Lisbon: Tile Museum

I woke up on day 3 with so much excitement. This was the day I finally got to go to the Tile Museum, another attraction that we missed on the first visit.

A taxi brought us to the museum. When we were dropped off, I wasn't sure we were there. There is a church next to it and like many churches there is another building next to it, in the same compound. I was not too sure about this and so I did not want the taxi to leave before I was sure he dropped us off the right place. There was no one around to ask for sure, but the driver was positive I was in the right place.

He was right, we were in the right place. I didn't realize the museum is housed in the building that was the Madre de Deus Convent. As a first time visitor you need more time here, if you love tiles (azulejos) just like I do, more time than the 2 hours that we spent here.

The collection is immense and fabulously artistic and allows you to journey through the history of the tiles from 15th century onwards. This type of art truly spoke to me. I love the designs and the vivid colors.































The ground floor offers some of the prettiest tile collections I've seen. Upstairs, the collections are geared towards larger pieces that tell stories.







"The highlight of the museum is a blue and white composition of 1300 tiles, 23m (75ft) in length, of Lisbon's cityscape made in 1738, prior to the Great Earthquake, and reputedly the country's longest tile piece." That is according to the website, but to me the entire collection is a highlight.



This cityscape goes on and on and very fascinating. We tried to find familiar landmarks.

Also on the second floor, there's a room that is so ornate, it probably belonged to the Madre Deus Church next door, because from here we can see the church's nave below. Unfortunately we did not even attempt to visit the church.


This is the room.

And the church below.





As with any attraction, we exited through the gift shop. I couldn't wait to see what's available. We bought a few small items and a bottle of wine with tile designs on the bottle, *smile*.

We were so pressed for time, because we signed up for a tour at 12 noon, so we left before we could see every single exhibit room.

Just outside the church, there was a bus stop. We waited for the bus for a long time, it was a holiday here, and perhaps the buses were running on holiday schedule.


Other people waiting for the bus. The church was closed.


You know I have to show sky to make this a Skywatch post.


Yay, bus is here.

This was one of the most enjoyable time I had in a museum. One day, when I go back to Lisbon, I would allot more time here. Yes, I am already planning a repeat visit.

If you want to see some of the other photos I took at the museum, they are here at my Flick'r.

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