Portugal: Belem and Sintra

 

Sintra Moorish Castle

Belem

Belem is the heart of Portugal’s golden age, where voyages departed during the

Age of Discovery.  Explorers stayed at the monastery before leaving,

and the Belem Tower was the first sign of civilization upon returning from their voyage. 

Most of the buildings survived the 1755 earthquake, which means the manueline architecture survived.  

Getting there is pretty easy, pick up the 15E bus at Praca do Figueira

(the 15E trolley is more science, but was not operating when we visited

due to street construction).  Expect this 5 mile ride to take 45 minutes due to traffic,

and the bus will be very crowded.  

There is a lot to see in a small town. Due to a torrential downpour the day we visited,

we chose to limit our visit to the Monastery and Church of Jeronimos,

the Belem Tower (closed the day we were there) and the Monument to the Discoveries. 

There are also very few pictures because I couldn’t use my camera in the heavy rain.  

Belem Monastery Cloister

Monastery of Jeronimos

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Monastery of Jeronimos) King Manual constructed it in

the early 1500s to commemorate the discoveries made (Africa, India, Brazil, Macau, etc),

some of the first examples of manueline architecture.  The Church is amazing,

with seafaring motifs and precious metals brought back from their foreign voyages,

Renaissance altar, tomb of Vasco da Gama.  The Cloister is a massive building and

the highlight of the tour. The manueline architecture blends gothic with Moorish influences,

and incorporates motifs from other lands explored.  It really tells the story of the age of Discovery.  

Monastery Cloister (manueline)

Monastery Cloister

Jeronimo Church

Jeronimo Church

The Belem Tower was completed in 1520 to defined the river entrance and Belem. 

It was originally in the middle of the river, but the riverbank was reclaimed up to the tower.  

Belem Tower (in the rain)

Belem Tower

The Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Monument of Discoveries) was originally built in 1940

for the world’s fair, but rebuilt in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death

of Henry the Navigator. On a clear day (unlike the bay we visited), you get a great view

of the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge (looks similar to Golden Gate Bridge).  

Monument of Discoveries

Monument of Discoveries

Although every pastry shop in Lisbon serves the pastel de nata, the original and best is

at Casa Pasteis de Belem at Rua de Belem 84.  

Sintra

Sintra is a World Heritage site and well worth the visit.  

Getting to Sintra is easy, a 30 minute local train from Rossio Station, then a beautiful

10 minute walk to the small town center of Sintra along a park with modern art. 

You can take the 434 bus right from the train station, but we opted to hike up to the castle,

which is a strenuous 1 hour hike (we were wearing sandals - not advised!). 

If you choose to hike, get the detailed Pedestrian Route map from the TI at the

station (another tip we learned after visiting).  

National Palace

Sintra Trail (the easy part)

The Pena Palace is an incredible structure that started as a monastery cloister in the

15th century, turned into a castle by Manual I, and eventually expanded by

Prince Ferdinand in the 19th century.  Ferdinand was German and a contemporary

of Mad King Ludwig, you can see similarities with Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle. 

It is very well preserved including the furnishings.  The royal family fled Portugal in 1910

during the revolt that led to the modern republic, and the castle looks just as it did

at that time.  Exploring the rooms was very interesting, walking the castle walls

provided a 360 panorama of Sintra.  

Approaching Pena Palace

Pena Palace

Entrance to Courtyard

Pena Palace

Pena Palace Cloister

Moorish Gate

Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle) is an amazing ruin that maintains the outer walls. 

We walked the crenellated walls for amazing views of the Pena Palace, other smaller castles,

and the Atlantic Ocean.  

Castle Walls

Castle Keep

Moorish Castle from Pena Palace

Moorish Castle from Trail

We ate lunch at Jardom do Como, fantastic burgers in a great outdoor space.   The owner does not speak much English but was so nice when we made attempts to speak Portuguese.  I highly recommend eating here.  

Jardom do Como

Ostrich Man?

Jardom do Como owner (such a great experience)