Yesterday we caught a taxi to town and he drove down the Agenda da Liberdade, a very long and wide street with walking paths and gardens on each side, and flanked by all the high end fashion brands from around the world. Dotted amongst it all were statues, monuments and fountains. So today we got dropped off at the top of the avenue and walked it.

Still lots of interesting architecture.

A monument to A D Pedro IV, was the first Emperor of Brazil and later King of Portugal. A son of Lisbon naturally.

Interesting telecoms installation.

Now that’s how to paint a house.

A monument to the 1st Marquis of Pombal who was responsible for the rebuilding of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake.

A note on the earthquake since it is often mentioned. Of the 200,000 residents of Lisbon at the time, 30,000 died as a result of the earthquake and resulting fire. 85% of all establishments were destroyed or badly damaged. The earthquake lasted 6 minutes.

Some of the beautiful detail of the monument.

Tree lined and beautifully tiled walking path each side of the avenue.

Oliveira Martins, historian, politician and social scientist.

A block of Armani and Prada.

Prada House.

A monument to the fallen in the Great War.

Simon Bolivar, the leader of South American independence.

The gardens in this town really are amazing.

Manuel Pinheiro Chagas, writer, politician and playwright with one of his characters.

A monument commemorating the Restoration of Independence from Spanish rule in 1640.

The main railway station. Inside is very disappointing.

Entrance to the station.

A National Guard on duty in front of the National Guard barracks. It was here that the revolution from 50 years of dictatorship began as the Prime Minister was hiding inside. The guard is probably waiting for the next revolution.

This was a fascinating visit ti the church of the Carmo Convent. It was built in 1389 and continuously and sumptuously expanded until the 1755 earthquake. It was destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent fire.

It was quite surreal to walk among these towering ruins of what was obviously a church, with blue sky above.

Next on the list was Jeronimos Monastery which is a must see in Lisbon. However tickets were sold out for today so we will have to come back tomorrow.

In 1837 Pasteis de Belem invented the Portuguese Tart, They are still making them and are still in huge demand. Having become a connoisseur since arriving in Portugal, I can safely say theirs is the best Portuguese Tart I have ever had.

The line up was huge but Collette somehow managed to find a side door and get our tarts quickly.

A wonderful old shop. These guys were extremely busy. All the tarts are hot as well.

To finish the day we had a walk through the extensive gardens in front of the Monastery on the way to the riverfront.

That’s a restaurant.

One more monument for the day. The Monument to the Discoveries, 52 m high in limestone, celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery.

Some prominent figures in Portuguese discovery, led by Prince Henry the Navigator.

If the bridge looks familiar it is because it was built by the same company that built the Golden Gate. Tomorrow we drive over the bridge to visit that monument and head south towards Lagos.

David & Collette