Cascais to Lisbon
Lisboa Camping Parc Monsanto
Lisboa, the capital of Portugal, is a rare combination of history and bittersweet memories, and occupies a hilly site on the estuary of the Tagus.
The Lisboa Camping located in the Parc Monsanto, is close to public transportation and has many facilities. After settling the Bothan here, we headed by foot, for the public transportation, a bus into Belem, a section of Lisbon.
Belem, an area of Lisbon, was the port that famous navigators and explorers headed out from on uncharted waters to find new lands. Often the last night before the voyage, explorers spent the night in this monastery praying for a safe journey. It was the last place they saw and hopefully the one they returned to.
The Monastery of Jeronimos in Belem is a huge structure and it was King Manuel wish to make it the pantheon of the new branch of the royal House of Avia, guess who was the first monarch...oh yes, good old Manuel. He channeled enormous sums of money into the monastery. It was built on "pepper money", spices from the East we highly taxes. Such power, nepotism, control of wealth and people...almost
like today! It also holds the tomb of Vasco da Gama.
A treat we found in Portugal, to go with one's coffee/ juice, is a wonderful creamy custard tart called "pastel de nate". But in Belem they are called "pastel de Belem" and in Belem they add cinnamon and powered sugar on top before serving, a nice start for a long walk in the city
The Monument to the Discoveries honors the many explorers, and navigators that are Portugal's pride. The monument has the explorers/navigators, etc. memorialized in stone facing the port.
The Torre(tower) de Belem was built as a fortress. It was a starting point for the navigators, who set out to discover the trade routes to East.
Portugal's Flag
Map of Portugal