Lisbon day 2 - Closer to divinity

By Gloria Stefan gloriadventure - November 02, 2021

We got on the bus and headed to the Ajuda region.

Padrao dos Descobrimentos or the Monument of Discoveries was our first stop. It celebrates the Portuguese era of discoveries between the 15th and 16th centuries. It was built in honor of the Portuguese navigator Henry, 500 years after his death, in 1940.

Heading forward, we passed through Praca do Imperio and went to admire the beauty of the most grandiose architectural structures in Lisbon. Mosterio dos Jeronimos is a Portuguese Manueline Gothic monastery that now houses the Maritime Museum and the National Museum of Archeology. A ticket for visiting the museum and the monastery together is 12 euros, or if you want separately, the museum costs 5 euros, and the monastery 10 euros. Adjacent to this, the Church of Santa Maria de Belem is a church built in the same similar Gothic style. The entrance to the church is free, which makes it one of the most visited objectives.

After many uphills and downhills we decided to go and relax a bit at Jardim da Torre de Belem, a park near the Belem tower. Here are all kinds of talented people who delight passers-by with live music. It is a real pleasure to sit on a bench and listen to the saxophone, violin or piano while admiring the surrounding landscape 𝅗𝅥♫𝅘𝅥. Torre de Belem is a 16th century fortification that was used to embark and disembark Portuguese explorers and as an entry point from the ocean into Lisbon.

After recharging our batteries, we headed to the Jardim Botanico d’Ajuda. Although we visited it in November, this botanical garden remained fascinating due to the shapes of the trees 🌳, which are very very strange. The garden was built around the oldest tree here, which is over 400 years old. Here we spent a lot of time taking pictures and wondering what beauties can nature create. After this, we went to eat.

In the afternoon, we returned to the seafront. From here we could admire the grandeur of the bridge that connects Lisbon with the city of Almada over the Tagus River. This bridge is called Ponte 25 de Abril and has a length of 2km. It is one of the two bridges, along with Ponte Vasco da Gama, which crosses the Tagus River. On the other side of the bridge, you can see the Santuario de Cristo Rei, a statue that rises on a high hill in Almada and depicts Jesus Christ with open arms blessing the Portuguese capital. This statue is the most iconic monument in Lisbon. It was built in 1950 as a replica of the original statue in Rio de Janeiro, Christ the Redeemer, for the religious purpose of protecting the people from the horrors caused by World War II. Of course I couldn't miss the opportunity to see it up close. So we got on the bus, this time it's another bus, not Carris, from where I bought the tickets directly from the driver. And we crossed the bridge and went to see an amazing sunset from above on the statue. The price of a ticket was 6 euros for an adult (or 3 euros for child).