Lisbon City Tour

Our last day was spent doing a Lisbon city tour in the morning with Cristina.
First, we headed to the Belem district. This area is a well-known historical and cultural site. While there we saw...

Monument to Overseas Combatants - a memorial dedicated to the soldiers that died during the Portuguese Colonial War from 1961-1974. It features a central flame, symbolizing eternal remembrance and a memorial wall with about 10,000 names on it.

Belem Tower, located on the Tagus River, a landmark in Lisbon, was built as a ceremonial gateway to the city. We didn't get to see it fully as it was being cleaned, hence all the scaffolding, so I did a Google search picture to show what it actually looks like.

Lusitania biplane, first seaplane flown by Gago Coutinho & Sacadura Cabral to fly across the South Atlantic Ocean. 8400kms, left March 24, 1922, and arrived June 6, 1922.

The World Map, 50 meters in diameter and made out of marble, is located in front of the Monument to the Discoveries. It was created to celebrate the age of discovery and depicts the routes and voyages of Portuguese navigators in the 15th-16th centuries.

Monument to the Discoveries features 32 men and 1 woman (16 aside) on the caraval with Prince Henry the Navigator leading the procession. The figures represent Portuguese historical figures. It was inaugurated in 1960 on the 500th anniversary of Prince Henry's death. The caravan design symbolizes the ships used to discover new sea routes and lands in the 15th & 16th centuries.

Pasteis de Beleim Pastry shop. In 1837, they began making the original egg custard tart pastry following an ancient recipe made by the Monks at the Jeronimos Monastery. That secret recipe handed down to generation after generation makes 20,000/day by hand. The family will not travel together in case anything should happen to them and in order to work at the shop one must sign a non-disclosure. We all agreed that the version we made in our pastry class tasted better 🤷‍♀️

We then made our way to Baixa, city center. Here we saw the Monument to the Paver, depicts 2 figures of pavers at work, one cutting stones and the other tamping them into place. It highlights the craftsmanship involved in the intricate designs that adorn the city's sidewalks. We then walked through Rossio Square and made our way to the Terraco Editorial on the top floor of the Pollux Building, which offers one of the best views of the city. While here we had a light lunch and did some wine tasting...shocker!
From here, you got a great view of the Carmo Convent, a church that had its roof collapse in the 1755 earthquake and was never fixed. It is still used for events, including weddings.Read more