A city crowned by the St. George's Castle

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal since its conquest from the Moors in 1147, Lisbon is a legendary city with over 20 centuries of History. Alfama is one of the oldest quarters in Lisboa. Since it largely survived the earthquake of 1755, the area still retains much of its original layout.

Adjacent to the Alfama are the likewise old quarters of Castelo and Mouraria, on the western and northern slopes of the hill that is crowned by St. George's Castle.

Lisbon was under Roman rule from 205 BC, when it was already a 1000 year old town. Julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia, adding to the name Olissipo. In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city and since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural center of Portugal.

During our trip in Portugal we spent time at the old quarters of Lisbon and enjoyed the city from it's "miradouros" (viewpoints) ... contemplating the layout of the city as it was in the XXII century.

Comments

What about spiritual prosperity?

Miguel & João - Salt Lake City, Oct 2011 Many have looked at prosperity solely from a financial perspective, thus to prosper in this narrow vision of things one looks only to the external signs of wealth and consequently soon after the focus becomes on material possessions or the fix idea of having them. Inevitably this arrangement leads to feelings of envy, greed and selfishness and creates an enormous distance between us and the needs of our fellow men, including our families as time is not allocated any longer to what matters most but to what we want the most. What about spiritual prosperity? A clear understanding that we are children of an Heavenly Father that loves us, that He has a plan of happiness for us which through the atonement of Jesus Christ and our faithfulness allows us to return to Him, and an understanding that He gave us commandments to help us face the adversities of life will guide us to a path of gratitude for everything we have, ...

Something worth reflecting once more

Decisions are a big are part of life, we make so many in the course of our journey and so often, small ones and big ones! Because all of them have implications for us, learning to make decisions... I should say wise and inspired decisions is a something that is worth reflecting once more. A decision enters in the wise category when we devote careful consideration to the alternatives available to us and it becomes inspired when we prayerfully take what we consider the best option and counsel with the Lord in prayer before we take a final route. Here is a good link to a scripture that helps in this reflection: Doctrine and Convenants 9:7-9

Next milestone

Today prom dance took place and now the next milestone for Ana and all the seniors class of 2010 is June 5th at 15:00-17:45 at the Oberursel Stadthalle for the Graduation Ceremony. Ruth van Reken is the guest speaker. A reception with juice being served will follow the ceremony in the lobby of the Stadthalle. Ana is now going to be part of the Frankfurt International School Alumni together with her brother Miguel.

Family Snippets

Search This Blog