Monuments to visit Portugal

When the railway arrived in Portugal at the end of the 19th century, it took almost thirty years to build the railway station in the centre of Porto. It is located on the site of the São Bento Convent (16th century), whose destruction was one of the illustrations of the millenary antagonism between the merchants and authorities of the city and the Church. From temporary installations to partial demolitions of the convent, whose name the station has kept, it was inaugurated in 1916, although the first project was presented in 1887. After more than 50 years as a mixed freight and passenger station, it is now used only for passenger transport, in connection with the Campanhã station, located 3 km to the north (which can be reached by metro).

It is a vast building considered as one of the ten most beautiful stations in the world (and the most beautiful in Portugal) with its wrought iron clock, but especially its large hall of lost steps nicely decorated with azulejos created by Jorge Colaço in 1914. You could stay there for hours to admire each "painting" presented before your eyes and, when you think you've done the trick, you discover new ones hidden here and there in the nooks and crannies, to your great delight. To fully enjoy it, however, come at the end of the day when there is less traffic. A must-see during your stay in Porto because it is a place not to be missed.

We can see it in the distance when we arrive at Tomar. The closer you get to it, the more its shape manifests itself. This medieval castle is located on Linha do Tejo, the defensive line of castle built from Santarém to protect the capital (Coimbra) of the Moors at the time of the reconquest of the Kingdom in the 12th century by Christians. Construction began in 1160 at the same time as the Charola of Convento do Cristo and Almourol Castle near Abrantes, under the leadership of Templar Master D. Gualdim Pais. According to historical writings, Tomar Castle was used as a refuge by Christians during the six days of attacks by the Moorish Caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur. A plaque near the entrance to the church commemorates this victory, and a gate of the fortress was named "the gate of blood". This castle was the residence of Infanta Henrique and Manuel I in the 15th century, then João III in the 16th century. The military fortress combines the romantic, Gothic and Renaissance styles, and is composed of a double belt of walls that bounded the first village and the square of arms. The first wall of pentagonal shape is called the citadel (alcáçova) and is enhanced by the keep, the Torre de Menagem, a type of construction introduced by the Templars into the country. The round church of the castle (rotunda), like some other Templar churches in Europe, is said to have been built on the model of the Omar Mosque in Jerusalem, which the Crusaders mistakenly believed to be a relic of Solomon's Temple.

Its strategic position made it possible to protect the estuary. It was built around a watchtower erected during the reign of João II (1481-1495). Ferragudo didn't even exist yet. It was only later (mid-16th century) that the first defensive walls appeared. The final construction of the rampart dates back to 1643. After the earthquake of 1755, he went through very difficult times. Poorly maintained, it lost some of its prestige until the beginning of the 20th century, when the poet Coelho Carvalho undertook work to turn it into a residence.

Built between 1962 and 1966 (during the dictatorship), it is 3.2 km long and 70 m high. The old "Salazar Bridge" was renamed during the "Carnation Revolution", the date of which it now recalls. You will certainly find it some airs (not only by its colors) of the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, what could be more normal! It is the same company that made it, the American Bridge Company, respecting the seismic standards. We drive through it by car, by train. Once a year, you can even cross it on foot, but only if you take part in the Lisbon half-marathon. Very much used by the inhabitants during rush hours to get to their workplace, or on weekends to go to the beautiful beaches of the South, it is therefore almost constantly congested. All the more so as in summer there are cars of tourists who go to the beach every day. So don't be in a hurry and take your pain in your stride. Since 1998, it is no longer alone, since the Vasco de Gama bridge spans the Tagus d'Oriente at the concelhos de Montijo and Alcochete ; a project for a third bridge from Chelas to Barreiro for high-speed trains (Lisboa/Porto and Lisboa/Madrid) is under study. Since 2017, the Pilar 7 experience has been open, a new viewpoint built on the 7th pylon of the bridge. At night, you can see it illuminated (until midnight only), standing proudly above the buildings.