Amasinstra on the Douro River
Welcome to Lisbon April 14: We left Kelowna around 11 am and arrived at our hotel at what would have been about 4 am the next day in Kelowna. It was about noon in Lisbon. April 15: After checking into the hotel, we went for a short walk. One of the main squares in Lisbon was a short couple of blocks down the hill from our hotel. It is actually a roundabout, not a square. The statue on the column is: Prime Minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo with a lion beside him. He was responsible for rebuilding Lisbon after an earthquake in 1755 destroyed most of it. His vision for the city was to have wide streets. This was considered silly at the time, but today when two cars can pass each other easily in the parts he rebuilt compared to trying to navigate the narrow streets the original city…he was a genius. Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo The dining room in the hotel did not open until 7 pm, so we ate in the hotel lounge. Eventually we got used to eating at 7 pm, and 7:...