Where to, captain?
- Thread starter Brett-EDH
- Start date
Darryl - swazies
TVWBB Platinum Member
Another set of great photos.
This is a heck of a trip....if I don't get home from holidays in 7 days or less I am not sure what would happen......
Sounds like a once in a life time trip....get it all in while you are there I guess.............
This is a heck of a trip....if I don't get home from holidays in 7 days or less I am not sure what would happen......
Sounds like a once in a life time trip....get it all in while you are there I guess.............
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
we joke that we want to travel when we don’t need walkers or have to bring air in a can. So while we’re able bodied and can walk these steps, hills and super uneven roads. I’m telling you, my feet were in pain every evening from the cobblestones and uneven pavement. And I bought nice running shoes for this trip with major cushioning.
You’ll probably laugh when this is all done. We’ve got a ways to go here. Hang on for the ride.
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Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
Porto’s old town has very steep streets. It’d be tough to walk up with provisions and groceries. I’m not sure how the old city inhabitants did it.
Portugal and Spain were both very unkind to their Jewish populations. Unkind is an understatement here.
Portugal forced Jews to convert to Christianity and those who did were called New Christians, or Conversos. Those who secretly practiced Judaism were Crypto-Jews.
Portugal labeled each house of the Conversos by forcing them to mark their homes with a cross, usually forming a “T” where the Jewish Mezuzah was placed outside the home.
You can see many of these crosses at homes in the old quarters.
Climbing the stairs to where one of the synagogues used to be. All the Jewish cultural buildings were converted or destroyed by the Portuguese.
A random plaque placed in no specific area of the old Jewish quarter as Portugal is today, rewriting its history to “clean” it up to a more acceptable public level. I’ll avoid further public comment on this subject.
The church now occupies the land of the former synagogue. Note the simple language of the public marker.
A street marker denoting the old Jewish quarter.
The history in Porto is fascinating. Although physically, nothing remains of the Jewish community that thrived there for hundreds of years, the city understands its actions were humanly abhorrent.
On our way back to the cruise ship, the ship terminal building is art on its own.
There’s a very active and rich fishing history here. And some of the foods of Portugal are delicious. Think anchovies and sardines. Some of the better in the world. Personally, we liked the fish of the Mediterranean better than the North Atlantic. We’ll talk about that more later.
Our ship in port (in Porto). Had to say that
Next port? Lisbon!
Portugal and Spain were both very unkind to their Jewish populations. Unkind is an understatement here.
Portugal forced Jews to convert to Christianity and those who did were called New Christians, or Conversos. Those who secretly practiced Judaism were Crypto-Jews.
Portugal labeled each house of the Conversos by forcing them to mark their homes with a cross, usually forming a “T” where the Jewish Mezuzah was placed outside the home.
You can see many of these crosses at homes in the old quarters.
Climbing the stairs to where one of the synagogues used to be. All the Jewish cultural buildings were converted or destroyed by the Portuguese.
A random plaque placed in no specific area of the old Jewish quarter as Portugal is today, rewriting its history to “clean” it up to a more acceptable public level. I’ll avoid further public comment on this subject.
The church now occupies the land of the former synagogue. Note the simple language of the public marker.
A street marker denoting the old Jewish quarter.
The history in Porto is fascinating. Although physically, nothing remains of the Jewish community that thrived there for hundreds of years, the city understands its actions were humanly abhorrent.
On our way back to the cruise ship, the ship terminal building is art on its own.
There’s a very active and rich fishing history here. And some of the foods of Portugal are delicious. Think anchovies and sardines. Some of the better in the world. Personally, we liked the fish of the Mediterranean better than the North Atlantic. We’ll talk about that more later.
Our ship in port (in Porto). Had to say that
Next port? Lisbon!
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Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Great travelogue Brett! I wish I could be along for the ride! Sounds like you’re having a good time!
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
Lisbon, Portugal. We weren’t really prepared for what we’d learn on our tour.
Lisbon is a rapidly changing city. From what was a very poor and dilapidated and crumbling city, a renaissance is underway. That’s not all good.
Many locals can no longer afford to live in their own city center and foreign money has bought up a lot of the real estate.
On this block you can now find a few Michelin restaurants, Scarlet Johansson bought a building and Chef Jamie Oliver has opened a new restaurant. That gives you a hint at the money that’s flowed in over the past 8 years and only accelerated post pandemic.
The former Rothschild family bank which was a private lender/banking of the old Jewish community when Jews couldn’t bank in traditional banks.
Note, St. George’s castle in the distance, atop the highest point in Lisbon.
Note the white, multistory building in the dead center of this photo.
This is the location where 40,000 Jewish men were rounded up into a stockade for mass conversions, against the will of those men. Those who refused to convert were quartered for all the others to watch.
Here’s what Google says as it makes my posting a little easier than writing it all myself:
“
More from the Google:
“Lisbon's Jewish community faced forced conversions to Christianity in the late 15th century, leading to the creation of "New Christians" (Conversos) who secretly continued Jewish practices, and a tragic massacre in 1506
. While the city's Jewish quarter's physical remnants were largely erased by subsequent urban development and the 1755 earthquake, Lisbon now actively works to enhance its Jewish heritage through tours and memorials.“
The last sentence above is a massive stretch. Lisbon has a long way to go to own its past and to honor all those it slaughtered. Yes, changes have been made and are being made. But have you ever seen how long it takes to get molasses out of a jar? It’s really not that fast.
From our walking tour, we made our way through the three prior Jewish quarters. As the Jewish population grew over time, the Jewish community relocated to better serve the needs of its members.
The Carmo Convent Lisbon was a majestic Gothic church in Lisbon until it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755.
It serves as a museum of Lisbon’s history and has an area dedicated to the few Jewish ruins that have been recovered today.
Portugal on gained it’s democratic freedom on April 25, 1974, just 51 years ago.
Google:
“The "Lisbon Uprising" primarily refers to the
Carnation Revolutionof April 25, 1974, a nearly bloodless military coup that overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal and led to the end of its colonial wars and the establishment of the Third Republic. While the Carnation Revolution is the most prominent event, an earlier "Castle Uprising" occurred in Lisbon in 1928, a military and civilian revolt against the Military Dictatorship that was ultimately suppressed.“
Here’s an enlarged picture of that day in Lisbon:
The Carmo Convent has a small Jewish artifacts museum. Here’s a few pics of what’s been salvaged and discovered today:
A gravestone
A crypt of the former Lisbon Rabbi (also a doctor and teacher) as many learned people had many roles. The Rabbi was buried in this grand crypt as he helped treat and heal the King of Portugal. I guess that’s one way to get a good send off.
Carving on this crypt showing the Rabbi was also a doctor.
Another headstone. All this inscription is hand chiseled. Incredible to just think about it.
Hidden below the city at the mouth of the Tagus River, once stood a Jewish synagogue. It collapsed during an earthquake and subsequent tsunami that burried the low land of Lisbon.
It’s basically where the bay meets the land in this pic.
A Church now sits atop those buried ruins which are perfectly preserved around 10 meters below the current grade. There are hopeful plans in the works to unearth that synagogue and add the remains to a Lisbon Jewish history museum. Until that museum space is acquired and built, the goal is the keep the old synagogue burried as it’s the best way to preserve it until it can be preserved once unearthed.
Lisbon is a rapidly changing city. From what was a very poor and dilapidated and crumbling city, a renaissance is underway. That’s not all good.
Many locals can no longer afford to live in their own city center and foreign money has bought up a lot of the real estate.
On this block you can now find a few Michelin restaurants, Scarlet Johansson bought a building and Chef Jamie Oliver has opened a new restaurant. That gives you a hint at the money that’s flowed in over the past 8 years and only accelerated post pandemic.
The former Rothschild family bank which was a private lender/banking of the old Jewish community when Jews couldn’t bank in traditional banks.
Note, St. George’s castle in the distance, atop the highest point in Lisbon.
Note the white, multistory building in the dead center of this photo.
This is the location where 40,000 Jewish men were rounded up into a stockade for mass conversions, against the will of those men. Those who refused to convert were quartered for all the others to watch.
Here’s what Google says as it makes my posting a little easier than writing it all myself:
“
- Forced Conversion and "New Christians": In 1496-97, King Manuel I, under pressure to marry into the Spanish royal family and influenced by the Spanish Inquisition, decreed that Jews in Portugal must convert to Catholicism or face expulsion. Many Jews were forcibly baptized, becoming "New Christians," who, despite outwardly practicing Catholicism, often secretly maintained their Jewish faith.”
More from the Google:
“Lisbon's Jewish community faced forced conversions to Christianity in the late 15th century, leading to the creation of "New Christians" (Conversos) who secretly continued Jewish practices, and a tragic massacre in 1506
. While the city's Jewish quarter's physical remnants were largely erased by subsequent urban development and the 1755 earthquake, Lisbon now actively works to enhance its Jewish heritage through tours and memorials.“
The last sentence above is a massive stretch. Lisbon has a long way to go to own its past and to honor all those it slaughtered. Yes, changes have been made and are being made. But have you ever seen how long it takes to get molasses out of a jar? It’s really not that fast.
From our walking tour, we made our way through the three prior Jewish quarters. As the Jewish population grew over time, the Jewish community relocated to better serve the needs of its members.
The Carmo Convent Lisbon was a majestic Gothic church in Lisbon until it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755.
It serves as a museum of Lisbon’s history and has an area dedicated to the few Jewish ruins that have been recovered today.
Portugal on gained it’s democratic freedom on April 25, 1974, just 51 years ago.
Google:
“The "Lisbon Uprising" primarily refers to the
Carnation Revolutionof April 25, 1974, a nearly bloodless military coup that overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal and led to the end of its colonial wars and the establishment of the Third Republic. While the Carnation Revolution is the most prominent event, an earlier "Castle Uprising" occurred in Lisbon in 1928, a military and civilian revolt against the Military Dictatorship that was ultimately suppressed.“
Here’s an enlarged picture of that day in Lisbon:
The Carmo Convent has a small Jewish artifacts museum. Here’s a few pics of what’s been salvaged and discovered today:
A gravestone
A crypt of the former Lisbon Rabbi (also a doctor and teacher) as many learned people had many roles. The Rabbi was buried in this grand crypt as he helped treat and heal the King of Portugal. I guess that’s one way to get a good send off.
Carving on this crypt showing the Rabbi was also a doctor.
Another headstone. All this inscription is hand chiseled. Incredible to just think about it.
Hidden below the city at the mouth of the Tagus River, once stood a Jewish synagogue. It collapsed during an earthquake and subsequent tsunami that burried the low land of Lisbon.
It’s basically where the bay meets the land in this pic.
A Church now sits atop those buried ruins which are perfectly preserved around 10 meters below the current grade. There are hopeful plans in the works to unearth that synagogue and add the remains to a Lisbon Jewish history museum. Until that museum space is acquired and built, the goal is the keep the old synagogue burried as it’s the best way to preserve it until it can be preserved once unearthed.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
The 1506 Masacre
It is believed that over 4,000 New Christians (Jews) were killed in one day.
This explanation is a tad bit whitewashed but I don’t need to go further. You can learn more on your own. This isn’t a political post. It’s what I did on my summer vacation when your grade school teacher asks you to write your essay
“On the evening of 19 April, Dominican friars instigated the population to kill the new Christians. Between 2,000 and 4,000 people have died in a barbaric form, incinerated in piles in various parts of the city.”
The actual church is on the right in this photo.
Lisbon was an amazing place to visit. I should have paid better attention in school and history to know more of what happened there.
Europe has been one crazy experience so far. Her history is so rich and so troubling, all at once.
Next stop? I’ll let you guess a bit before the next chapter comes.
Hopefully you’re enjoying this as much as we did. Travel is one of the greatest things we can do as people. Learn about other people, cultures and their foods. I think it helps bring peace to a very chaotic world.
It is believed that over 4,000 New Christians (Jews) were killed in one day.
This explanation is a tad bit whitewashed but I don’t need to go further. You can learn more on your own. This isn’t a political post. It’s what I did on my summer vacation when your grade school teacher asks you to write your essay
“On the evening of 19 April, Dominican friars instigated the population to kill the new Christians. Between 2,000 and 4,000 people have died in a barbaric form, incinerated in piles in various parts of the city.”
The actual church is on the right in this photo.
Lisbon was an amazing place to visit. I should have paid better attention in school and history to know more of what happened there.
Europe has been one crazy experience so far. Her history is so rich and so troubling, all at once.
Next stop? I’ll let you guess a bit before the next chapter comes.
Hopefully you’re enjoying this as much as we did. Travel is one of the greatest things we can do as people. Learn about other people, cultures and their foods. I think it helps bring peace to a very chaotic world.
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Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
Thank you. We’ve had a great time on this journey. So much culture and history. Our view of things has definitely changed. We’re both (wife and I) grateful to be able to partake in this travel. We feel very fortunate, considering all the world events happening in real time around us.
