Back in Lisbon

》Marcos, the tour guide

》Quick snap of the Belém Tower

The tower was built to guard the river entrance into Lisbon’s harbour, following orders from King Dom Manuel (1495-1521), during whose reign Portugal greatly expanded its empire, namely by reaching Brazil and finding a sea route to India. The tower has stonework motifs recalling the Discoveries era, such as twisted rope and the Catholic Crosses of Christ, as well as Lisbon’s patron saint St Vincent and a rhino.

》Quick snap of the 25 de Abril Bridge

The Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge) is a steel suspension bridge across the Tagus River in Lisbon, capital of Portugal, connecting the city with the municipality of Almada. Reminiscent in design and colouring to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, it was inaugurated in 1966. At almost 2,280m (7,480 ft) long it ranks as the 23rd largest suspension bridge in the world.

When it was first inaugurated the bridge was named Ponte Salazar in honour of the then Prime Minister and Dictator of Portugal, Dr. António de Oliveira Salazar. Following the Carnation Revolution in 1974 the bridge was renamed Ponte 25 de Abril after the day on which the revolution had taken place.

》Quick snap of Cristo Rei, the Christ Statue of Lisbon

The Cristo Rei is one of the most iconic monuments in Lisbon. It was constructed during a deeply religious period of Portugal's history, by a population who were grateful for avoiding the horrors of the Second World War. This religious outpouring was embraced by the nationalistic dictatorship lead by António Salazar and encouraged by the church.

The original inspiration for Cristo Rei came when Cardinal Patriarch visited Rio de Janeiro in 1934. It took until the late 40s, to allocate the funds to start construction, which began in 1950. It took nine years to complete and was inaugurated on the 17th of May 1959.

The statue of Christ the King is 28 meters tall and is perched upon a reinforced concrete pedestal that stands at 75 meters. The monument is constructed on the highest point of the Almada region and is 133m above sea level. The monument lies within the diocese of Setubal, but the statue's construction was funded by the Catholic Church of Lisbon.Read more