The Portugal IL group had an amazing time taking in the Gothic architecture and peaceful ambiance of the Church of St. Dominic.
Day Two, Lisbon: Jenavi, Esha, Parker
Bom dia! On day two, we started with breakfast at our first hotel. There was a wonderful buffet of meat, bread, fruit, and yogurt. There was also an orange juice machine that pumped out scrumptious fresh OJ, and a coffee robot that made a variety of coffee beverages!
After breakfast, our lovely bus driver Antonio took us over to Parque Eduardo VII, named after King Edward VII. This is the largest park in Lisbon, and it is named after a British king. England and Portugal have had a strong relationship in trade since the fourth century! We saw some beautiful fountains and buildings (such as Pavilion Carlos Lopes), and had some free time to walk around, take pictures, see the beautiful gardens, and watch pigeons and dogs play in the grass!
After a brief moment of torrential downpour, we boogied on over to our next destination: Igreja de São Domingos, or the Church of St. Dominic. The church started to be built during the 13th century, and construction lasted all the way to the 15th century. Up until the 16th century earthquake, it was considered the largest church in Portugal. It was rebuilt after both the 16th and 18th century earthquakes. The Portugal IL group had an amazing time taking in the Gothic architecture and peaceful ambiance of the Church of St. Dominic.
Then we went to the Alfama district, the oldest in Lisbon. Historically, Alfama was a Muslim district. It still has many cultural landmarks in it today, such as Castelo de São Jorge (St. George’s Castle), a beautiful sight that we got to see more of on our second day. Many enjoyed walking around Alfama’s streets to see the sights closer to the river side and enjoyed shopping. Afterwards, we had dinner near Restauradores Square and then headed to our second hotel for a good night’s sleep. Boa noite!