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| Monument of the Discoveries |
We began our tour at the Monument of
the Discoveries. Portugal was famed for its navigation school. Henry the
navigator is at the head of the memorial. The Portuguese sailors discovered how
to get to the orient by going around the African continent. The map labels the
year each territory was reached by the Portuguese. This gave them direct access
to the spices of India and the Orient. Nearby is the Belem Tower which
defended the port of Lisbon. Then onto the Monastery of St.
Jerome where we had their local pastries, Pastéis de Bélum.
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| Main Entrance to St. George's Castle |
In the afternoon, I decided to climb to the St. George’s Castle in the Alfama district of the city. I visited the Church of St. Anthony of Lisbon. The church was built above his birthplace. The climb begins from here through the streets and staircases to St. George’s Castle where a fortification has existed since the 8th century B.C. I walked the Castle walls with beautiful views of the city. On the way down, I took a wrong turn, but it was hard to get lost, just head down hill and west. That night, we had dinner near where I had walked, kale soup, followed by duck with rice and vegetables. After dinner, we had a Fado concert. A classical guitar and a Portuguese guitar with three different Fado singers.
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