2017JUL08 - WithLocals Food Tour

1 I headed out around 3PM to meet up with my guide Pedro from WithLocals Food Tour.	2 Stepping out of my hotel, the Hotel Métropole, you were literally on Rossio Square, which has been one of Lisbon's main squares since the Middle Ages.	3	4 The world renowned Santa Justa Elevator was on the way to meet Pedro, my WithLocals Food Tour guide.	5 The Elevador de Santa Justa was designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard, a student of the great iron craftsman Gustave Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.	6 The Elevador de Santa Justa can transport up to 29 passengers in each of the two cabins for the 45-meter journey from Baixa to the walkway that connects to Largo do Carmo.
7	8 The Arco da Rua Augusta is a stone, triumphal arch-like, historical building and visitor attraction on the Praça do Comércio.	9 It was built to commemorate the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake.	10 Originally designed as a bell tower, the building was ultimately transformed into an elaborate arch after more than a century.	11	12 The Praça do Comércio is situated near the Tagus river and is still commonly known as Terreiro do Paço (Palace Yard), because it was the location of the Paços da Ribeira (Royal Ribeira Palace) until it was destroyed by the great 1755 Lisbon earthquake
13 A centrepiece fo the square is Estátua de Dom José I (King Dom José I statue).	14 The square is literally on the northern banks of the 716 kilometre (445 mile) Rio Tejo (River Tagus).	15	16 The square was named Praça do Comércio, the Square of Commerce, to indicate its new function in the economy of Lisbon. The symmetrical buildings of the square were filled with government bureaux regulating customs and port activities.	17 The centrepiece of the ensemble was the equestrian statue of King José I, inaugurated in 1775 in the centre of the square. This bronze statue, the first monumental statue dedicated to a King in Lisbon, was designed by Joaquim Machado de Castro, Portugal's foremost sculptor of the time.	18 It has six columns (some 11 m high) of the Rua Augusta Arch are adorned with statues of various historical figures.
19 The significant height from the arch crown to the cornice imparts an appearance of heaviness to the structure. The associated space is filled with the coat of arms of Portugal. The allegorical group at the top, made by French sculptor Célestin Anatole Calmels, represents Glory rewarding Valor and Genius.	20	21	22	23	24
25	26 Casa do Alentejo is one of those hidden gems that if you were not a local, you'd walk by without even knowing about it.	27 Possibly built in the late seventeenth century, the building belonged to an aristocratic family – the Paes Amaral (Viscounts of Alverca).	28 In the early twentieth century (1917-1919) was leased to a company that transformed a part of the old palace in to the first casino of Lisbon – the Magestic Club. In 1932 it was leased to the Alentejo Guild, later called – Casa do Alentejo – becoming the headquarters of the Regionalist Alentejo Association.	29 The building went through a number of adaptation works, under the supervision of architect Silva Júnior, transforming it in the magnificent building that reached the present day.	30
31	32 The Magestic Club was renamed years later to the “Monumental Club”, in an effort to attract customers to its luxurious gaming rooms or the lavish parties that took place in the beautiful Mirror Room.	33	34	35	36
37	38 The A Ginjinha bar, also known as Ginjinha Espinheira bar sells only Ginja, which is a sweet cherry liqueur that originated in Lisbon.	39 The church of Igreja de São Domingos in central Lisbon, is classified as a dedicated National Monument.	40 The church was dedicated in 1241 and was, at one time, the largest church in Lisbon. Prior to the establishment of the modern Portuguese republic in 1910, the church typically hosted Portuguese royal weddings.	41 The church was damaged by the 1531 Lisbon earthquake and almost completely destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. Rebuilding began quickly but wasn't completed until 1807. In 1959 the church was devastated once more when a fire broke out in the building. The fire, which killed two firefighters, took more than six hours to extinguish and completely gutted the church, destroying many important paintings and statues. In 1994 the church reopened and the restoration left many signs of the fire in place.	42
43	44 The 4 hour walk with my guide Pedro, from WithLocals Food Tour, went so quickly as he was very knowledgeable and a great bloke to hang out with. I thoroughly recommend you take the tour if you're ever in Lisbon ... it was that good as an experience.	45	46	47	48