Lisbon

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This morning I took a taxi out to Belem, a suburb of Lisbon that is near the mouth of the river and is the site from which Portuguese explorers set out on their voyages of discovery. Back in the 1500’s Portugal was an economic powerhouse because of its worldwide empire which included Brazil, holdings in India, Macao, and many others. In gratitude to God for the many successful voyages, King Manuel I built the St. Jerome Monastery in Belem. The cloisters are ornate (see photo) and I liked the carvings of plants and animals (see photo). Nearby is the Monument to the Discoveries, a much more recent construction, that has larger-than-life-size figures gazing bravely out to sea (see photo). Also nearby is the Coach Museum which contains many of the horse-drawn carriages from the royal collection. Rick Steves is excited about this place, so I went to see it. I can't say I share his enthusiasm for old coaches, but I'll at least share a photo.

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