First days in Lisbon, Part 2

Yesterday, I spent the whole day wandering around hoping to run across something interesting. Boy, did that work out! I saw a ton of things yesterday. First I went to the top of the highest hill, where I found an old castle and church.

I climbed the bell tower, and the view from there was amazing.

From there, I decided to walk toward the water. On the way, I ran across a museum of cultural and political oppression. That sounded interesting, so I went in. The museum was very interesting and educational. Here are some photos I took while walking around the museum.

After finishing with the museum, I continued walking downhill toward the water. On the way, I ran across yet another detour: another church! I went inside, and this one was even more intricate and impressive than the last. Some photos:

When I finally arrived at the water, I came across a large square.

After reaching the water, I proceeded to walk along the shoreline for a while. Here are some of the things I encountered:

An old man who had built some very impressive cairns:

A grassy plaza or square:

Finally, this statue:

When I reached my destination, the Belém district, I bought a pastry. It was good, but I forgot to take a picture of it.

There are a number of cool things in Belém. First, there is a large monument with 27 statues on it

Second, the Torre de Belém, an impressive tower built to defend Lisbon from pirates:

And finally (and I think most interestingly), there is a monastery, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. It’s split up into two sections, a church that is free to go into and the monastery proper, which costs a few dollars. Here are a bunch of pictures.

Overall, it was a great day. Lisbon is an amazing city with a rich history, and I’m glad I visited it.