Reminders of the Português maritime prowess are on display in the Belem neighborhood of Lisboa. At the juncture where the Tagus River meets the Atlantic Ocean stands the ornately-decorated Torre de Belém (Belem Tower). This Manueline-styled structure may have been the very last image of their homeland those adventurous seafarers saw as they set off for unknown corners of the globe.
TRAVEL TIP: Get to the Belem district by catching Tram E15 from Central Lisbon or get jostled around on the cobblestone roads like we did on a tuk tuk.
For some, the Tower was also a beacon to guide the weary traveler home as it did for the country’s most widely-known explorer, Vasco Da Gama. His tomb is just northeast of the fortification at the stunning Jeronimos Monastery.
Further east along the same coast of the Tagus river is a modern tribute to those souls of long ago who braved the unchartered waters: the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries).
