The Belém Tower served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers. It was built during the Portuguese Renaissance and is made from lioz limestone. It has two parts: a bastion and a four-story tower. The bastion faces the Tagus river while the tower sits near the shore. In 1983, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2007, it was added to the registry of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

We weren't able to go inside the tower but do yourself a favor and search for interior photos- they're gorgeous.

Part of the Belém Docks.

The next monument we went to was the Padrão dos Descobrimentos or the Monument of the Discoveries, located in the northern bank of the Tagus river. This monument represents the celebration of the Portuguese Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries. 

The monument features 33 figures in total on both sides, people who represent the Portuguese Age of Discovery. (Obviously, I was only able to get one side of the monument lmao).

Next stop: the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos or the Jerónimos Monastery.

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the monastery's construction started in 1501 and completed 100 years later. It was designed in a Manueline or Portuguese late gothic architectural style. During the Renaissance period, the monastery was occupied by Hieronymite monks until 1833.

There are two parts: a monastery and the Church of Santa Maria. We were only able to enter the church so here are some interior photos of the church!

The Igreja is also the home of the tombs of two important Portuguese figures:

Vasco da Gama, the first European explorer to reach India by sea- 

-and Luís Vaz de Camões, Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet.

Next, we got a brief glimpse of the monastery.

This is such a gorgeous place, especially when it's all sunny and bright! This courtyard, the amazingly decorated cloisters- I just wanted to have a picnic right then and there. Such a lovely place to be in! I wasn't able to roam around that much since the monastery was packed with people but I'm glad to see it all lighted up during the day. 

The last place we went to: the Pastéis de Belém! This is the home of the original (we're talking 1837 here) pastel de nata or Portuguese egg tarts! Unfortunately, it was also packed with people so we just had to order the tarts to go. I'd definitely come back to legit dine here next time!

But for now, the tarts:

 These are tarts are about 90% egg yolks so you can expect the custard to be oh so creamy. The best part for me, however, is the crust- that flaky, crispy crust. Ahh, this brings back so many delicious memories! You're supposed to eat them with powdered sugar and cinnamon but naked egg tarts are my jam. So good!

So that pretty much sums up our visit to Belém. Granted it was only half a day but I enjoyed seeing such amazing monuments and structures. Plus the egg tarts, you can't forget the egg tarts!

Next stop: Fatima!