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Belém (at least the area with the tourist attractions) is located by the river heading West from central Lisbon, on the way to Estoril/Cascais.
There are many things to see there and, if you have the time, do spend at least a day exploring them all.
From the famous "Torre de Belém" to the Monastery, not forgetting the "Pasteis de Belém". Don't forget the "Centro Cultural" (CCB) or the "Padrão dos Descobrimentos".
It is very close to the center and very easily accessible by either train, tram, bus or car. There is usually plenty of parking spots.
I will be adding a page on Belem very soon. Leave a Comment
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Padrão dos Descobrimentos.
This about 50 m high monument celebrates, as said by its name, the Portuguese who took part in some way to the age of discoveries. It was built in 1960 for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator and is located in the quite agreeable Belém surroundings of the gardens between the monastery and the river. The monument is typical of some romantic idealisation of the Portuguese history under Salazar.
The head figure holding a ship in hands is Prince Henri the Navigator.
I had always much admiration and sympathy for Infante Dom Henrique who was the initiator and promoter of many discoveries but never navigated by himself.
It is thought that Henry started the Portuguese school of cartography.
Behind him are represented 30 personalities of which best known are the great navigators and discoverers: Vasco da Gama who discovered the sea route to India, Bartholomeu Dias who proved that Africa could be circumnavigated when he reached the Cape of Good Hope and Ferdinand Magellan first to circumnavigate the globe passing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean by the Strait he discovered immediately south of mainland Chile.
There was an irreverencious joke about this monument: "don't push in the queue!"
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The symbol of Lisbon, but at 6 km from the centre, is the most photographed monument of the city.
This imposing tower and bastion defending the entrance to the Tagus and combining firepower with the St Sebastian tower on the other bank of the river was constructed between 1515 and 1521 by military architect Francisco de Arruda. The tower was built on a basalt island but is now nearly swallowed up by the river bank.
The tower shows two parts, the bastion with the canons, and the five-story tower.
What surprises for this military construction is the large amount of decoration.
There are some Moorish decorative elements but the typical Manueline motifs like the armillary sphere (a spherical astrolabe) the cross of the Order of Christ (of which king Manuel I was a member), twisted ropes, and other features typical of the Manueline style, also found on the nearby Monastery of the Jerónimos, dominate.
Famous among these decorations is a rhinoceros, the first stone statue of the animal in Europe.
Because of all these decorations, arched windows and balconies, the Tower of Belem has been compared to the bow of a caravel.
We did not visit the inside, we read that the visit was not so interesting.
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Spend a day in Belem. It is from here that Vasco da Gama sailed to India and here he was welcomed home by Dom Manuel. The monastery that was build there - Mosteiro dos Jeronimos- was built to honour the vow Dom Manuel made for the return of Vasco da Gama. Visit the Mosteiro which is the most successful achievement of Manueline architecture. Take the toy train around Belem from front of the monastery. The ride takes 45 minutes and is fun. Visit the various museums in the area (see my tips for Maritime and Coaches museums), see the Torre de Belem and the Monument of the Discoveries. Have a good meal at one of the many restaurants. (We had a meal of fried small sardines which was fantastic, I don't remember the location or the name of the restaurant so there is no tip for it.) Take the tram #15 back to the city and enjoy thinking of all your experiences of Belem Leave a Comment Directions: Tram 15# from the center to Belem
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Jeronimos is a wonderful monastery, build in the 16th century, to celebrate the discoveries and to be the king Manuel I’s burial monument. It took all the century to build, and houses the tombs of the king and his sons. It is one of the best examples of Manueline architecture (the other "super" examples are %L[http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/9eab8/474ad/
]Batalha and %L[http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/9eab8/44219/
]Tomar, with the famous window), a Portuguese style in transition between gothic and renaissance, making use of nautical decorations, and that took the king’s name. The church and mainly the cloisters are splendorous.
In the main corps you can also see the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Camões, transferred there about 50 years ago. Leave a Comment
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If you have, at least, one day in Lisbon, Belem is one of the things you shouldn't miss. You may build your own program, from a couple of hours till one or more days.
Supposing that you will have only half day, then you can only have a glimpse of the ensemble of the Praça do Imperio, visit the Tower and Jeronimos. The area is still keeping the look won in 1940, when the political regime tried to make an impressive exhibition to hide the colonial nature of our possessions in Africa and Asia, spreading the idea of a multiracial, multicultural, and universal country. The gardens and some buildings were kept. For instance, the Popular Art Museum (Museu de Arte Popular) and the restaurant in the artificial lake (Espelho de Agua) were part of the exhibition. But the real gems of Belem come from history, with Jeronimos and the Tower on top. Leave a Comment
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Located on Belem, the Jeronimos Monastery is an impressive and maybe the most magnificent building in Portugal.
It was build by King Dom Manuel I, in memory of Vasco da Gama's successful voyage to India.
This amazing and huge monument took over 70 years to complete.
I only visited the church and the entrance is free but to enter the cloisters is charged 4 euros. Leave a Comment
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Located on Belem, the Padrao dos Descobrimentos or Monument to the Discoveries is a great stone caravel that was built in commemoration of the heroes of Portugal's maritime history.
It was inaugurated in 1960 during celebrations of the 500 year anniversary of the death of the Infant D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator).
It is open Tues-Sun 9am-5pm or 6:30pm in July and August and you have to pay 2 euros ( in 2004) to go up and enjoy the beautiful view over Belem. Leave a Comment
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The Belem Tower (Torre de Belem) is an imposing monument that dates from around 1515 and was built as a fortress to protect Lisbon harbour. It commemorates the period of Portugal's overseas expansion and Empire building.
It is an UNESCO World Heritage site.
The time was small, so I didn’t went inside. Next time !
You can go to the top peer into the tiny dungeon.
The timetable is :Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm or 6.30pm in summer Leave a Comment
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Its construction was commissioned by king Manuel I to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s voyage; to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success and to create a royal pantheon for the Aviz-Beja-Dinasty. The monastery was built on the site of a hermitage founded by Henry the Navigator around 1450. They begun to build it in 1502 and it took nearly the entire 16th century to complete it. It was designed in the Manueline style by Diogo de Boitaca and the works were carried on by some other architects.
The church of the monastery is also the resting place of Vasco Da Gama, Manuel I, his wife Maria and Luis De Camoes.
This monastery has a huge big carved portal and a large double storey cloister. Leave a Comment
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