The Palacio de Pena in Sintra was built by Portugal's German born and very romantic Prince Ferdinand
Gustavo, Matt, and me in front of the palace archway
Matt surveys the land from his watchtower
Gustavo, Matt, and me
Prince Ferdinand was a contemporary and cousin of "Mad" King Ludwig (of the Disneyland Neutschwanstein Castle fame)...
...and his eccentricity shows!
The palace is a mix of neo-fortified Gothic towers, Renaissance domes, Moorish minarets, and Manueline carvings.
The Rose Window at the Pena Palace
The Cristo Rey statue in the distance, which honors the palace's architect
The Montastery of Jeronimos in the Belem neighborhood in Lisbon was financed with "pepper money," a tax on spices from India.
The architecture is Manueline, which is either Gothic or Romanesque with highly decorative carvings, often in a nautical motif.
The cloisters featured interesting gargoyles of kittens, crickets, and monkeys.
The church was originally built as a sailor's chapel, where they would spend their last night before heading off on an expedition.
The size and ornateness of the complex hints at the religious motivation (and money) behind the Age of Discovery.
Many expeditions were financed by the extremely powerful and wealthy Kinghts of Templar (of The Da Vinci Code fame)
Matt and Gustavo relaxing in the cloisters
Gustavo took us to the wonderful Pasteis de Belem...
...with its incredibly tasty "pastel de nata"...I think we each ate about ten!
The Monument to the Discoveries in Belem
It was built to honor Prince Henry the Navigator
The marble map on the pavement shows just how much of the world they explored from their tiny isolated nation in Europe
Another view of the Monement of the Discoveries
A statue inside the Torre de Belem
Matt and Gustavo climbing up the Torre de Belem
