Lisbon – Day 4 – Baixa and Chiado

The day started with an early morning walk in Parque Eduardo VII. Then Larry headed for MEF conference we are actually here for, and I headed back to the room to do some necessary computer work. We met for lunch at the conference, and then I went off to the Elevator de Santa Justa and to wander in Chiado, a higher section just west of Baixa.

I took the yellow line from Saldanha to Praça Marquês de Pompal. Praça Marquês de Pompal is at the base of the Parque Eduardo VII. Day 2 has a picture looking down the park to the statue.

So everywhere, and I mean everywhere, this is the pavement you walk on. Wear shoes with non-skid soles!

I took a side detour to one of the more famous pedestrian streets, Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, with some old, well-known restaurants.

At the end of the avenue, I entered to Praça Dom Pedro IV/Rossio square. At the edge of the square is the Rossio train station, built in 1892. I loved the main and auxiliary doors.

I walked through the square, and was soon at the Elevador de Santa Justa. The Elevador de Santa Justa (145 ft) is Lisbon's only remaining vertical elevator and connects Rua do Ouro in the Baixa to Largo do Carmo in the Chiado neighborhood. Chiado leads to the higher yet Bairro Alto. The elevator was designed by Raoul Mesnier de Poniard, a student of Eiffel.

Finally I’m in the elevator after a bit of a wait in line. There are actually two lifts that counter-balance each other.

At the top of the lift, there are spiral staircases (one up, one down) to a viewing area.

Looking south, here are pictures going from east to west. Had to add two more shots of the castle. Here you can see the outer wall, and the castle occupying a portion of the complex.

Next is the Sé Cathedral, built in the 12^th century where there was once a mosque, and rebuilt after the devastating 1755 earthquake.

Next is a shot looking down at Praća do Comércio and the Tejo (Tagus). Note the straight streets, as this area was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake that leveled the area.

So I have to borrow a picture from the Travel in Portugal website, one that I should have taken, but didn’t. It shows the bridge you walk across to actually get to the higher Chiado neighborhood the elevator has taken you to. The viewing area is above the top of the lift.

After walking around the narrow streets of Chiado for a while, I headed down to Baixa via the steps on Calçada do Duque, rather than the elevator, This is just one set of steps.

Back on Avenida da Liberdade/Praça dos Restauradores , I passed the other mechanical/electrical way to get between Baixa and Chiado, the Glória funicular, built in 1885. Not quite the bright yellow you would expect. Thinking it needs a paint job.

I continued to re-trace my steps and headed back and met Larry for the wine and refreshment reception at the MEF meeting.

Eileen and Larry Samberg

A log of our various hikes and travels

Lisbon – Day 4 – Baixa and Chiado

Monday, 13-Apr-2015