Day 4 – Another Day in Lisbon

After another delicious breakfast, we headed out for the Belem district which is about 3 miles east from the B&B. On the main streets here in Lisbon, electrical wires are tautly suspended over the roads to power the trolley cars and electric trams (which resemble busses). I imagine that this is what St. Louis must have looked like 60 years ago. Here we made a traveling error in that we should have just purchased a one day pass. Oh well. It wasn’t a major expense, just a little inconvenient.

The tram careened through the city, following a portion of the path we walked last night. Today we were flying! We arrived right in front of The Monastery of Jeronimos. It was huge! Built by King Manuel (who ruled from 1495) it stretches 300 yards – the size of 3 football fields! The King had it built as a way of saying “thank you” for the discoveries made by early Portuguese explorers. It was financed, in part, with “pepper money” – a 5% tax on spices brought back from India. I was fascinated that this monastery was built on the site of a sailors’ chapel where they spent their last night in prayer before embarking on the voyages. By the way, the original little chapel was built by Prince Henry the Navigator.

Because the church and monastery are free until 2:00 on Sundays, there were tons of people. Nevertheless, lines flowed very smoothly and we had more than enough time to soak in the majesty and simplicity of this beautiful site. First we went to the Monastery cloisters. The white limestone there resembled lace. We then followed into the monks’ dining hall and enjoyed some gorgeous tiles on the walls – eye level for dinner eaters. I wondered if monks knew of long underwear because the rooms were cold!

Now, into the church. The space was open and the ceiling was all one height. Some of the arches were carved to look like ropes and knots – very nautical and a Boy Scout’s dream! Sunday morning worship was in progress as we entered and a lady with a beautiful voice echoed her song throughout the vast space. Just inside the entrance was the tomb of Vasco de Gama. He was one of those sailors who humbly prayed for protection in the early chapel on the night of July 7, 1497. He successfully completed his mission of confirming that the same ocean, overland travelers had seen, was the same one discovered by Dias. He received a Charles Lindbergh hero welcome (minus the ticker tape) when he returned 2 years and 2 months later. This discovery really launched Portugal’s Golden Age.

Next, we headed across the street to a typical Sunday in the park where locals were enjoying games, ice-cream, and taking pictures of their little bambinos. It was lovely. We saw the Monument to the Discoveries – a literal line up of explorers climbing up to the sky. Then, on to the Belem Tower – a castle type building from the 16^th century that voyagers coveted spotting because it meant they were home (much like The Arch is to those of us blessed to live in St. Louis!).

We met a German business man on our tram ride home that had visited the U.S. Western states three times and just loved it! He was overwhelmed by the mountains, blue sky, dry climate, great transportation system, and nice people. We discussed different cultures, and of variety of other subjects. We shook hands when we reached our stop and we went our separate ways. It was a delightful but brief encounter.

Once back at the Florescente, we listened to a John Mac Arthur sermon and relaxed before a great dinner of lasagna, vegetables, and fresh squeezed lemonade. What a great day!

Monk's Dining Hall

Monk's Court Yard

Vasco De Gama's Tomb

Belem Tower