One afternoon we took the tram about 20 minutes up the coast to visit two UNESCO World Heritage sites; the
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and the Torre de Belém . The Monastery was so beautiful and houses the tombs of some very important Portuguese figures, including Vasco da Gama, a famous explorer and navigator who was the first European to reach India by sea which in turn helped Portugal create it's empire on the spice trade. The Tower of Belém is about a 15 minutes minute walk from the Monastery and is right on the coast. It was used as a part of the defense system and a gateway to Lisbon. Personally, I think it just looks like a huge chess piece. We ended our little trip down the coast by listening to a free concert in the park and eating some delicious pastries from a famous bakery (Gwyneth Paltrow recommended!).
 |
| monastery |
 |
| tomb of vasco de gama |
 |
| am i in san francisco?! |
 |
| Tower of Belém |
 |
| Pastéis de Belém, famous bakery |
 |
| pastel de nata - yum! |
No comments:
Post a Comment