Portugal
Ajuda

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 3–4

      The round about where the tram stops

      June 28 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Although it’s completely nondescript, the roundabout that the trams and buses use to collect passengers and retrace their routes is the center of Belem. Just behind it is a beautiful sprawling botanical garden. To it’s west, the famous Mosteiro dos Jeronimos and to it’s east, the Rue de Belem. A short ride (or walk away) are so many museums as well as the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, the Belem Tower, food trucks galore, 2 marinas, and tourists traps.

      It’s as if someone took Decatur Street in New Orleans and the mall in DC and smashed them together (complete with the familiar smells of both areas).

      Once an agricultural and fishing village, Belem built its population over the centuries by becoming a hub for global shipping trade, a strategic defense location, and a summer favorite for the royals, their court and the wealthy.

      The sheer size of the Padrao dos Descobrimentos is astonishing. It’s a monument to the explorers, poets, clergy, and politicians that made Portugal’s colonization possible throughout the centuries.

      Further down the river, the Tower of Belem is an intricate and artistic battle fort. Also astounding in size, the old soldier in me wondered what the sentries must have said as they lived on nearby ships and braved the elements while watching its elaborate construction. “Oh sure, add another nautical rope carving. Take your time! we don’t actually need it to guard our fair city and our muskets are sooo much better than cannons anyway”

      I spent some time watching the sail boats on the river today. It made me wonder if my son’s love of sailing is something he inherited from our wayfinding ancestors. I see familiar faces everywhere here - the same nose as my grandpa or the same cheekbones as my mom. My great-grandparents left Portugal over 100 years ago - it’s easy to imagine what they might have seen if they ever walked these same streets. I don’t feel any farsickness (longing for far-off places, especially those you've not yet visited) yet but perhaps that will change as i move out of the city and further up the coast.

      Tomorrow ill go back to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos and take a tour of the inside. Ill also jump in one of those historic trams and explore the sights of lisbon beyond Belem.

      i sampled Pasteis today. They are wonderful. Like crème brûlée in a tiny perfect pie crust.

      The picture with the chandelier is my hotel room. I think this building was a manor or summer home once and they converted it into a hotel. It feels very glided age or bridgerton adjacent.
      Read more

    • Day 8–9

      Lisboa

      December 13, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      Neste segundo dia em Lisboa, após o check-out fomos tomar um café da manhã no Time-out com bolinho de bacalhau.
      Depois o Davi seguiu para o trabalho e eu fui visitar o Mosteiro dos Jeronimos.
      A bela construção é uma das melhores representações da arquitetura manuelina, também conhecida como gótico português.
      A extensa fachada, com mais de 300 metros, chama atenção pela imponência. Mas dentro são os detalhes e o peso da história que ganham força.
      Já no interior do mosteiro (acesso somente com ingresso), ao circular pelo claustro, se tem acesso à capela onde estão enterrados D. Manuel I e sua esposa, D. Maria, e também D. João III e D. Catarina. O roteiro inclui ainda a sacristia, coro-alto, refeitório, o próprio claustro, confessionários e outras salas igualmente interessantes. É também no Mosteiro de São Jerónimo que está o túmulo de Fernando Pessoa.
      Após a visita ao Mosteiro, logo em frente atravessando a praça cheguei ao Monumento Padrão dos Descobrimentos.
      À margem do Tejo, está o monumento que mais simboliza a expansão ultramarina de Portugal: o Padrão dos Descobrimentos, uma estilizada caravela que tem na proa o Infante D. Henrique, impulsionador das viagens além-mar, e outros protagonistas do império marítimo português.
      Já é bem legal admirar os detalhes dessa enorme construção estando aos pés dela — são 56 metros de altura. Mas ainda é possível acessar o topo, um estreito terraço com vista para praticamente todo o bairro de Belém: o Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Torre de Belém, além de praças e museus.
      O próximo monumento a ser visitado na sequência é a Torre de Belém.
      Assim como o Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a Torre de Belém é outra joia arquitetônica do reinado de D. Manuel I. Construída à margem do Tejo em 1520, a torre tinha inicialmente função estratégica: defender a barra de Lisboa dos invasores. Com o passar dos anos, a construção virou prisão, alfândega e farol, sendo hoje um dos maiores cartões postais de Portugal.
      Ao ingressar na torre, o visitante é convidado a subir, passando pelo baluarte e diversas salas, até chegar ao topo, de onde a vista para Belém é uma das mais bonitas. No terraço, vale uma pausa para admirar o Rio Tejo, a Ponte 25 de Abril, o Cristo Rei e o Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
      Na volta passei pela fabrica de pastéis de Belém e desta vez entrei para conhecer o lugar por dentro. É enorme, uma fábrica com uma cafetería gigante. É claro que tomei um cafezinho acompanhado de um pastel de Belém.
      Depois voltei ao Mercado da Ribeira e fui comer alguma coisa no Time-out.
      Mais tarde fui à Praça do Comércio ver o anoitecer e a decoração de Natal enquanto esperava a hora de ir me encontrar com o Davi na saída do trabalho e pegarmos o ônibus de volta à Faro.
      Read more

    • Day 11

      Lissabon - angekommen

      September 19, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Heute morgen am Camping Lissabon angekommen. Liegt schön im Pinienwald am Rande der Stadt. Mit dem Rad 45min am Fluss Tejo Richtung City geradelt - schon viele tolle Eindrücke bis hier hin. Friseur gefunden und vom Jung aus Brasilien bedient worden, er ist verzweifelt an meinen Haaren, nicht aufm Kopf sondern Nase Ohren etc. Als er auch noch meine Schultern rasieren wollte habe ich das mal abgebrochen...Read more

    • Day 28

      Lissabon bei Regen und Sturm

      November 30, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

      Der Tag beginnt wie prognostiziert: Dichter Regen. 😪
      Wir entern das tolle Café nebenan, und gesellen uns zu den Menschen mit Laptop, Kaffee und Stöpsel in den Ohren. Alle fleißig am Arbeiten, so daß es relativ ruhig und entspannt ist.
      Die Straße, an der wir wohnen und das Café liegt, führt auf einen Hügel und als der nächste Wolkenbruch beginnt, ergisst sich draußen ein "reißender" Fluss auf dem Asphalt. Vorne an der Kreuzung füllt sich gerade das "Regenrückhaltebecken" 😜

      In der nächsten Regenpause schaffen wir es zu Fuß bis zum Tejo und dem Museu de arte. Der Wind ist gigantisch. Ich kann mich richtig dagegen lehnen.

      Wir haben für heute Indoor Programm geplant. Punkt 1 ist das Hieronymus Kloster in Belém.
      Das Kloster wurde am Standort der Einsiedelei gegründet, wo Vasco da Gama und seine Crew die letzte Nacht in Portugal verbrachten, bevor sie nach Indien aufbrachen. Es wurde nach der Entdeckung Indiens gebaut, um der Seereise von Vasco da Gama zu gedenken und der Jungfrau Maria für den Erfolg zu danken.
      Hier lebten die Mönche des Hieronymusordens (Hieronymiten), deren geistige Aufgabe darin bestand, den Seeleuten Orientierung zu geben und für die Seele des Königs zu beten. Ein Großteil der Architektur ist durch kunstvolle skulpturale Details und maritime Motive gekennzeichnet. Dieser Architekturstil wurde als „Manueline“ bekannt, ein Stil, der dazu diente, die großen „Entdeckungen“ dieser Zeit zu verherrlichen. Genannt nach König Manuel I – eine Art spätgotischer Baustil.

      Die Kreuzgänge sind großartig, jede Säule ist anders mit Seilrollen, Seeungeheuern, Korallen und anderen Meeresmotiven verziert, die an die Zeit der Welterkundung auf See erinnern. Das ehemalige Refektorium weist an den Wänden wunderschöne Netz- und Fliesenverzierungen auf.

      Glücklicherweise wurde es beim großen Erdbeben 1755 kaum beschädigt.
      Read more

    • Day 4

      Belèm Meetingpoint

      December 10 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      Rendez-vous à Belèm pour ce début d'après-midi. Une redécouverte 12 ans après mon premier séjour.
      Un p'tit tour sur le bord de l'eau jusqu'au Monument Padrão dos Descobrimentos sous un soleil toujours aussi radieux.
      Enfin, un passage par le Mosteiro dos Geronimos et sa somptueuse chapelle.
      Read more

    • Day 5

      Belem

      April 25, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

      Belem is just a few miles from downtown Lisbon. The architecture of the abbey is fantastic and, along with the church, is centuries old. The Belem Tower would have been the last thing Portuguese sailors would have seen as they ventured into the Atlantic.Read more

    • Day 15

      Travelling to Lisbon, Portugal

      October 13, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

      A delayed flight by an hour. Flew past the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville and bounced on landing due to windy conditions at Lisbon.
      We passed both Sporting Lisbons and Benficas grounds within a couple of minutes of each other on the taxi ride to the hotel.
      Had a quick walk around the hotel area and found out it's next to the President's residence and Jerónimos Monastery, a massive building.
      Read more

    • Day 4

      Belem Tower and more

      March 28, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      It turned out that a tram broke down close to our stop. It stopped the rest of the trams from continuing, so we rode a bus that was the same number as the tram we planned to ride. We got the boot off that bus a few blocks down the road. So did everyone else, and it was packed with people! Now we are a gaggle of folks all looking for a way onward. There are other busses but it takes a while to figure which one is the best choice. Dianne and I don’t always agree on what bus to take, and this time is no different. We finally do get on a bus that goes to our starting point, but it took a while.Read more

    • Day 2

      Monasterio de Los Jerónimos

      May 12 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Ubicado en el barrio de Belém, sobre los restos de una antigua ermita fundada por Enrique el Navegante donde, se cuenta, Vasco de Gama y su tripulación rezaron antes de viajar a la India. Terminó de construirse en el siglo XVI. Constituye unos de los principales ejemplos de la arquitectura manuelina en Portugal y un homenaje a la época dorada de los descubrimientos, pues Manuel I ordenó su construcción para conmemorar el regreso de la India de Vasco de Gama.Read more

    • Day 3

      Boat-Trip

      October 30 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      Ich wusste beim Aufwachen, dass heute ein grandioser Glückstag wird 😍! Und hatte Recht! Ich die Tour heute früh spontan auf Getyourguide reduziert für 21 Euro gebucht und: wir hatten das Boot dann für uns ganz alleine. Mit Skipper und Guide 😍! So cool!!!😍Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Ajuda

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android