Lisbon - left to my own devices

Our final day in Lisbon and Mike fancied a rest day (ie a rest from me trying to take him to museums and churches). So I chose to do a few more obscure museums and galleries, plus just take some more leisurely tourist photos around some of the squares we had already visited. Those who travel with me are patient enough as I snap away, but if left on my own I spend even more time getting the right snap, no longer feeling guilty as they watch on.

After that start of wandering around with camera at the ready, I went into an actual museum, the Design Museum. This was the highlight of the day. Really nice, interesting museum - and free!

The building is actually converted from an old bank, and one can start by going down to the strongroom

Needless to say if you preserve a strongroom, its good for storage but there isn't a lot of exhibition space. So what they have done is installed one long display case and filled it with glass bottles from the archaeological dig of the area.

The upper floors show design classics since the 1930s.

The bonus is the roof terrace with views over the city.

This was the boardroom

Next stop was the Museum of Decorative Arts which meant doing uphill again towards the cathedral. There is a nice viewpoint just before you get there.

This museum of Portuguese manly 17th and 18th century furniture wouldn't set the pulse racing but was certainly worth the admission fee, and I definitely enjoyed it.

The permanent collection was enlivened by a temporary exhibition of modern Hungarian glass, scattered around, and I do like a bit of modern glass....

Modern glass again!

Below is the Casa dos Bicos, which translates as House of Points. Its a 16th century mansion, or at  least the facade is. The rest didn't survive an earthquake that demolished most of Lisbon in the 18th century. The facade is studded with stone pyramids, hence the name House of Points.

My final target was the Modern Art Museum. Which was a major disappointment. At another time it might not be, but much of the best stuff was shut off due to renovations. Frankly all that was worth seeing was on the ground floor surrounding the ticket desk.

This was in a garden area, taken through a glass door as it was closed off.

Below is from our hotel - first the garden room

and the garden

And this is the church we passed every day on our way out from the hotel