Travels in the 2nd half

  Saint Jerome Monastery No visit to Lisbon would be complete without seeing two of the oldest buildings still standing in the city. While they have served very different purposes, they both have interesting histories.   Mosteiro dos Jerónimos Along the shore of the Tagus River, in the Belém neighborhood, is the former  Mosteiro dos Jerónimos  (Saint Jerome Monastery). The monastery sits on the site of a church dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém, where monks were available aid and minister to ships as they departed from or arrived to Lisbon. The monastery was built in the early 1500’s, along with a new church for Santa Maria, near the point of embarkation for Vaasco de Gama’s journey in 1498.   Praça do Imperio Praça do Imperio Monument to the Discoveries The monastery was built in a style called Manuelin e, known for complex sculptural themes. It was designed by Diogo de Boiteca (1460-1527), under order of King Manuel I. Its inner courtyard is lined on both the...

Alcântera, Lisbon   During my recent visit to Lisbon, I ran into an interesting situation. Due to a quirk in EU funding, nine of the city’s museums were closed for renovations at the same time. For me this provided an opportunity to indulge in my favorite activity - visiting small museums that often go overlooked. Berardo Museu Arte Deco (B-MAD) B-MAD Museum Support for the 25 de Abril Bridge Eletrico 18   I headed to the Alcântera neighborhood, which sits under the approach for the 25th of April Bridge. In the 17th century, the area became home to several palaces for members of Portuguese royalty. One of these buildings, formally owned by the Marquis de Abrantes, has become the Berardo Museu Arte Deco (Berardo Art Deco Museum).    B-MAD has an amazing collection of Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco furniture and decorations. Most of the objects come from the collection of Joe Berardo, a Portuguese businessman who has a checkered past.   The museum can ...