January 20, 2023
Portugal is the 10th country in my international journeys. I have now traveled to Europe for the 6th time. This is a quick adventure, leaving on Thursday and returning on Monday. I am traveling with the World Strides company to learn about their programs for students. It is very common for travel companies to host a teacher training tour, and I selected Portugal because it is a country I have not yet explored.
Overnight flights are rough. Arriving in Lisbon, Portugal at 8 a.m., departing from Chicago O’Hare are 3 p.m. yesterday. Tours often pick you up from the airport and start the educational program immediately. Usually starting with a tour of the the arrival city. The itinerary did exactly that. We started with a stop at the hotel to deposit out luggage in a holding room until our rooms are ready. Then we were off for lunch and a walking tour of Lisbon.
Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monestery)
The Jeronimos Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Belem district. It ws commissioned by King Manuel I in 1501 through funding from the spice trade and celebrating the successful sea voyage to India by Vasco da Gama, it is also where he is buried. This is an important part of Portugal’s history as a world power in naval operations and an economic power through trade. The monastery is also significant because it is Manueline architecture, part of the Portuguese Renaissance, blending Gothic Flamboyant structures and maritime motifs.
Monument of Discoveries
The Monument of Discoveries, Padrao dos Descobrimentos, is on the bank of the Tagus River. A massive concrete and limestone structure standing 170 feet tall. It is to celebrate the “Portuguese Age of Discovery” during the 1400s and 1500s. It’s shape is to give the impression of a ship, with Prince Henry the Navigator standing at the top of the ramp with other significant explorers, cartographers, monarchs and scientists behind him, including Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco da Gama.
Roaming the World with Mrs. Kelly 