e tour of Lisbon started with a
visit to the Tagus riverbank to see
Belém Tower, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. e informative
Viking guide explained that this
magnificent building, although
resembling something out of a fairy
tale, was actually used to defend
Lisbon during the 14th and 15th
centuries. e highly decorative
edifice contained Europe's first
example of a carved stone rhinoceros
on a building. But try as we might,
it was a little hard to find, given that
over the years the elements have
worn away the rhino's horn to look
more like a frog.
But the next stop was a real
highlight for me. If you paid
attention in your school history
lessons, you might remember
that Prince Henry the Navigator
devoted his life and fortune to
encouraging exploration of the
unknown world and developing
navigational instruments. e epic
Monument to the Discoveries
features Henry, portrayed holding
a model of a caravel at the head
of a line of the most famous
Portuguese explorers, such as
Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco
da Gama. It also includes figures
representing cartographers,
This page:
Overlooking the
mouth of the
Douro, Porto
tempts travellers
with its charming
Old Town, brilliant
wine bars and
terra-cotta
rooftops
navigators and others who played
a part in advancing exploration
during the 15th and 16th centuries.
e only woman who appears
on the monument is Philippa of
Lancaster, an English princess and
Henry the Navigator's mother.
She is credited with being the
brains behind the plan to explore
the city of Ceuta in North Africa,
ushering in the Portuguese Age
of Discovery.
In front of the monument, inlaid
on the ground in tiles, is a wind
rose mosaic containing a map of the
world and the dates on which the
Portuguese explorers discovered
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