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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Chiado


The Chiado is named for the poet, Antonio Ribeiro, the 16th Century poet from Evora. His nickname was Chiado which means "squeak."
The Armazens do Chiado is a shopping center at the bottom of Rua Garrett [where my hotel is] about 4 blocks. After being destroyed by fire in 1988 this and the adjacent Edificio Grandela were redesigned by Alvaro Siza Vieira. Inside the unspoiled exteriors is a modern 5-story shopping center. The 5th floor is a food court with FREE Wi-Fi. There is a great little shop there selling huge bowls of soups, usually 5 to choose from. It is a filling and healthy meal. The bowl, some bread and a beverage came to 3.50 EU. There is a huge sporting goods store in the basement, clothing shops, a McDonalds, L’Occitane, toy store, shoes, shoes and more shoes.
There are tiles everywhere, on the street, on the buildings, in the buildings. I will probably spend half the time I’m here photographing tiles.
I woke to the sound of rain at 6AM but it seems to have stopped. I plan a long day of walking. First I’ll check out the “continental breakfast” in the dining room [8AM to 10AM]. Coffee and Carbs should get me through to supper.
I got my Lisboa Card [32 EU] and hopped on the train for Sintra. They run about every 20 minutes and take about 40 minutes to get there. They stop at all the towns/cities in between. My train left at 10:01; at 10:11 we were in Santa Cruz/Damala. I mention this only because of the huge aqueduct there. I love aqueducts. At 10:15 we were going through Amadora which is covered with modern apartment houses covered in Tiles with contrasting color trim. They look like Louis Vitton luggage, Gucci boxes etc.
By 10:40 we were in Sintra. The Lisboa Card is magnetic; you don’t insert it in anything, you just pass it over a sensor. I got on the train and off the train without passing it over anything. I did have to show it to the conductor when he passed through the car. He nodded. I think it is general knowledge that if you want to ride between one or two cities you can hop off and hop on without any hassle.
Sintra is high above a beautiful [but well-inhabited] Valley. There are lovely old Homes, a church with a tiled tower, a grand palace with odd milk-bottle shaped chimneys.
But the Palacio de Pena is what I came to see. You can walk to it but it will take some time and energy; it’s quite a climb. I was already walking for a couple of hours and decided to take the bus. 4EU will get you to the top and back down again on bus #434. It runs intermittently but generally about every 15-20 minutes. It is a narrow one-lane, one-way road with switchbacks along the way. It costs 8 EU to see the palace and the gardens. I got in for 4 EU because of my Lisboa Card. OMG! Wait till you see the pictures. This is a fantasy castle to end all.

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