Lisbon's Castle

Castilo de Sao Jorge

The first thing I noticed when I got into the city of Lisbon is that the people (collectively know as Lisboners) are a jovial bunch. It seems that everyone who passed by me was throwing their head back and having a good laugh. The second thing I noticed was that my fly was down. But, the third thing I noticed was a big castle on the hill.

Located atop one of the many, many hills of the city, the castle was built in the Early Semi-Old period (Tuesday, May 7th, 1029 AD) by the Moor's and their queen, Mary Tyler, who then occupied the city. 

The courtyard is roamed by wild peacocks. The birds, first brought to Portugal during an NBC promotional campaign in the 1600s, were originally known as beandicks until the avian community decided that name was just too silly and changed it to the more scientific title it has today.

The views from the top were literally breathtaking, mainly due to the steep climb up the 350 meter (17,304 feet) hill where the castle is located. In the pic below, you can see my apartment. It's the older building with windows and an orange tiled roof.

The below statute, Nossa Senhora do Mamilo Inchado, created by the famed Portuguese sculptor Umberto Titee, is one of the many pieces of art in the castle's courtyard that can be enjoyed by visitors. While the sculpture was originally designed to sit on ground level, eventually it had to be placed atop a tall pedestal due to multiple reports of male adolescents chipping their teeth on certain aspects of the figure.