An American Discovers Pastéis

Monday, November 3, 2025

Yesterday afternoon we checked in at the Hotel Corinthia in Lisbon to join our Viking tour. This hotel was not in the central part of Lisbon where all the tourist attractions are found. We were given a short walking tour of the hotel’s neighborhood by one of the Viking agents. She recommended some nearby restaurants where we could eat and showed us the closest grocery store. She also explained which ATM’s were good to use and which charged exhorbitant fees. The three-second version is we should only be using an ATM that has the symbol MB with two blue lines.

Photo from twoticketsanywhere.com

There wasn’t much else to see in the neighborhood. Most of our group had arrived in Lisbon yesterday and everyone was tired.

At 6:00 pm there was an orientation meeting for our group of approximately 100. It was mostly logistics. We met Hugo, who seemed to be in charge of us. He spoke very good English and seemed to know what he was doing. Hugo would end up coming to our boat with us later and acting as our cruise director.

We went to dinner at one of the recommended restaurants that served Portuguese food. I think the Viking agents oversold it. It wasn’t that good and it was very slow. They brought me the wrong dinner, but did fix it quickly. 

Our room was comfortable and quiet.

This morning we had to be on our bus by 8:45 a.m. for a tour called “Cosmopolitan Lisbon & the Maritime Museum.” This was something Viking calls an “Included Tour,” which means it is included in the price of the cruise.  That means that nearly everyone in the group went on the tour. We had three motorcoaches (nice buses), each with a guide.

We found our assigned bus and met our guide, Silvia, and our driver. Silvia was fantastic. She talked almost constantly for four hours without referring to notes. She provided so much information it was hard to keep up with her. We had little Quietvox devices so we could always hear her clearly.

We drove to Belém, a suburb of Lisbon. Here we saw Belém Tower, a Unesco World Heritage Site. It was built in the Portuguese Manueline style between 1516 and 1519. Despite its lovely appearance, the tower was intended as a military fortification to protect the mouth of the Tagus River.

Unfortunately, the beautiful Belém Tower was being cleaned or restored when we visited.

This photo of the Belém Tower is from Wikipedia

We walked past the Jerónimos Monastery, also a Unesco World Heritage Site. It was constructed between 1501 and 1541 pursuant to the orders of King Manuel I. This monastery is an example of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline architectural style. It is a fusion of Gothic, Renaissance, and Moorish elements and features maritime motifs. 

The Monastery

The Monastery now contains the Maritime Museum, which was our destination.

Prince Henry the Navigator, 1394-1460

Anchors from the Niña, from Columbus’ first voyage

The armillary sphere is a Portuguese heraldic symbol and is featured on the Portuguese flag. It is associated with the Portuguese discoveries.

This is a model of a caravel, a small Spanish or Portuguese sailing ship known for agility and speed. The Niña and Pinta were caravels.

Another important site in Belém is the Monument of the Discoveries. We drove by it but didn’t stop, so I am using a photo from Wikipedia here. 

This dramatic monument is a visual reminder of the large role that Portugal played during the so-called Age of Discovery. “Age of Exploration” might be a more accurate term to describe the first visits of Europeans to lands that had been previously discovered by other peoples.

Not far from all of the World Heritage sites, we discovered an important piece of cultural history - the original and best pasteleria in all of Portugal.

And they are still warm!

My research confirms that these are indeed the best!

We finished with a visit to yet another Lisbon lookout point. Not only did we see the city, but Silvia showed us some cork trees. There will be much more about cork in a future post.

Today’s fabric is “Portuguese Pasteis de Nata Custard Pies Original Blue Tiles” by pholiumsigma for Spoonflower