Belém, Lisbon

On Sunday, we had to fly back to Milan. However, we were lucky enough to have booked our flight for the evening and had an additional morning and afternoon left in Lisbon. Seeing as the sky was bright blue for the first time since our first day in Lisbon, we decided to head to the Belém district after being rained out two days prior.

When we arrived at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, we couldn't go into the church because Mass was still in session. Since it was a Sunday morning, there was no admission charge to enter the monastery so we sailed straight through to the courtyard. Construction on the monastery began in 1502 and took 50 years. Miraculously, the structure survived the 1755 earthquake intact. Still an important government building, this is were the E.U. signed the Treaty of Lisbon and the courtyard below is where many diplomatic receptions are held.



The decorative pieces and architecture has visible Moorish influences but is primarily dominated by the Manueline style. Since it had rained earlier in the morning, the spitting gargoyles were kept busy, draining water from the roof to the courtyard.


Our friends were amazing hosts, keeping us well supplied with delicious home-cooked foods. However, we couldn't leave Lisbon without trying the famous pastel de Belém. These flakey tarts are filled with a yummy cream custard, topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar, and sold all over the city but most famously at a 160-year-old pastry shop on the Rua de Belém. This shop has the sales down to a science and moves ridiculously fast, despite the crowds. Bite inside and you'll see why.


You can see the sunshine in the photograph above but look below and you can see how quickly the weather changed. In the time it took for us to get to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument, the sky evolved back to gray!


This monument celebrates the Portuguese the took part in the Age of Discovery of the 15th and 16th century. It's located on the banks of the Tagus river where ships would depart from when they left Portugal to find new lands. A mosaic of the globe in front of the monument that shows the territories and countries conquered by the Portuguese over the years. This version of the monument was built in the 1960s to commemorate the 500 year anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. Henry the Navigator was the prince and largest proponent of the age of discovery.

On our way to the Tower of Belém, we passed Portugal's version of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by Portugal's finest.


By the time we reached the Tower of Belém, the sun was shining once more. Like the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, the Tower of Belém was constructed in the Manueline style. Built in the early 16th century, the Tower of Belém was both the ceremonial gateway to Lisbon and also a protective fortress for the city.



In 1580, the Tower surrendered to the Duke of Alba when the Spanish invaded and for centuries after, was used as a prison. Afterwards, it was used as a customs house. Like most other Portuguese buildings, the Moorish influence is evident in the ribbed cupolas of the watchtowers.


We headed to the airport that evening a little bit tired, a little bit sad to be leaving our friends, but full of happy memories of a Portuguese Thanksgiving weekend.