This is the last day of the Portuguese experience. Tomorrow we head back "across the pond" and bring an end to the blogs. Hope you've enjoyed them.
A lot of interesting history pack into today as we toured parks, then seaside monuments in nearby Belem. This is where the river meets the Atlantic, so many forts were built in the past, including the Tower of Belem, to keep out the pirates and encourage spice trade. The Monument to the Explorers honors the brave men like Magellen and Vasco de Gama, who set sail from here in the 15th/16th century. The monestery (1503) with church, where people came to pray for the adventurers, was huge and ornate. It houses the "official" grave of Vasco de Gama. One delightful stop was to the coach museum, a converted riding school with ornate 18th century hand-carved horse drawn coaches. Our discovery today was warm custard tarts fresh from the famous Pastries de Belen shop! A great way to end the day. The Farewell banquet is tonight at a rooftop restaruant.
Today's pix: Belen Tower;Monument to the Discoveries; inside the monestery church
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