Venturing Out

We had a full day yesterday heading in toward Lisbon. It was wonderful to be able to use public transportation the whole way -- bus to the train station and return. This was our first expedition on the train and after a minor hiccup we got to where we were going. We headed to Belem, which is just outside of Lisbon. One landmark there, right on the Tagus River is the Monument to the Discoveries. We didn't get as close as we wanted to but I was able to get a semi-decent snap. It really is very impressive.

Then we were off to Meet Vincent Van Gogh. This is a temporary exhibit that is sponsored by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. We both really loved how the exhibit walks you through Van Gogh's life with some huge reproductions of some of this works and descriptions of his techniques and how he influenced other artists. It was very cool and we were so glad to be able to see it.

After a lovely lunch at a sidewalk café, we headed to the National Museum of Coaches. This is an extraordinary collection of coaches from the 17th to 19th centuries. The oldest one was from 1619 (middle photo on the top row). While some were more than a little gaudy, those royals and popes sure did know how to travel. Really interesting.

I think now we are going to put Chili, the international dog of mystery, into Big Bidness to head to Guincho beach for a walk and, hopefully, a refreshing beverage.