Inside, Kerry bestowed a blessing on us and commended us to the care of God and the community of pilgrims. We were touched by his words and also enjoyed the relative simplicity of the cathedral itself. Much less over the top baroque than many Iberian igrejas!
It was lovely to spend the morning with Kerry, with whom we also shared our first pastel de nata (Portugese tart) and a little later, as the temperature began to rise, a mid-morning beer. Here's one of Kerry and me in the huge open square of the Praca do Comercio.
Part of our mission for today was to find out where to obtain our pilgrim passports. Turns out the Cathedral no longer supplies them, so we were told Igrejas dos Martires, Church of the Martyrs, was the place. It was tricky to find, which meant a great chance to explore the Chiado district and enjoy a few tram rides.
Yesterday our impression was of a kind of fading glory in the city. Today we were struck by the vast amount of building and renovation going on, as well as a vibrant street life.
We found where to get our pilgrim passports, but didn't have our actual passports with us. We'll have to come back tomorrow! On our way home we visited our third major church - this one the ruins of Santa Maria do Carmo. Founded in 1389, it was one of the most beautiful Gothic churches in Lisbon until the earthquake of 1755 caused its roof to collapse. Many in the All Saints Day congregation were killed that Sunday morning, provoking widespread discussion about theodicy. The legacy today is striking.
There are various monuments, including stone baptismal fonts, carved pillars, and the odd gargoyle. How's this for an angelic face?
And, there's always a shadow!!
So, it's been an interesting day of wandering and, for me, renewing my acquaintance with this entrancing and slightly chaotic city. We both felt much better today after a pretty good first night's sleep. And, while I've been tapping away on this blog, Neil has composed a simple haiku that returns us to the beginning:
A pilgrim blessing
In cathedral quiet
Begins the new day.
Our warm wishes to everyone back home, Sarah and Neil