Chilling Out at Belém Tower

One of the most famous landmarks in Portugal is Belém Tower, so of course that was on our must-see list.

After our prior day's extensive guided tour featuring several stops rich in history, however, a more leisurely morning sounded good to us.

As you probably have heard me say if you ever asked me about shore excursions, you should always mix them up, or the ports you visit can blend together.  Create distinct memories everywhere you go.

We'd seen wonderful church interiors in Fátima,  Batalha and Nazaré.  In addition, we knew several more amazing Cathedrals lay ahead on our itinerary.

When our short train ride brought us to Belém, we found a long line of tourists waiting outside the entrance to Jerónimos Monastery, a truly spectacular, gargantuan church.  Any thoughts we had about going inside were soon rationalized away.

We chose to roam around taking photos of the exterior rather than standing in line to do something that might blur with other experiences of Portugal.

We did catch a glimpse of a handful of interior features by stepping inside the ticket office for the Archaeology Museum but soon were on our way.

Meandering in the general direction of  Belém Tower, we strolled along sprawling green-lawn parks punctuated by lovely fountains and monuments dedicated to explorers. 

It would be a beautiful area even if it had not included those two UNESCO World Heritage sites.

As we crossed a bridge, the Tower came into clear view.

By now, we were thirsty, and rather than cheaping-out to buy drinks from one of the modestly priced street vendors, we instead went to a nearby cafe with shaded tables that gave us the perfect view of Belém Tower while we took our refreshments.

It gave me the opportunity to sample one of the fine beers of Portugal.  Trying local beers has become my custom when visiting new countries, much in the same way Russell Crowe's Gladiator rubs the local dirt on his hands and smells it before his battles, drawing strength from his connection to the soil.

Sagres Cerveja is a pale lager with 5% alcohol content, similar to an American lager like Coors Banquet Beer.  It makes a refreshing beer on a hot, sunny day.  Appropriate to the history of Portugal, the logo of Sagres includes a stylized Crusader cross in a shield.

While nothing dramatic, simply sipping beer in the shade at the ideal cafe table while taking in the view of Belém Tower was a highlight for me.

I can't say I was thinking much about history at the time, but of course I would look it up later.

In the late 15th Century, King João II embraced the idea of defensive fortifications at the mouth of the Tagus River for the increasingly wealthy city of Lisbon in the burgeoning Age of Discovery.

The Tower commissioned by King João II was completed under his successor, King Manuel, who lends his name to the distinctive Portuguese Manueline architectural style of the era.

Jerónimos Monastery, like Belém Tower, is another prime example of the Manueline Architectural style.  It was built on the site of a decrepit church where Vasco da Gama prayed and slept before embarking on his historic voyage to India past the Cape of Good Hope and then around the southern tip of Africa.

It was the first voyage to link Europe with Asia by a sea route, which you may recall as being the objective of Christopher Columbus, among many others.

Explorations did not stop with Asia, of course.

In 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral explored the northern Coast of South America and claimed it for Portugal.  He is considered by most to have discovered Brazil (though of course indigenous people already lived there regardless of which European got there first).

Brazil was a bountiful colony of Portugal until 1808, when it began to be elevated to being a nation within a kingdom.  In 1822, Brazil claimed independence.

Without feeling rushed, we strolled back to the train, switching to the Metro for a short ride to our hotel.  We picked up our bags and re-boarded the Metro in the direction of the cruise port.  Taking a Metro with luggage and then walking a few hundred yards isn't the ideal way to get to a cruise ship, but in this case, it worked out well, because we came to a wine store at the port.

Most cruise lines allow you to bring one bottle of wine per adult to enjoy in your room, and Oceania allows you to bring three bottles per room.  We had our hands full with luggage, however, so two bottles --- Rosado (rosé) for Julie and Tinto (red) for me --- would have to do.

Our ship happened to be at a new terminal under construction, so we were forced to walk a bit out of our way.  In the only negative we found about Oceania, the security to get on the ship seemed slow compared to a similar cruise line, Azamara Club Cruises, and more like a large ship.

However, I think we just happened to arrive at the time that almost everyone else did, which can happen anywhere.  The line behind us got progressively shorter.  In addition, it usually is primarily port personnel, not the cruise line, that controls this process.

Before too long, we were on board enjoying an amazing meal at the buffet.  Our room was beautiful, as we expected, with the marble bathroom that included a bath tub and separate shower a particular treat.

As we cruised from Lisbon and passed Belém Tower, Enrichment Lecturer Terry Bishop shared commentary over the PA system.  As happens everywhere, several folks were more interested in carrying on their personal conversations than learning about the area, and that is certainly their prerogative.  Fortunately, I was able to find a spot right by Terry in order to hear him more clearly.

He told us about Padrão dos Descobrimentos, a beautiful monument to what we might call Portugal's All Stars of Exploration.  Julie and I had passed it on our walk along the waterfront back to the train station from Belém Tower.

This concrete Monument of the Discoveries is a relatively new project, inaugurated in 1960 and based on the original design from a smaller temporary exhibit for the Portuguese World Exhibition in 1940.  As an aside, it is always strange to me to think about how life continues to go on even when a world war rages on.

Among the people represented by statues on the monument are many whose stories we touched upon during our time in Portugal, like Henry the Navigator, Ferdinand Magellan, Queen Philippa of Lancaster, Pedro Álvares Cabral and Vasco da Gama. 

Needless to say, if you have the opportunity to cruise from Lisbon, I strongly recommend spending a few days there before boarding.

Belém