This morning we boarded the coach and headed off to the country’s capital, Lisbon! Fr. Chichetto educated us along the way about the reign of Prime Minister Salazar, the dictator for most of the 20th century who was determined to keep the country neutral during World War II. His thought provoking lecture left us all pondering the ideas of progress and revenge.
First, we entered the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém which was built to honor voyagers by monks who assisted seafarers in transit during the Age of Discoveries and the location of Vasco de Gama's final resting place. Then we visited the Tower of Belém and the Monument to the Discoveries. Here Pilar talked about Columbus' desire to find a new route to India and how Spain and Portugal decided to split their claims to the sea. After admiring the views of the city from Eduardo VII Park, we passed the Plaza del Marques de Pombal and the Mouraria District (Moorish District), Lisbon’s medieval quarter, where the country’s famed Fado music originates.
