Our second day in Lisbon dawned sunny, providing perfect weather for exploring nearby Belém. We made our way to Lisbon’s most expansive plaza, the Praça do Comércio, a transportation hub sitting alongside the Tagus River. Here one can take a ferry across the river, hop on the metro or take a tram or bus anywhere in the city. Site of the royal palace until it was obliterated in the earthquake and tsunami in 1755, the plaza is dominated by the Arco da Rua Augusta,   also known as the Arco da Vitória, and honors King José I, who ruled during the rebuilding of the city after the earthquake, with an impressive statue of him at its center.

We’d planned to take the No. 15 tram the four miles or so to Belém but learned it would be delayed due to an accident on the track. Directed by very helpful transit workers, we and a whole lot of other travelers made our way to a bus stop. Thinking our day would be delayed by this hiccup, we were pleasantly surprised to find that a slew of buses soon pulled up to handle the crowd.

Belém was the jumping-off point for many of the great exploratory voyages during Portugal’s great Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries and hosts a slew of museums, historic buildings and the presidential palace. After a quick stop at a café for a light breakfast and to plot our strategy for the day, we made our way past the palace and the crowds lined up at Pastéis de Belém for its famous custard pastries. We decided to pass on that experience, at least for the time being, and did the same when we saw the hoards lined up to enter the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Apparently, we were too late to beat the busloads of tourists and cruisers and figured we’d try later in the afternoon.

One of our first stops after passing through the Jardim Vasco da Gama with its lovely and elaborate fountains and immaculate landscaping was the Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos), dedicated in 1960 and celebrating the Portuguese Age of Discovery. Its shape is that of a stylized caravel, the ship which transported the intrepid navigators of the 15th and 16th centuries around the world.   Larger-than-life figures representing these explorers, such as Henry the Navigator, Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco da Gama, as well as prominent figures of those times crowd the base of the monument.   We took the elevator to the top in order to take in the expansive views up and down the river and out to the sea. Below us spread an enormous compass rose with a map of the world (at the time of the great expeditions) at its center.   The surrounding pavers created fascinating, almost dizzying patterns when seen from such a great height, while the views stretched upriver to Lisbon and the Ponte 25 de Abril and west to the Tower of Belem and the Atlantic beyond.   That vantage point also allowed me to capture the full expanse of the Jéronimos Monastery in one shot; it really is a huge complex!

From there we strolled along the waterfront, past an ancient lighthouse and on to the famous Torre de Belém, built as part of the Tagus River defenses.

From there we entered the Museu da Marinha, the Maritime Museum, which boasts wonderful exhibits tracing the history of Portugal’s expansive empire from the 14th century, including models and actual boats. At the entrance one is greeted by a statue of Prince Henry, also known as Henry the Navigator,    and a wall-sized map tracing the voyages which expanded the Europeans’ knowledge of the world. These truly were global travelers! The final gallery, the size of an airplane hangar, housed all manner and size of boats, from small fishing boats to elaborately decorated royal barges,   as well as a few early airplanes. This barge, built in 1778, required 80 oarsmen and was last used to carry Queen Elizabeth II of England on the Tagus River during a visit to Portugal in 1957.

At the end of a long but enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable day, as we made our way back to catch the bus back to Lisbon, we noted no line to enter the Jéronimos Monastery and stepped inside to admire its soaring ceilings   and elaborate stonework. It also houses the tombs of explorer Vasco da Gama    and poet Luís de Camões.   Passing through the elaborate main portal on our way back outside, we marveled at the tangible results of the wealth brought to Portugal from the travels of its intrepid explorers.

We could have spent several days exploring all the sites of Belém, but we really felt we’d made the most of our single day there.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor