Lisbon and around

Looking up Rua Vale towards the fine Baroque facade of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Mercês. The church forms part of the Convento de Jesus but now serves as a parish church for the Mercês area of Lisbon.

The original building dates back to the 16th century, but this was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. The current church is 18th century. Inside, it preserves a collection of architectural and decorative arts from the 17th and early 18th centuries.

It's worth strolling up Rua Vale to take a closer look at the church and the quiet square which it looks out over.

The view up to the Igreja de Santa Catarina in Lisbon. This fine Baroque church is located just west of Chiado and dates back to the 17th century. Originally part of the Convento de São Paulo da Serra da Ossa, these days it serves as a parish church.

Whilst the interior is quite imposing, yet restrained, the interior is fairly splendid - as you would expect from a Portuguese church.

Rua da Cruz dos Poiais is a charming little street in Lisbon, somewhat off the beaten track. It runs down the hill from the Principe Real area, skirting Estrela and the parliament. Not sure how I ended up here, but it's a nice find.

The name "Poiais" can mean one of two things; either a stone bench, or a high place. I would hazzard a guess the street name translates to "Cross of the high place".

I spotted this lovely ornate window / balcony whilst wandering around the area just south of Principe Real. The street is Rua da Cruz dos Poiais.

View of one of the funicular cars that run up and down the Ascensor da Bica. The little railway travels the steep slope between Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo, near Largo de Camões, and Rua de São Paulo, near Cais do Sodre.

There are two cars in operation at any one time, and they are connected by means of a cable and pulley. This means the cars act as a counterweight to each other. If, like me, you were thinking the track isn't wide enough to get the two trams past each other - it doesn't have to be, except at the point were they pass - which is always the same.

The statue of the legendary 16th-century poet dominates the square which is named after him - Praça Luís de Camões. Regarded as Portugal's most eminent wordsmith, Camões is to some extent a Portuguese equivalent of Shakespeare. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads).

The Statue of António Ribeiro is a much loved monument located in Chiado Square, central Lisbon. This larger-than-life bronze depicts the 16th-century poet and playwright, and dates back to 1925.

Ribeiro, was also known as "O Chiado", after which the square is named. He was a contemporary of writer Luis Camões, after which the adjacent square is named.

This was taken a good few years back. At this time Sintra was almost an undiscovered gem. Half the fantastical buildings dotted around the town seemed to be in some state of disrepair. Besides the fact some were falling down, this faded-grandeur added a certain amount of charm and mystery to the place.

I never really understood how all this prime, and often beautiful, real estate was so neglected. 

Anyway, fast forward fifteen or so years and things have changed. This building has now been completely renovated and is pristine. Still not sure what it is / was.

The view from Largo Dr. Gregório de Almeida towards the salmon pink of the Casa dos Penedos on the hillside. You also get a glimpse of the Palácio Valenças in the mid-ground - a former royal palace dating back to the 15th century.

The street here was named in 1920 after Gregório de Almeida, the"Father of the Poor" - a much respected local doctor and benefactor.

Os Perseguidos. The name translates to "The Persecuted" and this lifesize bronze sculpture was created by Pedro Augusto Franco dos Anjos Teixeira in 1969. 

The statue is located next to the Anjos Teixeira Museum in Sintra with the Palacio Nacional in the background. It represents the struggle for freedom, assumedly against the dictatorship which Portugal endured until the 1970s.

There is actually an identical statue in Almada - across the river from Lisbon - which is actually the original. This one was cast from the working model.