Belem

I had planned to take the number 28 tram, which comes down from Alfama, across the old town, and up to the Bairro Alto. Then the sun came out and I changed my mind and went back to Belem instead.

I had seen the monuments from the bus the day before, but it had been gray and misty, and I wasn't tempted to get out and get a closer look. Now I strolled along the marina, saw the lighthouse marking the spot where the Tejo becomes the Atlantic, and got a better look at the Torre de Belem, built in the 1500's to defend the entry to Lisbon, and the Monument to the Navigations, built in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death.
















This is the most historic part of Lisbon. All the great voyages of discovery, the source of the empire that once was Portugal, left from here, but it feels lighter and more modern than the city center. Maybe it was just the beautiful day and the open spaces, and the musician playing Beatles songs on Andean pipes, which was a nice change from fado.

I got a chorizo and cheese sandwich and basked in the sun, and the bus back to Lisbon showed up just as I was brushing the crumbs from my lap.