The Castle of St.
George is perched high upon one of Lisbon’s
seven hills. The site was occupied by the Romans, the Visigoths, and the Moors
before the Christian reconquest. The Castle was a royal residence until the
late 15th century and now consists of a complex of walls, gardens,
and towers, with an excellent view of the city and the Tagus
River beyond. It is a magical place
where geese and ducks wander the gardens. Also, visit Ogival House, with its 17th
Century door which connected to the jail that was once here.
Torre de Belem
This is a white, stone tower by the Tagus that was
built to defend that approach to the city in the early 16th Century.
It consists of a quadrangular tower reminiscent of the keeps of mediaeval
castles and a polygonal bastion, itself a fine example of the period's advanced
defensive technology, being designed to support heavy artillery, with
embrasures shaped rather like hatchways reaching almost to sea level. On the
wall of the small cloister built into the terrace of the bastion is an 18th
century statue of the Virgin and Child, Our Lady of Safe Homecoming, crowned by
a canopy. It was often the last sight that Portugal’s
sailors saw as they set forth in their ocean going caravels to explore the
world and bring back its abundance. A gangway leads to a small museum within
the tower. The view of the city, the river, and the surrounding countryside
from the top of the tower is splendid.