Quick side note: A man told us that if they covered 1/7 of the Sahara desert with solar panels, it would supply electricity to all of Europe. Something to think about.
Made it back to Casablanca quickly on the bullet train and had a room booked at the Ibis where we spent our first night here. It's the only place that's had a hair dryer! We had a bit of repacking to do & some shopping for a couple items we were getting short on. We enjoyed another walk through the old Medina and rode the trolley one more time. We found the restaurant we like and Rog ordered a cheeseburger admitting he was tired of the different foods he's been eating. Tomorrow starts our final destination: Portugal..
We were up early to catch the train to the airport and had no problems getting to Lisbon. My first impression was Lisbon is so colorful & decorated with such gorgeous tile which often covers the entire 5-10 story buildings! Balconies, flower pots, laundry lines, attic towers, huge wooden doors and lots of church steeples! we made it to our Airbnb using the subway. It's on the 3rd floor of an old building but in beautiful condition. we have a small bedroom and use of bathroom, kitchen & living area. After we settled in, we went off exploring. Found a nice grocery store so got cheese & ham sandwiches & an orange and ate in a nearby park. It was a bit chilly so we headed back to our airbnb by 7. Spent the rest of the evening visiting with our roommates, 2 girls from Germany and making plans for the next several days.
Next morning we woke up early & headed to the historic Alfama district with cobblestone streets & sidewalks and more unique & gorgeous buildings. When we were near the top of a hill, we had a great overview of the city. We also noticed the famed Tram 28 was about to stop right by us so we hopped on & off it went…just us & 2 other riders. It squeezed through the narrow streets going up & down the hills & around the curves jerking us around. Totally fun. We headed to the Museum National de Azulejo-the tile museums. Imagine finding the pieces & recreating the work artist did centuries ago! Impressive in so many ways! The colors were so vivid & detailed. The murals full of action. The effort it took to create the masterpieces the first was impressive…and then someone had to do it again. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle! The museum was housed in an old convent that included a massive and extremely ornate church. It always makes me sad to see the time & money that was spent on these churches because you know who's time & money it was…the poor. I totally believe God must shake his head & wonder how Jesus' message of living simply for the good of all got so messed up.
Next we tried to find the Maritime Museum. It took awhile but we (Rog really) succeeded. Portugal was the country that sent explorers out onto the unknown Atlantic Ocean to find Africa & eventually India. Their brilliant Henry the Navigator opened up the world an gave Portugal control over much of it. Their mathematicians designed the astrolabe—which many today say was as important as the discovery of GPS. Seeing the early sailing boats & reading about the maritime adventures was interesting. The Maritime Museum was housed in a historic monastery known as Mosterio drs Jeronimos & is one of the most popular tourist spots. I had hoped to visit it also but there was a sign saying it was closed due to a strike. I was bummed but Rog was relieved not to have on more museum to wonder through.
Next we took the bus to Belem. In this quaint little village we found the bakery that Mariam told us make the most delicious de Pasteis de Nota. She was so right! We kinda got lost on our way back but eventually found our street, picked up a baked chicken & some rice at the grocery store and ate dinner in our bnb. Tired but glad to have seen lot of Lisbon!
