Belém's monastery and monument

When in Lisbon, visiting Belém is a must. We took the train there. Upon arriving at the Belém train station, we could already see the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) in the distance.

Beside the train station was this garden called Jardim Afonso de Albuquerque (Garden of Afonso de Albuquerque). That's the fellow who discovered Melaka!

Our first stop in Belém was the famous Pastéis de Belém, which was on our way to Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos).

tuk-tuks beside the road, before we reach the monastery

There was a huge queue to go inside. (we didn't join the queue)

panoramic photo so that I can capture the whole thing from end to end

Opposite the monastery is a garden called Jardim da Praça do Império (Empire Square Garden).

Across the garden is the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries).

lots of people

boats beside the monument

the monument is shaped like a ship facing out to the sea

another angle (it is really hard to get a photo without someone in it taking a photo of themselves...)

we can see the bridge leading to the statue of Sanctuary of Christ the King (Santuário de Cristo Rei) opposite the river

the other side of the monument

And then we caught sight of the Hippotrip Amphibious Bus! I had heard of it; it was a bus that runs on both land and water. We didn't plan to ride it, but it was nice to be able to see it.

leaving a long trail in the water

In the next post, let's visit the Belém Tower!