Tour of Lisbon

We live in the NE section of Lisbon - about 30 minutes from historic Lisbon. After settling into our new home, we just couldn't wait to see what all the tourists come to Lisbon to see. 

(Find Moscavide at the top of this so-so map. This is where we live. This is also the area of the temple. Then follow the red line to the big black arrow. There you will find Lisbon's historic area.)

The following pictures are from that first outing. I'm not sure what all these things are, but you have admit that this is a pretty fine place to visit. 

Some examples of Lisbon's famous tiled buildings...





(I am pretty fascinated with these tiles and plan to study up and share more about them in a future blog. Stay tuned!)


Stretching across the Tagus River in Lisbon is the Ponte 25 de April (25th April Bridge); the largest suspension bridge in Europe and the 20th longest in the world. It is often considered as a twin sister of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco because of its similar design. The bridge in Lisbon is actually 300 feet longer.l


On the opposite bank of the river is the Cristo Rei (Christ the King). It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
(We will visit that in a future blog, as well.)


 Rossio
(Monument dedicated to Portuguese independence from Spain)











We will also visit Lisbon's Portuguese cobblestones later - and maybe even compare them with those in Brazil. 
Who knows.





Praça do Comércio
(Public square lined with shops & cafes)




Castelo de São Jorge
(Hilltop Moorish castle & palace ruins)


This is one of the greatest landmarks in Lisbon. The castle has stunning views and lots of history. 

















Larry and Don (AKA Lewis and Clark) consulting their maps.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos
(Monument to Maritime Explorers)

This is a life-sized replica of the first plane to cross the Atlantic - from Lisbon to South America. It happened in 1922 and is yet another example of the pioneer spirit of the Portuguese people.





Belém Tower
(Medieval defensive tower)





After all that sight-seeing, our little tummies were growling...
The Portuguese are renowned for their love of sweet pastries and cakes, and no dessert is more famous (or delicious) than the Pastel de Nata custard tart. 

 The Pastel de Belém was the original custard tart, and the exact recipe is a closely guarded secret. Very similar custard tarts (which are equally as delicious) produced by other bakeries are called Pastel de Natas. 
Probably the best place to get one of the pastéis is the Fábrica dos Pastéis de Belém. This is the traditional home of the delicious Pastel de Belém. 

I would say that no trip to Belem is complete without stopping by for one (or some) of these sweet treats.

 They are served warm - right out of the oven. You can sprinkle cinnamon and/or powdered sugar on top for even more delicious sweetness!





Random fact: Many traditional Portuguese cakes and tarts have sweet yolk based fillings, and originate from bakeries that were close to major monasteries. The reason is that the egg whites were used by the monks to starch religious clothes, giving the yolks free to the bakeries close by. Hence the home of the Pastéis de Belém is next to the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos!

(Jerónimos Monastery)

That was one full day of sight-seeing. Now we know why this place is so popular. 

And this is just the beginning...