Belém

Shawn and I apparently like to repent a late night out on the town by visiting some sort of elaborate religious site the next day (we did the same in Madrid with El Escorial).  This time our penance, if you will, was served at Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in the area of Belém in Lisbon.  The architecture is Manueline, named after King Manuel I, the Fortunate, and the current structure was begun during the Age of Discovery in 1495.  The elaborate tomb of Vasco da Gama is in the main church, where sailors and explorers always came to pray for a safe voyage.  It's the kind of place that makes you question the weight of a Jerónimos monk's vow of poverty, considering the gorgeously intricate seaside residence and all.

We had a delicious seafood lunch at a restaurant along the main, colorful strip in Belém.  I have no idea what kind of fish I ordered, but I felt like it kicked off the summer, a whole grilled fish placed in front of me!

I also found an apartment for rent along that lovely street, so expect my new postal address to follow.

After lunch we wandered down to the waterfront to check out the Monument to the Discoveries and Belém Tower.  The monument was quite imposing, as you can gather from the small shape of Shawn next to it.  It honors the great explorations and discoveries made by the Portuguese, starting with Prince Henry the Navigator at the helm, with other important explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Magellan behind him, as well as kings and poets.  The Azores islands were supposedly discovered by Prince Henry in 1427.

Moving down along the waterfront and trying not to get blown into the water, we headed to the Belém Tower, built to protect Lisbon's harbor but now just a beautiful symbol of this nautical city.

 

It offered stunning, peaceful views over the water and back on Belém.  We took our time climbing the various levels to the top and enjoying each and every lookout.  We even got to see a sailboat capsize in the wind and right itself after several attempts.

Finally, we zipped back to Lisbon to sample a couple types of port at the Port Wine Institute in the Bairro Alto.  We were so exhausted from our adventures that plush leather chairs and a sweet drink was just what we needed.