Thursday 4 October 2012

buttons abroad lisboa: belem





Hello everyone! Buttons Abroad was initially started off by Sita to tell you about her New Zealand trip, which was paused so we could tell you about our trip to Lisbon. However we seemed to have had a pause during the whole month of September, so what we're going to do is just carry on from where we left off. We'll finish off the Lisbon trip and then we'll rewind back to NZ! If your anything like Sita on holiday you take like a gazillion photos and then it takes a long time to go through them and pick out some to share, so apologies for the delay.

If you want to catch up on our last post and remind yourself where we left off then click here before you continue.

Belem is probably Lisbon's most historical area, it is abundant in monuments which all date from the age of discovery. If you like architecture (which we both do) then your going to love Belem. The main points of interest are Jeronimos Monastery, Padrão dos Descobrimentos (monument to the discoveries) and Belem Tower. There are also numerous museums and ajuda palace nearby. 

Jeronimos Monastery must be one of the most famous monuments in Portugal and its easy to see why. It is one of the most magnificent piece of architectural work that we have seen. The design is in the manueline style. There is a church which is free to visit but for the rest of the monastery there is a entrance fee, we think it is worth paying the entrance fee and seeing the monastery from the inside. The workmanship is truly beautiful, each carving so intricate and detailed. 

Within the monastery is the Archaeology Museum (separate entrance fee) which we did visit. Just to give you some context, we love visiting museums, especially the museums in London, so this is what we're comparing against. This museum is rather small, there were around 4-5 displays, which were quite interesting. However it is not a museum that blows you away. So unless you are itching to go, we would give it a miss. 

Across the road there's a lovely garden and fountains. Then across the road again you'll find the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, which sits on the bank of the Tagus river. The monument contains figures on both sides (different on each side) off famous Portuguese explorers/figures during the age of discovery we believe. Although don't ask us to name any of them! 

When your at the monument you have some nice views over the Tagus river and can see the April the 25th bridge and Belem Tower. You can walk down to Belem tower or you can hope on the tram. 

So Belem Tower was our next stop. The tower is another example of the Portuguese manueline style. It dates back to the 16th century and was built as a coastal defence system. There are four levels if we remember correctly! Offering views over the Tagus River and the surrounding Belem area. I think we lived in Portugal it would definitely be a nice place to go, find a spot to sit, relax, enjoy the view and read a book! 

So to conclude if you go to Lisbon, we think Belem is definitely worth a visit! Hope you found this useful! 

Sita & Radha xoxo

25 comments:

  1. Great post! Enjpy your trip!

    http://cravingforbarneys.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. hi babe thanks for dropping by on my blog..do you mind following each other? let me know coz i always follow back☺

    love sasa of Dress Me Up
    http://sasavalenci.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. amazing pics.....
    thanks for your comment...
    sure i follow..
    kisses
    have a nice day
    http://color-blockbyfelym.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a beautiful places.. Love to visit there someday too :) xo akiko
    Style Imported

    ReplyDelete
  5. i'm portguese and i love Belem !
    amazing photos **

    http://brummelandme.blogspot.pt/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely pics!!!!!
    kisses
    Francy&Stef
    chicwiththeleast.blogspot.it

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great photos! Hope you liked my city. I actually go a lot to Belém, usually in my school lunch break because the restaurants there are better than the ones near the school :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a lovely time in Lisbon and it was a great place! :)

      Delete
  8. love the photos.. hope you having great fun..:)
    xo sabbi

    ReplyDelete
  9. muito giras as fotos!!:) beijinho!

    Leonor
    thesparklinglemon.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. wow, these pics speaks abt the fun u had ! great photos btw !
    Thanks so much for ur comment on my blog !
    ✿thefashionflite
    ✿twitter
    ✿Bloglovin

    ReplyDelete
  11. WOW amazing!!! :D


    http://petticoatplayground.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  12. I never been here but seems a nice place. Lovely pictures!
    kissessss
    http://thekityshoesworld.blogspot.ro/

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  14. great post.
    really nice blog.wanna follow each other?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love the photos! Great blog, so I'm a new follower =)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Nice pictures and you both look good.:)
    hope you has a nice time!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. really nice blog, i follow you now :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love your cute blog! wanna follow each other? Let me know!

    pinkydiamonds.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. The buildings have such beautiful sandy colours! Would love to go there one day :)


    Mooij

    ReplyDelete
  20. wow these photos are truly beautiful.
    http://coeursdefoxes.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, We love hearing your thoughts and read every single one :) We always try to reply to as many as possible.

If you have any questions or post suggestions that you would like to see then feel free to email us (buttonsapart@gmail.com) or ask us on twitter (@ButtonsApart).