Recent Field Trips: Frigate and Cristo Rei

On April 1st (my birthday), we took a field trip to the other side of the Rio Tejo to see the Dom Fernando II e Glória, an old frigate and Portugal's last sailing warship. It is currently being restored to its original condition as a museum ship. After touring the frigate, we visited the Cristo Rei statue, nearby. We had a picnic lunch in the statue's shadow and then rode the elevator to the top for fantastic views of the river and the city of Lisbon on the other side.

Alex and Eliana in one of the ship's lifeboats

 Our group, posing on the gangway

 Alex, pretending he is a cook in the ship's galley

 Helping Eliana sign her name in the guestbook

 Attempt at a cute cannon shot ("The sun's in my eyes, Mom!")

 Eliana trying to ring the ship's bell. She was just barely too short to make it work, so Daddy had to help her.

 The Cristo Rei statue from the back...

 ...and the front

 View of the Rio Tejo and Lisbon on the other side. The bridge is the Ponte 25 de Abril, Lisbon's own "Golden Gate Bridge."

Happy birthday to me! On the way home, we stopped in Belém for yummy pasteis de Belém and coffee. These things are to die for, especially fresh out of the oven when the custard filling is still warm and the pastry is golden and flaky!