Portugal - Day 10

September 17, 2025: Another busy day in Lisbon, Portugal! We headed down to the Praça do Comércio (commercial plaza) to catch a boat to Belem Tower. We had learned about this a few days ago. It was called the Lisboat and travels to Belem while giving you a beautiful view of the city from the Tagus River. It takes about 40 minutes. Along the way you see the MAAT - Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, 25 of April Bridge, Monument to the Discoveries and Belém Tower. Unfortunately, the Belem Tower is being renovated right now, so it is covered in scaffolding and plastic wrap. We were able to get great views of the Monument of Discoveries, a riverside landmark that celebrates Portugal’s Age of Exploration. It sits on the northern bank of the Tagus River in Belém, close to the Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery, forming a trio of monuments tied to Portugal’s maritime past. The original monument was built as a temporary structure in 1940 for the Portuguese World Exhibition, commemorating 800 years since the foundation of Portugal (1140) and 300 years since the restoration of independence from Spain (1640). Due to its popularity, the government decided to rebuild it permanently. The statue features Prince Henry the Navigator at the head of the monument with 32 sculpted figures behind him representing explorers, cartographers, monarchs, scientists, missionaries, and chroniclers of the 15th and 16th centuries. Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco da Gama are among those.

Along the promenade by the tower and monuments, there were a number of food trucks. We found one called Mister Tapas. They had great burgers and margaritas. We sat right by the river on a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze and just enjoyed being where we were. Across from us was an old guy fishing and it was fun to watch him catch a few while were there. We walked by the Jerónimos Monastery, but the line was so long to get in we decided to skip it. Instead, we took Tram 15 back to Time Out Market and got some Crush Donuts which we have been meaning to try. They were mouthwatering. We headed back to our apartment to get ready for our Undiscovered Lisbon Food Tour we had booked through Eating Europe.

We met up with our guide Camila and 5 other couples to discover some new places in the city for local Portuguese cuisine. Our first stop was Ginginha Popular for traditional Bifana and chourico assado. It was o.k., but not as good as what we had in Porto. Next we went to a Mozambique restaurant called Cantinho do Aziz for chicken and beef samosas. They were delicious. I was not aware that Mozambique was a Portuguese colony. This was the first restaurant of its kind in Lisbon and has become a favorite among the locals. It is tucked out of the way and if our tour guide had not taken us there we never would have found it. Our third stop was Tasquinha Canto do Fado for octopus salad (which I did not eat - gave it to Jimm) and Bacalhau a Brás. We had this earlier in the week, but it was better here. Next up was a fancier restaurant and wine bar called Pata for Portuguese goat cheese and Morcela sausage. We also had some great red wine there. Our final stop was Fabrica de Nata for Pastel de Nata. We will never get sick of eating it. However, she topped it with cinnamon and powered sugar. They were fresh out of the oven, so they were SO warm and delicious. Definitely on of the top three we’ve tried. We completely forgot to go to Pasteis de Belem earlier in the morning which is the original, so we won’t have that to compare. The end of the tour was very close to our apartment, so we just had a short walk back. Every day we have been so worn out by the time we get back that we have gone to bed really early. No night life for us! We are definitely morning people.