Lisbon - 3

Our last day in Lisbon started with a late breakfast. We then packed our bags and put them in the hotel storage room for we had an evening flight. We decided to spend the day in Belem. It was a recommendation from Jan and Arancha, and a very good one.

We found a tram to take us there via a scenic route along the coast. Lisbon was founded on a wide estuary that flows into the not far away Atlantic. The centre of the city is very hilly with the main suburbs to the north.

The area of Belem is on the estuary to the west of the centre. It is famous for two monuments. The oldest is the Torre de Belem and the other is Padrao dos Descobrimentos. The latter is a monument dedicated to the discoverers who got into sailing ships and discovered a lot of the 'New World'. There is also a nice garden area near the water and an old monastary.

You can see photos of all three here. We enjoyed the sunny weather and light lunch in the garden of a restaurant on the waterfront. We slowly made our way back to the hotel, picked up the luggage and took the underground train to the airport.

The usual boring routine at the airport. I really question all those stupid and largely unnecessary security checks. From comments made by other passengers it is clear that I am not alone in this! We finally got into the plane mainly filled with Germans.

Unfortunately we were seated near a group of passengers with lots of babies. After three hours of listening to babies screaming, we landed at Berlin. I think they should have a sealed baby and family section in all planes and so let the rest of us sleep/doze in peace!

We found all our bags and jumped into a taxi. It was strange to enter my flat and see all the familiar things. I missed Lisbon and the adventures we had - and still do. Thanks to Dr. Peter and Mutti for a wonderful week in an interesting old city.