We took off walking late in the morning following a route set up by Rick Steve’s tour book.
Our first stop is the Sao Jorge Castle (pronounced Sow-zhorza). It’s a very large castle with ramparts and rooms but nothing else much to see except the view of the city from the top of the hill as well as the River Tagus or in Portuguese Rio Tejo.
Down the hill from the castle we found a delightful Tapas and Friends restaurant along the medieval streets across from the Largo San Miguel Cathedral. This area is called the Alfama District.
Nearby, in the Baixa District (pronounced bye-sha) we walked through the Market Square or Praca do Comercio with a statue in the middle of Pombal and the Arch de Triumph with Pombal on one side and Da Gama on the other. The Ave. Liberdade runs the length of the district.
In 1755 an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale hit Portugal and brought most of the city to ruins along with fire and tsunami. Prime Minister Pombal was given the task to rebuild Lisbon so he set up a better grid system, wider streets and avenues and buildings that could withstand any more quakes. That is the legacy of the Baixa District.
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