Exploration and Discovery
Good morning from Lisbon on a rainy Monday. The sun and rain do a constant dance here in Lisbon, at least as far as I can tell. Lots of on and off rain all day, mixed with bursts of sunshine. I just got back from breakfast — coffee con liete and a crossaint — I stood at the counter in the pasteleria and ate like the Portuguese do. I´ll be heading south to Faro in the Algarve this evening, but will enjoy a lazy final day here in the city.
Yesterday was another busy one, full of discovery, exploration, lots of walking and some spirituality too, perfect for Sunday. I´ll have to give more details in emails and letters to some of you, but here is a quick snapshot of the day:
I started at a fascinating exhibit all about St. Francis Xavier, which is part of the Jubilee 2006 festivities surrounding the anniversary of the birth of Xavier and Faber, and the death of St. Ignatius Loyola. This dovetailed nicely with things I had learned and discussed on the retreat I went to in MA right before leaving for Lisbon. The exhibit was housed in an old cord/rope factory, and I have cool stories and photos from that to share as well. Xavier was a missionary who traveled to India, Japan, Indonesia and elsewhere…he is one of the figured carved in the Monument to the Discoverers that I visited next, further down the street in Belem. I took the lift to the top to see an incredible view of the Tagus River and all of Belem, a neighborhood about ten minutes outside of downtown Lisbon. I visited the incredible Jeronimos Monastery next, then headed across town to the Azjuelos Museum, which is housed in a beautiful old convent. Azjuelo is the Portuguese word for tile, and this museum explains how the painted tiles that decorate Lisbon and all of Portugal are created — there are examples from the 15th century up to today.
Ahhh!! That is a quick rush one paragraph summary of a truly incredible day…I liked learning about daGama, Xavier and all the other explorers that left from Lisbon to embark on their voyages of discovery…I guess you could say I´m doing my own personal version of the same thing…setting out from Lisbon to see where the rest of this trip will take me!
Tags: Europe 2006, lisbon, Portugal, Tag Index
Kel
February 20th, 2006 at 10:33 am
Sounds wonderful, Kelly, want to hear more about the tile.
February 20th, 2006 at 11:40 am
Yes Dad, the tile museum was right up your alley…watch the mail for postcards…soon I hope, it will be interesting to see how long they take…
February 21st, 2006 at 8:24 am
I can’t believe I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye! Good luck- I can’t wait to read your adventures!
Love,
Theresa
February 21st, 2006 at 10:07 am
I love how St. Xavier and St Ignatius Loyola are such a part of your journey, Kel….it tells me that God is there with you…..(but you already knew that :). I’ve been praying for you back here at home….love and miss you. steph
February 21st, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Hi Kelly,
I read your entire blog (Joanna forwarded it to me) and want to jump on a plane and join you!! I’m so happy that you are having such a wonderful time — can’t wait to read about your next adventure.
Take care.
Love,
Kathy
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:01 am
Hey, Very cool. I’m not sure what to write, other than I’m really enjoying reading all of this. Joanna and I had a surreal moment yesterday when we realized you were actually there! Wow. I can’t wait to hear more about the Xavier exhibit.
Love,
Michael
p.s. You need some maps! The link to the Europ 2006 map dosen’t work. Thanks to google earth I’ve been able to follow you, but how about a little help…