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Published: December 9th 2007
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Torre de Belém Famous Perspective
I wondered how many times the Tower of Belém has been photographed from this spot... As I was going through the Metro system between my hotel and the Baixa area with the ultimate intention of visiting Belém, on the far western side of Lisbon, I noticed that a lot of people were wearing sports apparel (e.g. spandex shorts, running shoes, etc). I thought at first that Portuguese people were really into exercising and wondered why they were riding the Metro system. Perhaps there was a better place in Lisbon for jogging, biking, etc. that you needed to ride the Metro to reach. Maybe this place was along the Tejo River? When I exited the Metro system at the Baixa-Chiado Station, I realized that my theory was wrong. It became clear that a big sporting event was taking place, as large groups of runners and cyclists were all moving in the same direction towards Praça do Comércio. When I got there, a race was in progress and runners were arriving from the West over Avenida da Ribeira das Naus and crossing the finish line as they reached the end of a temporary seating area that had been placed there for the benefit of any spectators interested in the event.
With my heavy DSLR and lens, I
Jerónimos Church
The choir was performing in the background when this image was taken shamelessly (but with no ill intention of any kind) impersonated a member of the accredited Press and walked right next to the Finish Line to take pictures of the arriving runners, the race officials and the VIPs watching the event from up close. Nobody questioned my presence there but many people discretely fixed their hair when they detected that they were being photographed.
Because many runners were just arriving fresh from the Metro, I assumed that more races were going to take place later in the day. I spent some time just walking around Praça do Comércio taking in the festive atmosphere prior to needing to resume my planned journey to Belém but after being there for a while, I realized that I had not seen any trams or buses in the area, I suspected that the lines might be running through an alternate route. After asking several people, the consensus was that I needed to walk a few blocks towards the West and reach Praça Duqueda Terceira where the trams should stop to pick up passengers. A Spanish tourist couple who was asking for the same information walked with me the few blocks to Praça Duqueda.
After
being at Praça Duqueda for a while and still not seeing any trams, my Spanish acquaintances decided to ask a police officer who was walking nearby about the trams and buses. His answer was what we already suspected: the trams were simply not running at all until the sporting event closed later in the afternoon. According to this police officer, our only alternative for going to Belém was to walk to the Cais do Sodré train station and catch a commuter train. The Spaniards were amazed that any authority would just shut down public transportation and not inform the public about what to do as an alternative.
Walking to the station and catching the next commuter train was very straightforward; after a short ride and walk towards Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (or Jerónimos Monastery), my first destination in Belém, I parted ways with the Spaniards who proceeded to enter the monastery while I stayed outside capturing a few images of the amazing building.
Jerónimos Monastery is by far the most important monument in Belém and one of the few structures in Lisbon that miraculously survived the major earthquake that destroyed most of the city in 1755. After you
clear the entrance gate and arrive into the actual cloister you are all of a sudden exposed to a full atmospheric blast directly from the minds and souls of the monastery’s XVI Century builders and you can hardly believe your eyes. Nothing can prepare you for what is in front of you. The Jerónimos monks that originally occupied the premises were contemplative and must have felt very close to God within such environment. In spite of the 500 years since its original construction, you can still feel their presence and the presence of countless generations who have walked these halls over the last five centuries.
In addition to the building itself that is the essence of your experience when you visit this World Heritage site, the organization responsible for the site, assisted by a panel of journalists has documented three parallel timelines in one of the halls in the upper floor of Jerónimos’ as a cyclorama, the outside of which is in English and the inside in Portuguese. The cyclorama’s upper band documents major events in the history of the World. The middle band describes events related to the monastery itself, and the third band documents major events in
the history of Portugal or involving Portuguese nationals. I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibit and could have spent much more time going through it, as an opportunistic traveler though, this is one of the luxuries that I don’t have. I completed my visit of the monastery proper and moved to the church that is part of the complex.
Right at the entrance of the church, I came face to face with the grandfather of all travelers and explorers (or at least, with his final resting place). Vasco da Gama’s mausoleum is located at the left of the main entrance; his full-body likeness exuding the restfulness that he probably never enjoyed while he was alive. He visited remote (and unknown) locations of the Earth when getting there involved much, much more than just accessing the Internet and making reservations on your preferred airline. I felt extremely honored to be in his immediate proximity.
My next experience at Jerónimo’s was also awe-inspiring. As I got into the main church, a choir was performing Christmas music there. The choir members’ skilled voices and the incredible acoustics of the building were creating an outwardly aural dimension that when added to the visual one
of the building itself, the combination produced something really special but impossible to describe with words or two-dimensional pictures.
The choir performed during about half an hour until the Noon mass started. I stayed there through the service (after all, I am Catholic) and was able to add one more experience to my visit. After mass, I walked across the gardens in front of Jerónimos’ towards the Tajo River.
One other point of interest in Belém is the Discoveries Monument. This monument includes the likenesses of various Portuguese contributors to worldwide discovery and exploration. The main structure of the monument represents the stern of a caravela, the type of ship that was commonly used for explorations and trade with the New World, around the XV Century.
From there, I walked to perhaps the best known of Lisbon’s landmarks, the Tower of Belém. This was a defensive structure designed to guard the approach to Lisbon from the Tejo River. The tower was once strategically located on a small island right on midstream river, ready to intercept English and Dutch pirate incursions into the city. Unfortunately for its builders, the 1755 earthquake changed the course of the river and
Torre de Belém
Viewed from the emplacements level the structure now sits on the river’s right bank. Over the years, this tower has served many purposes, including that of a prison, especially when the Spanish Royal House ruled over Portugal.
On that point, it might be useful to document that though Spanish and Portuguese cultures are very similar in many ways (including the very close similarity of their languages), there is a distinct but implicit mild dislike for Spaniards (and their language) in Portugal. The reason for this attitude has its roots in history. Spaniards have tried many times to take over Portugal, a gesture that has not been very much appreciated by the Portuguese. Unlike other Latin countries (such as France, Italy, and Spain), Portugal has often allied itself with the British, ever since a Gentleman named John of Lancaster, helped the Portuguese get rid of their Moorish invaders in the XIV Century.
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Joaquin
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Torre de Belém Famous Perspective
I know that a million and one photographers have captured this perspective, but there DEFINITELY is a reason... wow!