Teacher Aboard Logs
Part 3 of October 14, 2000 Log

Another Look Around Lisbon

I had the afternoon and evening to get back to Lisbon and see the sights, so I dropped my stuff off at the boat and headed for town. A little rain showed up now and then, but the worst had moved up to my new friends in the hills around Sintra.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Lisbon's is that many houses are built around very tiny, narrow alleys that bend and turn in the most remarkable ways. It was neat to walk around and find myself looking at buildings whose foundations were older than the United States!

In the squares, men and women had portable grills on which they would roast and sell chestnuts. This is a favorite snack among the Portuguese.

After walking for a few hours, I decided to take a tram back to the boat and unload things I'd bought. The streetcars are great! They look like they've escaped from some museum as they clickety-clack down the tracks and around the bends!

That night I took yet another train to the outskirts of Lisbon and had one of the nicest evenings of my trip. Just off the tiny harbor I ate a terrific seafood dinner and watched the boats bob in the waves. The clear, moonlit night made for a great sendoff! I would have enjoyed walking around the area, but it was late and I needed to return to the boat for we were leaving Lisbon the next day.

The next day we received two boxes from the Pride II office. One contained new filters for our watermaker (yeah!) and the other contained mail! I received letters from my entire extended family! Thanks very much, it made my day! Here's a shot of Chris reading a letter from one of the students.

Off to Madeira

We departed Lisbon about 1530 (3:30 PM our time) and sailed toward the Atlantic. I took this picture of Captain Dan Parrott holding the Dundalk Eagle newspaper with the statue of Cristo Rei over his shoulder as we sailed by.

We entered the Atlantic Ocean and set our sails among 15-foot swells! Once again, my bunk looked like tourist storage locker! Oh well, who needs sleep?!

Well here I am, happy to be at the helm again as we say goodbye to Lisbon and head toward the island of Madeira and even warmer weather....we hope! Madeira is a Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco. It's our last stopping point before we set off across the great Atlantic on our way home. But for now, it's a beautiful night and it's not raining. It's good to be alive!

Your Teacher Aboard,
Lee Vogtman

YOUR THOUGHTS

1. What are the elements of Manueline art? (Hint: the time period is 1500.)
2. Which Bible stories are shown on the carved stone pictured in this log?
3. Where else are chestnuts found in great numbers?
4. Do you see them where you live? If not, why?
5. Bonus question: on which tack is the boat if my bunk looks like that? (The answer appears in my logs.)

Return to Part 2 of the October 14, 2000 Log

Return to Part 1 of the October 14, 2000 Log