I remember years ago when I was travelling in Rajasthan India with my sister Lou. We were in Jaipur for the Elephant festival and thought we’d visit the iconic pink palace… that looks like this.

Except it didn’t. It looked like this instead.

Well our day today started a bit like that… as we headed towards Belém. Our first stop was the Tower of Belém… a stunning 500-year-old castle like fortress, standing next to the Tagus River, and one of the most iconic sights of Lisbon. This UNESCO site is a wonder to behold… without scaffolding. The bane of a travellers existence (well one of them)! Oh well… 🤷🏼‍♀️

So we headed off to the famous pastelaria, Pasteis de Belem, which in theory, serves the most delectable Portuguese tarts in the world… the very original makers of what is now a delicacy all over the world… and a definite personal favourite. At home, I love to go the The Farm near Byron Bay whenever possible, to savour one of their delicious and huge versions of these tarts. Pasteis de Belem began making them in 1837 following an ancient recipe from the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. That secret recipe is recreated daily. We took a seat and enjoyed the café’s beautiful tiled interior and I, of course, devoured a pasteis de Belem and Anne a croissant… neither of which were a favourite. But you never know until you go. 

Our main stop for this part of town is the UNESCO listed Jeronimos Monastery. We arrive right on opening having been advised to come early and there is already a huge queue. It doesn’t move quickly as they seem to give priority to group tours and only let people in small numbers, so as not to cause overcrowding. This is both a blessing and a curse. While we wait I buy a pretty scarf from a gypsy- probably paid too much but everyone has to make a living. 

The outside of the building is stunning so at least we have something to look at as we while away the hours.

Finally, after 1 3/4 hours, we get to the front of the queue and present our online tickets purchased just a few hours ago. We are told that the tickets have expired and we would need to leave the queue and go across the road and repurchase tickets from the ticket office… and try to get our money back from the scamming company that sold them. Another 15 minutes and they allow us back to the front of the queue and we finally enter after 2 hours. This had better be worth it!

And Oh my goodness, was it ever! My brother Anthony loved this place and I can certainly understand why… an undisputed heart-stealer… the stuff of pure fantasy. Wrought for the glory of God, the mosteiro was once populated by monks of the Order of St Jerome, whose spiritual job for four centuries was to comfort sailors and pray for the king’s soul. When the order was dissolved in 1833, the monastery was used as a school and orphanage, until about 1940.

It is amazing architecturally and there’s nothing like the moment you walk into the honey-stone cloisters… their staggering size… dripping with organic detail in their delicately scalloped arches, twisting turrets and columns intertwined with leaves, vines and knots… plus gargoyles and fantastical beasties.

It simply wowed us…

… but there was such a sense of tranquility and spirituality here…

… you could feel the presence of times past and I could just imagine the monks in their robes wandering prayerfully all those years ago. You might almost hear their footsteps if you listen hard enough. We wandered in awe… photographing and admiring every detail and enjoying the feeling of silence that once ruled. 

There is a church attached to the monastery apparently with tree-trunk-like columns that seem to grow into the ceiling, which is itself a spiderweb of stone… and where Superstar Vasco da Gama is interred. I also really wanted to see this but we would have had to join another long queue to get in and sadly, we decided to continue on with the big day I had planned. 

We jumped a Bolt to the LX factory… a huge mid-19th century abandoned grungy textiles factory turned hip, creative, cultural and gastronomic precinct filled with start-ups, shops, restaurants, cafes and bars with terraces spilling out onto the sidewalk alongside fantastic gift stores and studios with small makers, artisans and creatives. The outside walls of many of the buildings and walls are covered in awesome street art with murals by some of Portugal’s top street artists…

… including Bordallo II, whose art I had read about before the trip and had seen other pieces around Lisbon. He uses our waste that would normally go into landfill, to create sculptures with an important message of sustainability. Amazing!

We struggled to decide where to eat but choose a little modern Mexican cantina where we had a bite and indulged in margaritas (spicy of course for me). 

We walked to The Rainbow Underpass… an incredible rainbow tile mural I had heard about…

… and then continued on to The Estrela Basilica or the Royal Basilica and Convent of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus… a minor basilica and ancient Carmelite convent. We noticed signs for “The beauty is a choice” exhibition and decided we may as well check it out. So glad we did… a most wonderful art exhibition set around the old cloisters and garden of the basilica.

We met the lovely artist Veronika Blyzniuchenko, who was painting onsite.

We just loved this exhibition and thought of our art addicted friend Glenda who would also have so appreciated the beauty here. I wanted to purchase a tiny Mary painting but found it was already sold… I seem to be strangely drawn back to my Catholic routes in this land with a bit of a Mary obsession- I already picked up a cool Mary medal necklace in a little market we visited. 

Described as “Ornate, Baroque, 18th-century church with twin bell towers, housing Queen Maria I’s tomb”, Estrela Basilica is beautiful from the outside…

… but the inside is breathtaking. I am a little obsessed with visiting churches and last year, my tour guide in Romania said she’d never met someone in her years of guiding that so much wanted to see churches. There is so much beauty in them… so much history… so much prayer and so many tears. I regularly admire the beauty and majesty and even marvel at the workmanship but some really touch something deeper in me. And this was one of those… such a beautiful building with incredible detail and a wonderful presence.

We stroll through the Estrela parklands opposite and then once again climbed the gorgeous cobbled Lisbon streets with their sparkling azulejo clad buildings… and endless panoramic views and blooming jacarandas… where everything is somehow uphill both ways for our daily cardio session.

Eventually we make it to the Convento do Carmo… and you’ve likely never seen a place like this before. What a wonderful historical site. Undisputed wow!

This old monastery dates back to the 13th century but is now a cool museum. But the special thing that gives it uniqueness is the missing roof which was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1755. It’s basically more a ruin than an actual convent now but still, a very cool place to see!

It feels kind of magical and I could imagine wonderful candlelight concerts or even extravagant parties here under the stars and I believe there has been a light show here with images, sounds and special effects. So my kind of thing. 

We stop in a little street cafe just outside the convent for a wine- also my kind of thing…

… before heading home for a quick shower and change. I had been wanting to hear some Portuguese folk music, known as fado, and tonight we decided to go to a little local restaurant with a live performer. Originating in Lisbons bohemian neighbourhoods, the mournful melodies are still popular in the Alfama district where we are staying, and we have heard the soulful singers often vaguely in the background. An enjoyable cultural experience.