LISBON, PORTUGAL
102 days, 31 ports, 18 countries.
Queen Mary 2 World Centenary Voyage
QM2 ARRIVES IN LISBON, PORTUGAL
At approximately 6:30AM (Lisbon time) QM2 sailed under the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge as she continues up the River Tagus to Lisbon's cruise ship terminal. QM2 tied up at approximately 7:20AM.
QM2 sailing up the River Tagus as she approaches the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge:
QM2 AT SUNRISE TODAY:
About the 25 DE ABRIL BRIDGE
Completed in 1966 and originally named after dictator Salazar, this suspension bridge across the Tagus River changed its name after the revolution of April 25, 1974.
It's a spectacular sight from any direction, with an overall length of 2278m (approx. 1.5 miles), and the longest central span in Europe (1013m/3323ft), longer than San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, which it resembles.
Its foundations also hold the world record by going 80m (262ft) below the riverbed to stand on basalt rock.
Underneath it is an attractive dock and marina overlooked by restaurants and bars.
A museum and observation deck connected to one of the bridge's pillars was added in 2017 (accessed next to the Vila Galé Opera Hotel, allowing visitors to know about the history and engineering behind the bridge, while getting a view over the city from the top. (source: www.golisbon.com)
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Ellen's updates for the past couple of days are forthcoming - plagued with technical issues. Again we apologize for the delay.
Photo of the day (from the archives of JD Schwartz)
"CURVE APPEAL"
Further updates will be posted as soon as we get them from Ellen onboard Queen Mary 2.