Castelo De São George

After a good 12 hours of sleep we managed to roust ourselves from our comfy bed. We planned to spend the day exploring the castle that overlooks the city so after breakfast we wandered down to the nearby square and boarded the bus that would take us up the steep, narrow, traffic-clogged street to our destination.

After a short walk from the bus stop, we passed through the gate into a large viewing area where a sculpture of Alfonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, stands. Henriques, assisted by northern European crusaders on their way to the Holy Land, captured the city of Lisbon from the Moors. The statue was given to the city of Lisbon by the city of Porto in 1947 to mark the 700th anniversary of that conquest.

The sky was overcast, but the view was still impressive - so many red roofs.

A flock of about 40 Indian peacocks freely roam the grounds.

Some interesting items are displayed in a small archaeological museum.

After emerging from the museum, we wandered on until we came to the imposing walls of the castle itself. The site at the top of the hill has been occupied since at least the 8th Century BC, but nothing much is known about what actually stood on the site at that time. During the Islamic occupation, the area was a walled residential city rather than a fort. It wasn't until the mid 13th century that the towers and walls that remain today were initially built.

You can climb up flights of steep, uneven stone steps and walk around the castle walls for more views of the city.

That evening we wandered the streets near the hotel looking for a place to have dinner. Outside each restaurant, one or two people stood trying to entice customers to enter. We stumbled upon a street that contained only restaurants, and after listening to the second promoter's spiel, we allowed ourselves to be led inside.

A basket of bread immediately appeared on the table, as is the local custom. Unlike American restaurants, this is not included in the cost of the meal. If you eat it, you will be charged a nominal fee. We ignored it, and after awhile it was removed to tempt another hungry diner.

The service was friendly and as time passed, the restaurant, which had been almost empty when we arrived, became more lively. Everything was surprisingly inexpensive, and we enjoyed our meal. I had cod covered with carmelized onions, and Walt had a veal dish with fries.

After dinner we returned to our room and watched another bad American science fiction movie with Portuguese subtitles.