Today was our second day in Lisbon and since we had such a good time on our Tuk Tuk tour yesterday, we decided to call Juno and ask if he could take us out again today. Fortunately, for us, he was available, so we set off to explore the west side of the city. Today was a holiday in Portugal comparable to our Labor Day holiday, plus there was a marathon in the central part of the city that caused major traffic jams and did delay our tour a little.
We worked our way through the Marathon back-up and headed to the Belem neighborhood passing some interesting sights along our way.
Our first stop was at Pastéis de Belém, one of the busiest and most well-known bakeries in Lisbon and is renowned for its delicious sweets. We enjoyed the famous custard pastry, “Pasteis de Belem”.
Right across the street from the famous bakery is the Jerónimos Monastery a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 which is a remarkable work of architecture of the 16th century.
We also made a stop at the LX factory, a former textile factory turned into an arts and entertainment center.
We stopped at the riverside area of Belém is marked by the imposing Monument to the Discoveries. It was conceived in 1940 on the occasion of the “Exhibition of the Portuguese World”, and is a tribute to famous Portuguese navigators.
We also made a quick stop at the Torre de Belém, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of the most striking monuments in Lisbon, and a symbol of a country facing the sea. The imposing watch tower was originally built to overlook the river entrance from the Atlantic.
Here are a few other pictures from today.
Our next port of call is tomorrow, 2 May, in Porto, Portugal.
Don & Kully's World Cruise on Viking Neptune 
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