Jeronimo's Monastery was built in 1459 by Infante Henry the Navigator
The Belém Tower was constructed in the early 16th century and acted as part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus River. It also acted as the ceremonial entrance to Lisbon.
The monument to the discoveries is located along the shores of the Tagus River where ships departed to trade and explore with India and the Orient. It was built to celebrate the Portuguese age of discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Belém Pastry (Pastéis de Belém) coffee shop, which boasts to have the best cream custards in the world, was of course a mandatory stop on our tour (we had two rounds of pastries).
The bathrooms were very nice - pictured below is the women's facilities.
Next we went to visit the Palace Marques da Fronteira.The Palace was built in 1671 as a hunting pavilion to Dom João de Mascarenhas, 1st Marquis of Fronteira, who received his title from King Afonso VI of Portugal for his loyalty to the House of Braganza in the Portuguese Restoration War.
The palace is still the private residence of the Marquesses (which is like a Count) of Fronteira.
We then stopped at the Cristo-Rei monument which was built in 1959 as a thanks for sparing Portugal the effects of the 2nd world war.
After our official visits to the sites our most fabulous guide took us on a tour of the city to take in some of the vantage points around the city.
Once our tour was done we were taken by our guide (yes the most fabulous one) to his apartment where we met his lovely wife Sofia. They proved that the Portuguese are a very welcoming and caring people as the welcomed us into their home with open arms and giving hearts. We were treated to a special meal prepared by Filipe and an equally impressive desert created by Sofia. It was a great way to end the day surrounded by new friends and old (some of us older than others).
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