Exploring Belem

We spent a day in the Belem district of Lisbon seeing the historic sights. The area is right along the Tagus River, west of Lisbon, and is one of the cities earliest districts; easily dating back 500 plus years! We spent time at the Jerónimos Monastery first. The stunning building was designed by the Portuguese architect Diogo de Boitaca to celebrate the return of Vasco da Gama from India. The construction began in January 1501 and wasn’t completed until the seventeenth century! After it was built, a religious order of Hieronymite monks lived in the monastery. They provided spiritual assistance to navigators and sailors who departed from the port. The space is simply stunning, filled with arches and long corridors a real architectural feat!

After the monastery, we walked along the water towards the Belem Tower. The Tower celebrates the expedition led by navigator Vasco da Gama, who established a trade route from Portugal to India in 1497–98. The tower sits just off the shore in the water, serving as an ancient protector of the city. It appears to be almost rising out of the water with the tide ebbing around it. You can go in and explore and climb into the turrets and up to the top. It was really amazing and fun to get to explore and experience! 

We also saw the sailors and explorers monument and walked to the new MAAT museum which is strikingly modern against the historic UNESCO sites of old Belem! A truly must see in Lisbon!

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