Two days ago we left Fatima on a bus headed to Lisbon. We decided to come to the city a day before our flight from here to Poland, so that we could explore the city a bit.
Monday morning was spent walking the Fatima stations of the cross, which are located outside the village, and near the apparition sites of the angel. We had joined the Te Deum Foundation pilgrimage for this last devotional, culminating in the celebration of Holy Mass at the Calvary Chapel. All of the stations and chapel were donated by Hungarians in thanksgiving for Portugal sheltering Hungarian children refugees during WWII. It made for a slow and thoughtful morning before a bus to Lisbon. Once in the ancient city (it was founded sometime before Rome!) We decided to walk to our hostel from the bus station. It was only 5kms away… and we had walked much more than that on the Camino! The walk, however, tired us out and we spent the evening resting at the hostel before making a camino style dinner. We were even lucky enough to receive a pot of freshly cooked rice from another traveler.
Like the Camino, hostels also form little fluid communities as people come and go, staying for different durations. The building itself is old yet recently renovated with modern furniture. The walls retain their tiled flower paterns, reminiscent of Ro.an style from its time of rule in the Iberian peninsula, and all together ito makes for a fresh yet old feel.
On Tuesday we left the cool comfort of our hostel, and filled by a breakfast buffet better than any breakfast on the Camino, we set out to explore the city. Our first destination was the Parc do Comercio, a beautiful square situated between the water and the heart of the new city. We made our way from there to the Cathedral, an ancient and noble structure, stumbling upon the birth place of St. Anthony on the way. After venerating his relics, and visiting the Cathedral, we made our way up the hill to the Castelo do sao Jorge. The ancient moorsish castel provides a 360 view of the city. It was really cool to walk upon the walls and take in the view of the old and new city. Lisbon was build close to the water on an very hilly span of land, and this makes both for a lot of difficult walking and some really rewarding views.
After the castle, we made our way down the valley and up again to the ruins of an old Carmel that was partly destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. It now stands roofless after attempts to rebuild it were unsuccessful. The earthquake devistated the city not only by the shaking earth, but also by the following tidal wave and consuming fires. It is still very much in the memory of the city. It was such a large disaster that it destroyed most of the city and crippled the then elite Portuguese Empire.
Finally we made our way up to the ornate Church and museum of St. Roque before lunch on the hill with a view of the hilltop castle. We were fortunate enough to meet up with our Campus ministry friend, Molly, who happened to be in the city for a day before going to Fatima. The rest of the day was spent in relaxation and prayer.
Today, we woke up early and made our way to the airport. Now, we are waiting to board our flight that will take us to Poland to meet up with our World Youth Day group from Madison. Please pray for us as we make our way on this new and final leg of our Eurpean pilgrimage.
-Michael Wanta