Beautiful Belem

Pastiche Heaven
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Belem is about a 20 minutes easy tram ride out of Lisbon. All you need to do is catch the #15 tram at the Placa  de Comercio and get off Belem! There is much to see and do in this lovely little suburb by the river.

Firstly, there is of course the Pastais de Belem, the best pastiche in Portugal and we would know, we made sure we ate of much of it as possible! This Pastiserie makes THE best custard tarts and cannot be walked past. If you cannot get a table inside, then go to the service counter and push and shove your way to the front and either order in your fluent Portugese  (Pastais de Nata) a box of tarts or just point and for the paltry sum of about 4.50 euro, you will be given a box of eight hot, fresh custard tarts.  If you want a coffee then head across the road and there is a McDonalds with a Mccafe that can help you out and another great opportunity to practise your budding Portuguese. I thought I had ordered one decaf and one latte, but apparently, as I discovered when I returned to Mac with the 'coffee' - I had not, luckily I like hot milk.  I must add at this point Mac, with an extremely cheeky grin managed to inhale four of the tarts without taking a breath.

"I can't believe you just ate that much pastiche..."

The peaceful Jeronimos Monastry
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Apart from eating custard tarts other things to see in Belem is the Descombres, the Monestary of Jeronimos and the Belem Tower (see you need to eat the tarts for strength for all the sight seeing).

The Descombres is monument to celebrate the truly exceptional Portuguese explorers (all 27 of them) with Vasco De Gama at the front in his rightful place.  In front of this monument is massive mosiac image of the globe as the Explorers discovered it.  This is can be viewed in its entirety at the top of the monument, if the crowds are not too thick.  We managed to pull off one of the luckiest photos in travel history here, at the top of the monument we were able to take some great shots without one person marring the mosiac, just as we finished a load of Japenese tourist milled across it - just got to love that.

Can I help you?
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Inside the monument is a surprisingly large choice of things to do! You can catch the lift to the top of the monument for more amazing views of Lisbon, you can wonder around the history display or you catch a movie. Once you get your headphones and tape go into the theatre and watch a very interesting movie that explains the history of Portugal and in particular Lisbon and what happened with the 1755 earthquake.  This little masterpiece will really bring to life the city. I will give you some advice, make sure you allow plenty of time to get your english version tuned in and dont make any sudden moves or you wil lose it again!!

Portuguese Flag
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Here is useless piece of information for you - there is a vending machine outside the toilets that sells quite tasty hot chocolate and has two comfy chairs, I recommend you indulge in both.

Next stop is the Belem Tower, its a short walk along the wharf and a quick diversion through a park but you cant miss the tower as it is rather large. Built in the 15th century as defence tower it is more a work of art. The tower has been carved intricately within an inch of its life and is pretty much as it was, so much so, if a soldier walked around the corner you wouldn't bat an eyelid.  There are three flights of small spiral staircases to climb which will have you giddy after a while and negotiating with the tourists coming down can be amusing. It gives you the distinct impression that the Portuguese must not have been very tall or fat judging by these stairs and the narrow passages to the arrow slits. After exploring every inch of it, the next stop was the Monastry of Jeronimos.

Shadows in the Cloisters
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The monestary is just gorgeous, it was built in the 16th century and is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever been in.  I am not particularly religious, but the atmosphere in the main altar is so peaceful and calm I just wanted to sit and absorb this feeling but as it was nearly 5:00pm we were out of time. The ceilings are 25 feet high and there are a couple of tombs at the entrance. Its strange, I can't really remember much detail about the interior at all and I visited it twice.  I decided whole heartedly I would return to this place when Mac had left to go home. I would sit for hours and contemplate, think and meditate - yeah right!! when I returned on 22 December scaffolding was being erected for christmas services and there was a bus load of Japanese tourists and the piece de resistance - an awful american family! They let their two small children run riot, kicking the old stone statues, shouting, yelling and being generally dreadful.  I dont think there was one person there whom wouldnt have minded if these kids just happened to 'disappear' into the crypt.

The massive mosiac
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There were the most airy and light cloisters I think I have ever seen, which are just delightful to wonder around, the old stone staircase that takes you out of the cloisters had all the makings of a ghost sighting and you could almost hear the rustle of the monk's robes. There are lots of interesting rooms to explore, beautiful stained glass windows, lofty 25ft vaulted ceilings and a very life like "Jesus on the cross". You really did feel like asking the poor man if he would like some help getting down.

Descombres
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Also in the same complex is a Archeological Museum that is full of roman burial caskets, treasures found in them, mosiac floors discovered while renovating various buildings and a mummy- all very interesting and worth a look.