National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo) Lisbon

Today was one of the most tiring days of my life. Not only was I jetlagged, but Dr. Bowman decided to take us on a tour of the whole city. For people who have never walked around Lisbon, it's extremely hilly. Every 2 seconds, you're walking up or down the biggest hill you've every seen. On top of this, we decided to try and see all of Lisbon. ALL …

After spending a few days in Lisbon, I've noticed significant differences in the locals' mindset and behavior compared to people in the United States and any of the other places I have visited. Ever since the first taxi ride, it's been clear that there is a much more pessimistic view to the world and the future than in the United States. During the …

Yesterday was such a long day I didn't get a chance to blog about it unfortunately, so I'm going to try to fit two big days in one entry!

Yesterday we went on a very long walking tour of Lisbon, including Barrio Alto (the high neighborhoods), Chiado (a big commercial area, both now and historically), and Alfama (the lower downtown). Our …

As I am preparing for the day's activities, I got to thinking about my perceptions of Lisbon so far.

Two things strike me about the town; the color and abandoned buildings. The predominant colors are white buildings with red tile roofs. There is a real clean simplicity to that palette. Interspersed among the white buildings are buildings …

... it was so good earlier. 6/1  Today had lots of wasted time.  We were trying to go to the Museu de Azulejos (National Tile Museum) but Rick Steve's bus routes were outdated and then I had us going one way and then another to get there.  ...

... the top to the bottom section of the city near the coast. The views were phenomenal.  We ended the day at the National Tile Museum. I told you these people were serious about their tiles! I got to see tiles dating back over 4 centuries. I even got ...

... we finished lunch we hailed a taxi very near where we had entered the castle.  We went to the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Tile Museum).  The museum is housed in a convent which was founded in 1509, Convent of Madre de ...

... of art that I found intriguing was the Portuguese tile.  As a group we visited the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (the National Tile Museum) today where we learned about the history of the Portuguese tile.  We even got to make our own tile!  I ...

... component of Portuguese art and architecture which dates back to the 15th century and earlier. I posted some pictures of the National Tile Museum, you´ll see how elaborate the paintings are. It´s common to find buildings covered in tile all over the ...

... did pack a lot into one tour so I think I will save that for my formal blog. After the tour we went to the National Tile Museum and learned of the changing styles of tile in Portugal and how techniques changed over time. For those that aren't aware, many ...

... not be disclosing how many of these we actually ate during our two and a bit week stay in Portugal. Also in Lisbon we visited the national tile museum.  Ceramic tiles were originally brought to Seville (Spain) by the Arabs.  They became very ...