Little Lolly's Small Adventures: Batalha Monastery

Yesterday was a sea day and life went on as usual for staff. I helped Judy (from the Shore Excursions Department) with tour brochure folding and Paul popped his nose around the door - probably checking up on me. He took over the brochure stapling for a few minutes then had to get back to work. The brochures didn't take very long to collate - it was quite a small brochure for the next cruise voyage across the Atlantic.

A bit later on Paul and I took a walk past the ship's infirmary to say 'hi' to the staff; and to enquire if someone could give me a yellow fever injection in preparation for a cruise to areas where yellow fever is prevalent. Yes, one of the nurses could give me the vaccination and the crew doctor would sign it off. Whilst waiting Paul started to have a bit if fun with the electric blood pressure monitor, thermometer and pulse monitor, testing them out on himself and then me! Well, the nurse did need my blood pressure readings so it wasn't in vain. I could have happily smacked Paul, but it was rather funny.

Having had my vaccination we headed back to the cabin to get ready for a formal dinner night. It would be the last one that we would attend for this cruise. Fortunately the guests, at the table we hosted, got on very well and we ended up being almost the last ones to leave the dining room.

We arrived in Lisbon without any hiccups. The day was sunny but chilly, with a good wind blowing.

The tour I went on was the same one that I had been on last time we were in Lisbon. I wanted to see parts of the Batalha Monastery that I had missed seeing at that time due to a guest falling and who I stayed with to keep her company. Joy from the security department came with me as an extra escort (James had come with me the last time).

We left Lisbon (known as the City of 7 Hills), driving past museums, Vasco da Gama Bridge, a 16th century convent which is now a tile museum, past cereals factory and out into the countryside towards Batalha.

Then the 'fun' started.

Four guests went missing at the beginning of the tour. Our guide, Andrea, asked me and Joy to look for them, giving us entry tickets for us and the missing people - should we find them. Andrea couldn’t hold up the tour group and had to get started. Joy and I looked all over monastery grounds, the nearby shops and re-checked the toilets for the missing guests but we couldn’t find them.

After quite some time I went inside the church to look for Andrea to advise that we couldn’t find the guests. When I found Andrea she was over half way through the tour and she advised that the four missing people had gone into the church without waiting for the group and had somehow slipped past the ticket desk too. Naturally I was quite upset because people sometimes don't listen to guides' instructions. And of course I had missed seeing the monastery properly again! I held my tongue and kept my composure though.

The next part of the visit was the Sanctuary of Fátima. Inside the massive courtyard area Andrea talked about the sanctuary and what we could see during our visit after which we had time to wander around the site on our own. Having managed to see the sanctuary during my last visit, I had a wander around some of the shops and that were outside the sanctuary. I ended up purchasing a small cork rucksack that would be big enough to hold my camera and a lightweight jacket or cardigan. I was quite pleased. Fortunately I didn't make an immediate purchase because I discovered that prices varied greatly. The end result was my purchase was about half the price than that of another shop (for the exact same thing)!

We were very hungry by the time we re-boarded the bus. I wished that there had been a break for lunch between the visit to the monastery and the sanctuary, but I was grateful to be on the tour nevertheless. Lunch at Hotel Cinquinta where we had pork, a fish dish, vegetables, salads and dessert. Wine and water served with meal as was coffee (afterwards).

On the way back back to the port Andrea put on a CD with Portuguese music to give us an idea of different styles of singing. We entered Lisbon from a different way than when we left, this time passing the airport, football stadium, University of Lisbon, the library, bull-fighting arena (Campeo Puqueno) where bull fighting still takes place but the bulls are not killed. We also past some art nouveau buildings, Park Edward 7th, St George Cinema, Restoration Square, St George Castle, Augusta Arch and Lisbon Cathedral.

I was tired by the time we got back to the ship but I couldn't put my feet up. After dinner Paul and I had some packing to do in preparation for our departure off the ship tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another day.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Batalha Monastery - the bits I managed to see

Fάtima

Over the past 2 days I've been working on my blog - but not getting very far! Yesterday I discovered that the Prinsendam had extra 'passengers' on board, flying about on the balcony near the lido and our bedroom. They looked like sparrows. Very likely they had been resting in the eaves of the balconies or taken shelter on the ship somewhere before we left the port or leaving the river mouth. Unfortunately for them, they were stuck on the ship until we were close to land for them to fly off. Needless to say, I put out some crumbs for them in the hope that it would give them enough sustenance until we reached port. New country and new foreign feathered counterparts to make friends with!

It was good to reach land again and as soon as the ship had been cleared, guests headed out to explore.

I was put on a tour to the lovely Batalha Monastery Santa Maria da Victoria, a magnificent 14th Century Gothic church, where Prince Henry the Navigator's tomb is situated.

There were lots of people around and I couldn't hear our guide so I missed out the history and facts about the monastery. I would have been better if our guide had had a microphone headset and given us tuned in headsets so we could hear her better. I wasn't disappointed though because just visiting the place had me in awe.

Tomb of King João I & his wife, Queen Filipa de Lencastre

Not long after seeing Prince Henry the Navigator's tomb inside part of the monastery, a guest slipped and fell. Apparently she had been looking at her surroundings and not really noticed where she was going or placing her feet. She blamed herself for not looking and for not wearing better shoes. She had hurt her knee and it started to swell so James (a security officer from the ship who also came as a tour escort with me) and I sat her on a pew to rest and asked for an ice pack for the guest's knee. Someone brought an ice gel pack and James informed our guide who checked on our guest. With the tour to continue with our guide had to get back to the group. James and I sat with guest for rest of the monastery tour until it was time to go back to the bus for the next part of our tour, Fatima Sanctuary.

View of part of the Fatima Sanctuary

Fatima is the so called 'Lourdes of Portugal' which, according to Roman Catholicism, is the site of miracles and is also, apparently, where the apparition of the Virgin Mary was seen by three shepherd children, the last one witnessed by many other people. Fatima Sanctuary is one of the most important catholic shrines in the world dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

On the Cova da Iria Plaza there is the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Basilica of the Our Lady of the Rosary, and Chapel of the Apparitions.

A service was in progress at the time from singing to praying and mass. One could go into the Basilicas to look and/or worship, light candles for loved ones at the Sanctuary, attend the service or relax/contemplate. The guest who had hurt her knee attempted to walk about at the Sanctuary but her knee was too painful. So I sat on a bench with her to keep her company until her friends came back and they kindly told me to have a quick wander around before heading back to the bus. James had visited the Basilicas already but he was kind enough to come with me - I think he didn't mind a second visit because he had rushed around to see everything before checking up on me and the guest. The site seemed huge, the atmosphere was one of reverence. People had come to worship, others to pay homage; and for others it was a pilgrimage. Part of the pilgrim involved walking on their knees to the Basilicas. It was very interesting.

Inside the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity

Time for lunch which was at Hotel Cinquentenario. We had a nice buffet meal served with red wine and water. Hotel staff gave our guest a bag of frozen peas to put on her knee during lunch and her friends rallied around to get her something to eat. After lunch I asked the guide to contact the ship and ask for a wheelchair to be brought out to meet the bus at the cruise terminal, and the guest agreed to see the ship's doctor once back on board.

With the tour over, it was time to head back to the ship. It was quite a day and even though I didn't see much of the inside of the Gothic monastery, I was glad to have seen what I could. The day itself had been lovely.

The day didn't end well for four people. The ship left without them because they were not back in time, and they were not on a tour organised by the ship. Ooops.... So, they will have to find their own way to Gibraltar and no doubt they won't be very happy...

PHOTOGRAPHS

Batalha Monastery Santa Maria da Victoria