Portugal

Museu Nacional dos Coches (National Coach Museum) The most visited
attraction in Lisbon, the National Coach Museum is the finest of its type in the
world. Founded by Amélia, wife of Carlos I, it’s housed in a former 18th-century riding
academy connected to the Belém Royal Palace. The coaches stand in a former horse ring;
most date from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Drawing the most interest is a trio of
opulently gilded baroque carriages used by the Portuguese ambassador to the Vatican at
the time of Pope Clement XI (1716). Also on display is a 17th-century coach in which
the Spanish Habsburg king, Phillip II, journeyed from Madrid to Lisbon to see his new
possession.
Praça de Afonso de Albuquerque. & 21/361-08-50. Admission 4€, 1.60€ ages 14–25, free for children
under 14. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm; closed holidays.
Padrão dos Descobrimentos Like the prow of a caravel from the Age of Discovery,
the Memorial to the Discoveries stands on the Tagus, looking ready to strike out
across the Sea of Darkness. Notable explorers, chiefly Vasco da Gama, are immortalized
in stone along the ramps.
At the point where the two ramps meet is a representation of Henry the Navigator,
whose genius opened up new worlds. The memorial was unveiled in 1960, and one of
the stone figures is that of a kneeling Philippa of Lancaster, Henry’s English mother.
Other figures in the frieze symbolize the crusaders (represented by a man holding a flag
with a cross), navigators, monks, cartographers, and cosmographers. At the top of the
prow is the coat of arms of Portugal at the time of Manuel the Fortunate. On the floor
in front of the memorial lies a map of the world in multicolored marble, with the dates
of the discoveries set in metal.
Praça da Boa Esperança, Av. de Brasília. & 21/303-19-50. www.padraodescobrimentos.egeac.pt. Admission
2.50€. May–Sept Tues–Sun 10am–7pm; Oct–Apr Tues–Sun 10am–6pm.
Torre de Belém The quadrangular Tower of Belém is a monument to Portugal’s
Age of Discovery. Erected between 1515 and 1520, the Manueline-style tower is Portugal’s
classic landmark and often serves as a symbol of the country. A monument to Portugal’s
great military and naval past, the tower stands on or near the spot where the
caravels once set out across the sea.
Its architect, Francisco de Arruda, blended Gothic and Moorish elements, using such
architectural details as twisting ropes carved of stone. The coat of arms of Manuel I rests
above the loggia, and balconies grace three sides of the monument. Along the balustrade
of the loggias, stone crosses represent the Portuguese crusaders.
The richness of the facade fades once you cross the drawbridge and enter the Renaissance-style
doorway. Gothic severity reigns. A few antiques can be seen, including a
16th-century throne graced with finials and an inset paneled with pierced Gothic tracery.
When a Rossio Is a Rossio Is a Rossio
With apologies to Gertrude Stein (a rose is a rose is a rose), there is some confusion
about the word “Rossio” in Lisbon. The designation can mean three distinctively
different areas: (1) the Rossio train station entered from the Avenida da
Liberdade, (2) the large square, Praça de Dom Pedro IV, and (3) a metro stop,
Praça Figueira.
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EXPLORING LISBON 6
THE TOP ATTRACTIONS: THE ALFAMA, BELEM & MUSEUMS