Corfu, Greece

Many visit Athens as the departure port at Piraeus for their Greek vacation cruise through the popular Greek Islands of Mykonos, Santorini, and Rhodes. Corfu (or Kerkyra), is the most northern island of the Ionian Islands of Greece and located just off the West coast of Greece. Corfu continues to be a favorite destination that attracts many tourists, especially Italians, who want to escape civilization and head for the water. It is a beautiful mountainous island with impressive landscapes and dense green vegetation dominated by over 2 million olive trees. Corfu is rainier and has a more temperate Mediterranean climate than the southern Greek islands. It is one of Greece's prettiest towns with their modest villages and farms, Byzantine churches, several museums, impressive Venetian fortresses, and some lively resorts spread all around the island. Besides the cultivation of the olive trees, tourism provides the most income to the island.

The cosmopolitan Old City Corfu town is definitely a browser's town as you stroll through a labyrinth of narrow streets paved with cobblestones. Start at the sea with the Venetian citadel (the Old Fort) which originally was a promontory attached to the mainland and now a man-made island separated by a moat. The entire perimeter is surrounded by fortification. The interior has been restored and is used for cultural events, such as concerts and lights and sound productions which recreate historical events.

The Archaeological Museum was built between 1962 - 1965 on a site that was donated by the Municipality of Corfu and was inaugurated in 1967. The museum is small, but the main purpose of its construction was the exhibition of the huge Gorgon pediment from the Artemis Temple, an example of Archaic temple sculpture extant. You will see all the other artifacts that were excavated from the ancient town of Corfu and the island including a stone lion dating from around 575 BC.

The Museum of Asian Art was founded in 1927 after the donation of 10.500 items by Gregorios Manos and is the only one of its kind in Greece. Until 1974 it was a Chinese and Japanese Art museum, but later it was enriched with other private collections of items from central Asia, so it became an Asian Art museum. It is housed in an impressive neoclassical building of the British Protectorate, designed by the British architect George Whitmore. It was initially used as the Residence of the Lord High Commisioner and as the headquarters of the Knights of the Order of St. Michael and St. George until the unity of the Ionian Islands with Greece.

Leading into the heart of old Corfu is Kapodistriou with a variety of fine shops sellling jewelry, leather goods, olive wood objects and handmade needlework, old churches, souvenir stands, and other stores in a maze of streets, alleys, and squares. The broadest and most stylish is Nikiforio Theotoki. In the northern end of Kapodistriou, you will find the Ayios Spiridon Cathedral dedicated to the 4th century patron saint of Corfu, Spiridon. Locals credit Spiridon with saving Corfu from famine, plagues and a Turkish siege. The saint's embalmed body in a silver casket and precious gold and silver votive offerings can be found in the cathedral. A trip to Corfu would not be complete without trying kumquat liqueur. The kumquat has been cultivated on this island since the late 1800's and the liqueur makes a unique treat and gift from Corfu.

Athens, Greece - Part 3

Besides the Acropolis and world famous museums, there are other interesting places to visit in and around Athens as time permits. Athens has two main centers approximately 1 mile apart: Syntagma (Constitution) Square and Omonia Square.

Syntagma is considered by most as the heart of Athens. At Syntagma Square, you will find the major banks, travel agencies, and several hotels including the splendid Grande Bretagne with its Beaux Arts lobby. Syntagma is also the location of much of governmental Athens. The neoclassical building at the head of the square and across from the metro stop is the Greek Parliament Building, formerly the Royal Palace built between 1836 and 1840 by King Otto and financed by his father Ludwig I of Bavaria. Impressive are the stones used to build this building that changes color in the sunlight throughout the day before it is lit at night. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the parliament building is guarded by the elite soldiers, Evzones, who also guard the Palace and are chosen for their height and strength. They are like the guards at Buckingham Palace with their big furry hats and are treated the same way by tourists who come to take their pictures and see if they blink. Every so often they do a little march and dance to break the monotony of standing still all day and they occasionally do this little kick step with their sarouchi shoes with the pom-poms. The pleated skirt, the foustanela, was worn by the Greek fighters of the 1821 revolution and today it serves as the official uniform of the Evzones. At 6pm you can see the Changing of the Guard while dodging pigeons. There is also the beautiful National and Zappeion Gardens adjacent to the Parliament.

Omónia Square is often a gathering place for protesters and strikers and the working heart of Athens. The Polytechnic University is not far away and that tends to be a flash point during times of protest. In the center of the square are gardens and a fountain; but around it tall modern blocks of city offices have almost completely displaced the low Classical-style buildings of the 19th C., creating a cosmopolitan atmosphere in sharp contrast to the male society of the typical old Greek coffeehouses. From this square radiate two sides of the isosceles triangle which was the basis of the city plan - Pierós Street to the southwest and two parallel streets, Panepistimíou and Stadíou Streets, to the southeast. The third side of the triangle is formed by Ermoú Street, which is bisected by Athinás Street, running south from Omónia Square. A third of the way down Athinás Street is Kótzia Square, with the Town Hall and Head Post Office. Athinás Street also has Athen's Central Market where you can browse fish and meat halls, buy vegetables and fruit from all over Greece, sample cheese from distant islands, and a pair of shoes or sunglasses from street vendors. Be wary though of drug dealers, junkies, and prostitutes which have taken over Omonia square area at night.

Everyone's favorite excursion from Athens is to Delphi. Delphi is about 3 hours from Athens by bus. Built on the slopes of Mount Parnassos, the town and ancient site overlook the Gulf of Corinth and a valley filled with olive and cyprus trees. The town of Delphi sits on the edge of a cliff and despite the number of tourists and tourist shops down the road in the village of Arachova, this is still a very remarkable place to be. The ancient Greeks believed that Delphi was the center of the world. According to Greek mythology, Zeus released two eagles from opposite ends of the earth and they met in the sky above Delphi. Impaling one another with their beaks, they fell to the ground on the very center of the world. The site was marked by the Omphalos, or "navel" stone.

According to legend, the serpent Python was the ancient guardian of Delphi's Castalian Spring before he was killed by Apollo. Python was the son of the Greek goddes Gaia, "Earth." And significantly, the name Delphi is related to δελφός (delphos), "womb." It is probable that an Earth Goddess was originally venerated at the site before Apollo arrived.

Regarded as the center of the world and the dwelling place of Apollo, Delphi attracted pilgrims from across the ancient world. Generals, kings, and individuals of all ranks came to the Oracle of Delphi to ask Apollo's advice on the best course to take in war, politics, love and family. After the inquirer made a sacrifice, the oracles most famous for its accurate predictions of the future are given by a woman known as the Pythia uttered incomprehensible sounds as a possessed medium which were then translated by a priest which were notoriously ambiguous.

Today, visitors enter the Sanctuary of Apollo and follow the exact marble path along the "Sacred Way" that was followed by ancient pilgrims and visitors to the site. The path begins at the southeast corner of the site and winds its way up the hillside, past ancient treasuries and monuments, to the Temple of Apollo. Every available space along the Sacred Way at Delphi was once filled with treasury buildings, statues and votive offerings. These were donated by important cities to thank the Oracle for helpful advice that led to victories and to establish a presence at the important site of Delphi.

The most notable of these treasuries and offerings is the Treasury of the Athenians, dating from 490 BC. It was funded by the spoils of Athens' victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon, which was won after an oracle advising the Athenians to put their faith in their "wooden walls" and understood as the navy. The small, Doric-style building with two central columns was reconstructed in 1906 by French archaeologists.

The focus of Delphi, both in ancient times and today, is the Temple of Apollo, dating from the 4th century BC. It originally had 6 columns on the front and 15 on the sides, which were stuccoed over. The exterior was decorated with shields captured from the Persians at Plataea. Visitors today can see one complete column of the facade and portions of five more columns. Also visible are the foundations of the outer colonnade and the interior sekos. Behind the Temple of Apollo is the well-preserved theater with complete tiers of seating and up the hill, an impressive long oval stadium with seating still intact.

The Pythian Games took place every four years to honor Apollo, and hosted poetry and music competitions besides the staple of athletic events. It is believed that the games were first organized sometime in the 11th c. BCE, and included only musical contests, but by the 6th c. BCE, the games grew to include athletic events. The games ceased to take place in the 4th c. CE.

The on-site Delphi Museum should not be missed. The Delphi Museum contains attractive displays of a wide variety of artifacts from Delphi, most of which were extravagent gifts from far-away cities. Each room has a specific focus, such as sculpture from the elegant Siphnian treasury; finds from the Temple of Apollo; works from the Roman period (including a marble sculpture of the epicene youth Antinous, the beloved of the emperor Hadrian); bronzes; and finds from the countryside around Delphi. The star exhibit of the museum, with a room to himself, is the famous 474 BC Charioteer of Delphi, a larger-than-life bronze figure that originally included a four-horse chariot. He was a gift from the wealthy Sicilian city of Gela to honor its tyrant Polyzalos's chariot victory here. The statue is justly famous: the handsome youth's delicate eyelashes shade wide enamel-and-stone eyes and realistic veins stand out in his hands and feet.

Athens, Greece - Part 2

If you are spending more than 1 day in Athens and visited the primary historical sites, it is worth spending at least 3 or 4 hours of your second day at the National Archeological Museum. If there is only one museum to visit in Athens, it is the National Archeological Museum.

Renovated and expanded just before the 2004 summer Olympic games, the National Archeological Museum is considered one of the top 10 museums in the world with its abundant collections of ancient Greek antiquities with more than 20,000 exhibits of Greek civilization from the beginnings of Prehistory to Late Antiquity. The museum is housed in an imposing neoclassical building of the end of the nineteenth century, which was designed by L. Lange and remodelled by Ernst Ziller. The vast exhibition space - numerous galleries on each floor accounting for a total of 8,000 square metres - house five large permanent collections:

The Prehistoric Collection, which includes works of the great civilizations that developed in the Aegean from the sixth millennium BC to 1050 BC (Neolithic, Cycladic, Mycenaean), and finds from the prehistoric settlement at Thera. The Neolithic Collection comprises the earliest exhibits in the museum and comes from settlements and cemeteries of mainland Greece and the Aegean islands. The collection dates to the Neolithic period and the Early and Middle Bronze Age, that is the pre-Mycenean periods, and include clay and stone vessels, figurines and tools which date from 6800 BC to 1600 BC. The Cycladic Collection reveals the civilization that flourished in the Cycladic islands during the Bronze Age (third-second millennia BC). The development of seafaring, metallurgy and figural sculpture are portrayed. The Mycenaean Collection includes gold masks, cups, dishes, and jewelry unearthed from th site of Mycenae by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876. The Cycladic figurine collection is among the earliest know Greek sculptures (about 2000 B.C.).

The Sculptures Collection, which shows the development of ancient Greek sculpture from the large-scale seventh to the Late Roman fourth centuries AD with unique masterpieces, is considered to be one of the most important in the world. The exhibits are unique works of art from mainland Greece and the Aegean islands: statues, reliefs (funerary, votive, and legal), architectural groups, sarcophagi, busts, altars, statues of animals, Hermaic stelai and others (sirens, sphinxes etc). Several vases and bronze figurines complete the display that help explain the development of ancient Greek art.

The Vase and Minor Objects Collection, which contains representative works of ancient Greek pottery from the eleventh century BC to the Roman period and includes the Stathatos Collection, a corpus of minor objects of all periods. The quantity and quality of the Geometric, early Black-Figure and fourth-century Red-Figure vases is unparalleled.

The Metallurgy Collection comprises figurines and minor objects, as well as large original bronze statues, such as the Artemision Zeus or Poseidon, the Artemision Jockey, the Antikythera Youth and the Marathon boy.with many fundamental statues, figurines and minor objects.

The Egyptian and Near Eastern Antiquities Collection is one of the most impressive collection of its kind in the world with works of Egyption civilization dating from the pre-dynastic period (5000 BC) to the Roman conquest (30 BC- AD 354). The collection shows the development of Egyptian civilization, primarily during the Pre-dynastic and Pharaonic periods, and stresses the funerary customs of the Late period (twenty-fifth - thirtienth Dynasties), a period characterized by the wealth and elaboration of burial practices. The exhibits cover all aspects of artistic expression of daily life in ancient Egypt through their statues, figurines, reliefs, votive and funerary stelai, mummy covers, mummies, ceramic, stone vessels, Canopic jars, jewelry, Fayoum portraits, and numerous minor objects, and other artifacts of public and private use.




The museum also possesses a rich photographic archive and a 118 year old library with many rare publications, the latter of which is constantly enriched to meet the needs of the research staff. The library holds some 20,000 volumes, including rare editions dating to the 17th century. There are also modern conservation laboratories for metal, pottery, stone and organic materials, a cast workshop, a photographic laboratory and a chemistry laboratory. The museum has temporary exhibition spaces, a lecture hall for archaeological lectures and one of the largest shops of the Archaeological Receipts Fund.

The museum is easily accessible with the Athens metro with a five minute walk from the Viktoria station and a ten minute walk from Omonoia station. Access is free for children up to 6 year old and students. The museum houses a large recently renovated gift shop with artifact replicas and a popular cafe for tourists in the sculpture garden. The museum is fully wheelchair accessible. There are also facilities and guides for hearing impaired visitors.

With more than 50 different museums in Athens, you can easily learn Greece's ancient and contemporary history with visits to these other noteworthy museums:

Byzantine and Christian Museum - This museum on Vassilissis Sophias Avenue is devoted entirely to the art and history of Byzantium through decorative sculptures, altars, mosaics, bishops' garments, bibles, and small-scale reconstruction of an early Christain basilica.

Benaki Museum - On Koumbari Street and founded by art collector Antoni Benaki in 1933, this museum houses the private collection of folk art, costumes, jewelry, pottery, and relics from the Neolithic era to the Greek War of Independence in 1821.

National Gallery - Across the street from the Hilton Athens Hotel, the city's primary fine arts gallery houses icons and Greek paintings and works by El Greco, Tiepolo, Rembrandt, Brueghel, Picasso, and Braque.

National Historical Museum - Located in the former Parliament buildings between Omonia Square and Syntagma Square, this museum represents Greek history with objects from the Byzantine ear, the Turkish occupation, the Balkan War, and the War of Independence.

Greek Folk Art Museum - In Plaka, this museum housed in a former Turkish mosque, contains Greek costumes, jewelry, paintings, and stamps on display.

New Acropolis Museum - Opened in June 2009 and located at the base of the Acropolis on the southeast side and below the ancient Theatre of Dionysus, this new museum contains more than 50,000 portable antiquities, sacred sculptures from the temple of Athena Polias on the Acropolis, architectural sculptures of Archaic buildings, parts of the pediments, metopes and frieze of the Parthenon, sculptures from the temple of Athena Nike, lamps, vases, coins, and domestic artifacts, as well as the Caryatids from the Erechtheion.

The "old" Acropolis Museum opened in 1876 on the Acropolis is now closed but is expected to be reopened as a gallery space and possibly a cafe.

Museum of Popular Greek Muscial Instruments - Located steps from an excellent Platanos taverna, tambourines, cretan lyres, lutes, pottery drums and clarinets are on display. (Free admission)

Athens City Museum - On Paparigopoulou in Klathmonos Square, this museum in a restored 19th century Athenian townhouse, exhibits a collection of watercolors, sketches, an Athens scale model of 1842, furniture and costumes.

Kanellopoulos Museum - The former private home high on the slopes of the Acropolis contains the private collection of red and black figure vases, stunning Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons and fine painted ceilings within the house.

Athens, Greece - Part 1

Athens is the capital of Greece that took its name from the ancient patron goddess Athena. The town is believed to have over 3000 years of recorded history which makes it one of the oldest cities in Europe where the political system of democracy, sciences and philosophy were born. Today, Athens is more of the commercial, cultural, financial, political and industrial center of Greece with colorless concrete buildings congested streets, and sometimes stifling smog. With close to 5 million people or half of Greece's population living in Athens, though, the city has improved after the 2004 summer Olympic games where in preparation, many buildings have been renovated, graffiti lessened and infrastructure modernized with new highways and docks for cruise ships. Many areas of the city's attractions that represent the birthplace of Western civilization have also been made for pedestrians only. With the sun shining over Athens almost year round, the climate is one of the best in Europe, with mild winters and very hot summers, ideal for tourism.

The first place to visit when in Athens is of course the Acropolis. Standing up there, as the Greeks call "Sacred Rock", the Acropolis is the most important site of the city and one of the most recognizable monuments of the world. Originally the residence and fortress of the king from as far back as the 13th century B.C., it has grown into a religious sanctuary. A visit to the remaining 5th-century B.C. temples built during Athens's golden age is amazing in discovering the well-preserved antiquity and in the steep climb up the hill at Athen's center.

From Syntagma Square, take Amalias Ave. into pedestrianized Dionysiou Areopayitou, and follow marble path up to the Acropolis. The Propylaea is the monumental 5th century B.C. gateway entrance into the Acropolis. Right above the Propylaea is the Ionic Temple of Athena Nike (Victory) built in 424 B.C. and restored in 1930's.

Walking up the Panathenaic Way, crowning the Acropolis and built of Pentellic marble under the Athenian leader, Pericles, between 447 and 432 B.C. is the Parthenon. The Parthenon is dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the symbol of the universal human aspiration for wisdom, and the most important religious shrine at the Acropolis. The Parthenon is a site with its columns appearing beige, then golden, then rose to stark white in changing light on the Pentelic marble. The Parthenon underwent many transformations as the Christians consecrated it as a church in A.D. 450 and the Turks converted it into a mosque in 1458. In 1687, the Venetians attacked the Acropolis to destroy Turkish gunpowder storerooms which subsequently exploded demolishing the internal structure and damaging its sculptures as the entire roof collasped. Thereafter, the building fell into disuse until 1806 when a British Earl of Elgin gained permission from the ruling Ottoman Turks to remove the large pieces of the Parthenon and surviving sculptures and are now on display as the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. To the left of the Parthenon is the second large Ionic temple on the Acropolis, Erectheion, honoring the tomb of the legendary king of Erechtheus and houses cults to both Athena and Poseidon.




As the population of Athen's grew in classical times, people moved down the Acropolis towards Monastiraki Square in Plaka to the Ancient Agora ("place of gathering") which became the city's marketplace and civic center. The buildings were used for a wide range of political, educational, philosophical, theatrical and athletic purposes. During Classical Ages, Sophocles and Aristotle taught here. Take a stroll and wander through fragments of sculptures and the jumble of ancient buildings, including the well-preserved 5th century B.C. Temple of Hephaistos (Thesion) in the Northwest end of the Agora with its herb garden and flowers planted around it and the view up towards the Acropolis. The Thesion resembles the Parthenon with its Doric form at a much smaller scale. The Stoa of Attalos, built by King Attalos of Pergamon in Asia Minor around 150 B.C. dominates the East end of the Agora. The museum on the stoa's ground floor shelters the artifacts of statues and pottery that were unearthed form the Agora excavations.



East of the ancient Agora is the Roman Agora started by Julius Caesar as an extension of the Greek agora containing a phlethora of monuments from different eras including the octagonal water clock, sun dial, and weather vane, Tower of the Winds (Aerides) built in the 1st century B.C., Gate of Athene Archegetis built between 19 and 11 B.C. and the large columns and ruins of the Roman Emperor Hadrian's Library built in 132 A.D. Adrianou Street with its many street vendors, cafes, ouzo bars and restaurants, links Monastiraki with ancient Agora. Overlooking Monastiraki square and across the street from a metro station is the restored Turkish Mosque now a traditional ceramics museum. Monastiraki area is the Flea Market where you can find shops selling a wide selection of souvenirs for all tastes and budgets.

Note that as an alternative, you can cut through the ancient Agora as a backway to go up to the Acropolis. There is an entrance fee but there is a way of going up through Agora up Areos street that is free.

Next to Monastiraki is Athens’ Pláka district. The area is one of the old sections located in the heart of the city with restored 19th century neoclassical buildings and cobblestone walkways. There are two main streets of Plaka and Kydatheneon begins at Nikis Street (one block form Syntagma Square) that meets up with Adrianou Street, the largest and most central in Plaka, and eventually Monastiraki Square. It is now not only a major tourist attraction, but also a residential area with shops, art galleries, cafes, and restaurants. The maze of narrow medieval streets twist their way through ancient sites, Byzantine churches, off-beat museums, and 19th centry homes. Restaurants and cafes also line many streets of this pedestrial neighborhood.

Lisbon, Portugal

On the right hand bank of the river Tagus, Lisbon (Lisboa), the capital of Portugal since its conquest from the Moors in 1147, is a legendary city with over twenty centuries of history. The maritime Voyages of Discovery turned Lisbon into one of the world's great ports and the center of an empire that stretched from Brazil in the West to India to the East. On the banks of the river, great monuments testify to that history. Alfama is one of the oldest quarters in Lisbon. Since it largely survived the earthquake of 1755, the area still retains much of its original layout. The Baixa Pombalina downtown was not as fortunate and was rebuilt in classical style and home of an plethora of stores, restaurants and cafes on Rua Augusta.

Atop the hill at 361 feet and above the center of the city where Lisbon's original settlers lived, Castelo de São Jorge (St. George's Castle) stands majestically with one of the city's most attractive viewpoints. The origins of this former fortress date back to an Iron Age settlement on this site, which was occupied by the Romans in about 205 B.C. It was renovated and extended several times and gained its present name in honor of the dragon killing St George, Portugal's patron saint. The earthquake of 1755 almost completely destroyed the walls and it was not until 1938-1944, under Salazar's rule, the whole castle complex was rebuilt and restored as visitors see it today. The heart of the complex is a wall with ten massive towers, which can be climbed and which offer a fine view of the city. In one of the inner battlement towers, Torre de Ulisses (Tower of Ulysses), houses the Periscope, an optical system invented by Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th century and the only one in Portugal giving a 360 degree view of the city in real time. Legend has it that Lisbon was founded by Ulysses. Within the inner courtyard of the castle ruins, a small park with water courses and with some animal enclosures has been laid out. Peacocks sit in the old trees or walk along the paths, here and there there are quiet corners in which little fountains babble. A restaurant has been opened in one part of the former royal residence and in addition a Gothic hall has been reconstructed. A fine prospect of the whole of the inner city can be enjoyed from the large tree filled square at the entrance.




Walking down the western side of the castle hill is the picturesque residential known as Castelo. At the bottom is Baixa, or downtown Lisbon, which is the heart of the city. It is the main shopping and banking district that stretches from the riverfront to the main avenue (Avenida da Liberdade), with streets named according to the shopkeepers and craftsmen who traded in the area. The charm of the Baixa district is its elegant squares, pedestrianized streets, cafes, and shops coexisting with old tramcars, street performers, tiled Art Deco shopfronts, and street vendors. Lisbon's longest and grandest pedestrianized street is Rua Augusta that runs from one corner of Rossio through the middle of Baixa through the triumphal arch on Praça do Comercio (Comercio Square) at the river's edge.


Rua Augusta is a lively pedestrian street with mosaic pavements, outdoor cafes, international shops, and the occasional street artist and peddler. Vendors offer wood, metal, and leather products, books, souvenirs, sunglasses, paintings, t-shirts, and anything else to attract the passing crowds. The arch built in 1873 commemorates the city's recovery after the 1755 earthquake and opens into Comerico Square or "the palace's square" at the waterfront. The royal palace stood for over two centuries until the 1755 earthquake destroyed it. The square is now surrounded on three sides by elegant arcaded buildings of Pombal's reconstruction and facing the river along the fourth. In the center of the square is a bronze statue of Dom Jose I, Portugal's ineffectual king during the earthquake, on horseback and wearing his emperor's mantle by Machado de Castro.


Founded in 1501 and built by Diogo Boitac and then João de Castilho, the magnificent Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) is a great monument to the Age of Discovery and a magnificent example of the Manueline style of architecture. The Manueline style is unique to Portugal that combines Flamboyant Gothic, Moorish, and early Renaissance influences. It is characterized by an elaborate use of sculptural detail and often includes maritime motifs. The monastery was founded by King Manuel I in celebration of successful Portuguese voyages and territorial expansion around the world.

The main entrance to the monastic church is the south portal, designed by João de Castilho. Occupying the central pillar for the towering sculpture is a statue of Henry the Navigator. Inside, fragile-looking pillars covered with sculpture support a complex web of lierne vaulting over three aisles. Besides Vasco da Gama and Henry the Navigator, Luis da Camoes, Dom Sebastião and three Portuguese kings (their sarcophagi decorated with elephants) are also buried here. Major restoration and extension works in the 19th century saw the addition of the long Neo-Manueline west wing which now houses the Museu de Arqueologia (archeological finds from the Iron Age forward) and part of the Museu da Marinha (naval museum).




Across from the monastery, walking down by the river via an underpass by its gardens is the Monument of the Discoveries (Padrao dos Descobrimentos). This monument was built on the north bank of the Tagus River in 1960 as the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, who gained great honor in the "Estavo Novo". It represents a three-sailed ship ready to depart, with sculptures of important historical figures such as King Manuel I carrying an armillary sphere, poet Camões holding verses from The Lusiads, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Cabral, and several other notable Portuguese explorers, crusaders, monks, cartographers, and cosmographers, following Prince Henry the Navigator at the prow holding a small vessel. The only female is queen Felipa of Lancaster, mother of Henry the navigator, the brain of the discoveries. Inside is an exhibition space with temporary exhibits, an interesting film about the city of Lisbon, and an elevator that takes visitors to the top for some bird's-eye views of Belem and its monuments. The pavement in front of the monument is decorated with a mosaic that was offered by the South African government in 1960, representing a compass with the map of the world charting the routes taken by the Portuguese explorers.



Further down is the nearby Tower of Belém which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Jeronimos Monastery. Like the monastery, it was built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition and Portugal's Age of Discovery. North African influences can be seen on the upper parts. The tower was built in 1515-20 by Francisco de Arruda as a fortress guarding the entrance to Lisbon's harbor in the middle of the Tagus River, which subsequently altered course so that it now stands on the riverbank.

From any vantage point at the river edge, you can see Ponte 25 de Abril, the longest single-span suspension bridge in Europe across the river Tagus renamed after the revolution of April 25, 1974 that was completed in 1966. The overall length of the bridge is about 1.5 miles and resembles San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. On the other side of the bridge is Cristo Rei. This 92 ft. statue of Christ the King with open arms to Lisbon on an 270 ft pedestal was built in 1959 in thanks to God for having spared Portugal during WWII. This enormous monument to Christ was inspired by the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro and provides a sweeping view of the city and Tejo estuary from the top of the pedestal.


Getting around Lisbon is relatively easy. Driving is generally unnecessary and navigating the streets can be challenging. The distances between sites within the city are not huge so public transportation and/or taxis which are relatively inexpensive are recommended.