day they’re made.

Planetarium C. Gulbenkian

house and vegetable garden

ceramic facade

museum of combatants

We then traveled to the Belém Tower, one of the most famous and visited landmarks in Portugal. Its construction was initiated in 1515 and completed in 1519. It is on its own tiny island just off the coast. You can get to it by walking across a wooden bridge.

The Belém Tower

statue to the plane that transited the Atlantic before the Spirit of St. Louis, going from Lisbon to Brazil

in Thailand, I'd call this a Tuck-Tuck

May 14, 2016, Saturday — Discoveries Monument

lighthouse

Discoveries Monument, built on the north bank of the Tagus River in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator.

It represents a three-sailed ship ready to depart, with sculptures of important historical figures such as King Manuel I carrying an armillary sphere, poet Camões holding verses from The Lusiads, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Cabral, and several other notable Portuguese explorers, crusaders, monks, cartographers, and cosmographers, following Prince Henry the Navigator at the prow holding a small vessel. The only female is queen Felipa of Lancaster, mother of Henry the navigator, the brain of the discoveries.

Right next to that is the Monument Map of Portuguese discoveries, a huge marble map of the world showing Portuguese discoveries and ships.

Portuguese explorers began colonizing parts of Africa and Asia at the beginning of the 15th century. Vasco da Gama set sail for India from Lisbon in 1497, and the city became a center for successful voyages of discovery throughout the East and the New World for the next 300 years. The immense riches brought back by these explorers and navigators ushered in a period of building and expansion that gave birth to the new Manueline architectural style, with its ornately carved decorative motifs.