Spain and Portugal Day 10 - Belem

Today was a bit of a slow morning for us. All of the walking and tapas from the past few days have finally caught up to us. We definitely needed a break, so we decided to take advantage of our room at the Tivoli Palácio de Seteais and just relax. We slept in, lounged around, and enjoyed the beautiful view of the Pena Palace from our window - well, at least until the clouds rolled in and the rain started to pour down. It was a bit disappointing that we couldn't see the Palace anymore, but we still had a lovely breakfast at the hotel before checking out and heading back to Lisbon.

Once we arrived in Lisbon, we dropped off our car at the airport and took a cab to our next hotel, the Emerald House. It's a nice Hilton hotel in downtown Lisbon, although it's not in the best location. But it worked for our trip, and we even got Lisbon cards which gave us access to public transportation and many of the city's monuments and museums. We hopped on a bus and made our way to our first stop: the Belem neighborhood.

As soon as we got off the bus, we saw the Jerónimos Monastery - it was huge! And absolutely stunning. This monastery is the epitome of Portugal's power and wealth during the Age of Discovery, and it was a must-see on our itinerary. The Gothic architecture was breathtaking, and the cloisters were especially magnificent with their intricate carvings of sea monsters, coral, and other motifs from that era of exploration.

Next, we walked along the river to the Belem Tower. This tower was built in the river to defend it, and it's a really cool-looking building out on the water. It's now one of the main symbols of Lisbon's tourism industry, and we couldn't resist going inside to explore. The views from the top were incredible - we could see Belém and the Tagus River in both directions.

Our next stop was the Monument to the Discoveries, which celebrates the achievements of Portugal's explorers during the building of their empire. The Padrão dos Descobrimentos features over 30 statues of historical figures who played a big part in the Age of Discoveries, and it was definitely worth a visit. Along the way, we stopped at a food truck for a light dinner and I grabbed some lemon basil gelato, which was amazing!

Taking a break from my gelato to snap a photo

Last but certainly not least, we stopped by Pastéis de Belém for a custard tart - or Pastéis, as the locals call them. These are a must-try when in Lisbon, and we went straight to the source: Pastéis de Belém serves the original Pastéis that were created by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery. They even claim to have a secret ingredient, and they always serve them warm. It was the perfect way to end our day of exploring.

We decided to walk back to our hotel, even though it was a bit of a long walk - around 3 miles. But most of it was along the river, which was really pleasant. Along the way, we saw an interesting piece of art that was celebrating the heroes of Covid. It's amazing how the pandemic has already become a source of inspiration for artists. All in all, even though our morning started off slow, we had an absolutely amazing day in Lisbon.

This is the Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge) so naturally, we referred to it as Alison's bridge