Still in Belem we scale the Discoveries Monument to get a birds’s eye view of the area.
We can see the boats moored in the harbour, the tiny ant folk and the impressive monastery that looks like a little scale model from up here.
Even high up it’s an impressive sight and we’ll take a tour around it later.
Another famous landmark is the Belem Tower. It’s a fortified tower that was commissioned by King John II to be part of a defence system at the mouth of the Tagus river as was as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.
The tower was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and included in the registry of the Seven Wonders of Portugal in 2007.
The final monument we check out in Belem is Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
The monastery was home to the monks of the Order of St Jerome for four centuries. Their role was to comfort sailors and pray for the king’s soul.
When the order was dissolved in 1833, the monastery was used as a school and orphanage until about 1940.
Then it’s onwards from Belem and on the road to Sintra. But on route we take a detour to see the Cristo Rei (Christ the King) statue.
The imposing monument has a pedestal of 82 metres made of four arches with and a flat platform that supports the 28 metres image of Christ.
It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), after the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon visited it.
The cement statue was built to express gratitude because the Portuguese were spared the effects of World War II.
Then we’re off onto the fairy tale town of Sintra with its fantastical castles in the sky. Expect a glut of photos!!