Maritime Museum in Lisbon, Portugal

On May 23, 2024May 23, 2024 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Portugal3 Comments

Museums can be hit or miss for us as some of them are boring and others are quite fascinating. The Maritime Museum in the neighborhood of Belém in Lisbon is different than a lot of museums partially due to having several models of ships from Portugal’s Age of Discovery. The exploits of those explorers who left from the shores of Lisbon to discover various trade routes around the world is an important part of Portugal’s history and the Maritime Museum pays homage to that time. It was also the very first thing that we saw during our time in Lisbon, providing context to many other things that we learned during our visit.

There are many exhibits throughout the museum, including maps and globes depicting the understanding of the world as it evolved with exploration, models of ships that would have sailed from Portugal, and statues of famous explorers like Vasco da Gama. There are also many interesting paintings depicting the lives of the sailors at sea and the hardships that they faced. It is clear that to be a seafaring explorer during those times certainly required a lot of bravery as there could be a tragedy at any given time.

The Maritime Museum is located in what seems to have been a church at one time and the exhibits are both inside and outside of the building. Tickets are 6.50 euros for adults and 3.25 euros for children. How long it takes to visit the museum depends on how long you spend reading the placards that provide information on each exhibit or spending looking at the details of the artwork and displays. We spent about an hour and a half walking through and enjoying everything that we saw, but we didn’t stop to read all of the information that is available for the visitors.

Ajuda Palace and Royal Treasure Museum in Lisbon, Portugal

On May 13, 2024May 13, 2024 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Portugal2 Comments

One of the fascinating places that we visited while we were in Lisbon was the Ajuda Palace that is located near the Belém neighborhood. It might have been due to the day that we visited, but we were surprised to find that there weren’t many people touring the palace while we were there. The palace was built on the hillside after the earthquake of 1755, but it was never truly completed due to Napoleon invading Portugal and the royal family escaping to Brazil. Even if it was not as grand as the royal family may have wanted, today it is certainly an enjoyable place to visit and see all of the grand rooms and artwork located in the museum.

Paintings on the Ceilings of One of the Rooms

As you walk through the palace, all of the rooms are ornately decorated with many beautiful details. Of particular interest for us were the intricate tapestries that hung on the walls of many of the rooms and the ceilings that changed with every room that we entered. Also, because it does sit high on one of the many hills of Lisbon, the views are quite stunning whether looking out of the palace’s windows and walking the palace grounds. As far as historical buildings that are used as a museum to display the furniture, art, and other items of the wealthy leaders of a country, this was truly quite stunning.

Although most of the tourist locations in the Belém neighborhood are located on the water, it is definitely worthwhile to make your way up the hill to take a self-guided tour of the Ajuda Palace and Royal Treasure Museum. It took us about an hour to walk through the rooms and enjoy all of the beautiful objects located within and that gave us plenty of time to enjoy some food at one of the many restaurants located in Belém.

Igreja de São Roque (Church of Saint Roch) in Lisbon, Portugal

On April 9, 2024April 11, 2024 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn PortugalLeave a comment

There are several wonderful churches and basilicas in Lisbon, but after seeing some images online, we made going to Igreja de São Roque something that was high on our list. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful churches in Lisbon and certainly one of the most fascinating churches that we have seen. The details within the church are quite stunning and extremely ornate. During our visit in person, the details were overwhelming, and we’ve absorbed more looking at our photographs after returning home.

The church was originally built in the 16th century and was one of the few structures in Lisbon to survive mostly intact after the earthquake of 1755. At the time that it was built, it was likely one of the most expensive churches that had been built at that time, which is certainly understandable when you see all of the features within it. It was built in the Baroque style, but the outside of the church is very simple in comparison to the beauty of all of the amazing features of the interior.

The painted ceiling is the first thing that you notice as you enter the church and it is certainly interesting as it is a wooden ceiling, which has been painted with scenes from the bible. The church’s organ is also quite beautiful, but the many chapels that surround the main chamber are the real stars of the visit. We had seen conflicting information regarding the hours that the church was open. Some sites stated it was only open on Monday afternoon, but we’re pretty sure that it is open every day, although we ended up visiting on a Monday.