My short visit to Lisbon

I went to Lisbon for a short visit. Lisbon has a lot of things to see and to do, but I only had time to visit a couple of things, which were the following:

Torre de Belém

The Torre de Belém was built to regulate the entrance of ships to the harbor of Lisbon. It is built in a Manueline style, but it also has Moorish influences. It's on the World Heritage Sites list. Francisco de Arruda was the architect of this building. Moreover, the tower counts with a statue of Our Lady of Safe Homecoming, on one of its sides, which symbolizes the guardianship of sailors on their journeys.

Pastéis de Belém

After Torre de Belém, Pastéis de Belém are next on the list. When we wanted to order a Pastel de Belém, the very known pastry from Lisbon, we noticed a huge line in front of the bakery where they were supposed to have the best of them. Pastel de Belém is the original pastry, but everywhere you can find its imitation, under the name "Pastel de nata", which is also very good, by the way. The original recipe of the Pastel de Belém is secret and is only used in the bakery located in Belém, a district of western Lisbon. You can eat the pastries with cinnamon or cacao on top of it, as you prefer.

Monumento aos Descubrimentos

As you can see on the picture, there are many characters on the monument. They represent the explorers of Portugal, and the monument is devoted to them. It was built in the year 1940. There is also a platform nearby this monument where you can have a beautiful view of Belém, and next to it, there is small museum that you can visit.

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

This building is highly religious and was connected to the explorers (sailors) of Portugal. This was because of Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese sailor and explorer who was here the day before he started his journey to the east. The monastery is built in a Manueline style.

Castelo de São Jorge

From this castle you can have a beautiful view of Lisbon, especially of the Baixa district and of the river Tejo. It is very popular among tourists in Lisbon. The castel used to be the antique catbird seat for Portugal for several hundreds of years.

Parque das Nações

This park offers many things to see and do. For example: from here you can see the Ponte Vasco da Gama, the longest bridge in Europe; also, you have several terraces and restaurants to have a drink or something to eat. With a good weather, this is the perfect place to be. There is also the Ocenário, one of the largest aquariums in the world. Besides, the park has a hotel and several architectural masterpieces.

Restaurant Da Vinci

A very good Italian restaurant! I am half-Italian, and since Italians are always very concerned with good food, it’s hard to find good Italian restaurants outside of Italy. But the restaurant Da Vinci surprised me. A highly recommended restaurant with great food and very friendly staff.

Restaurant Laurentina "Rei do Bacalhau"

As the name tells, this restaurant is the king of the "bacalhau". I agree, the bacalhau with cream that I tried there was the best I ever ate!

Photo gallery