Momboisse Family Adventures March 2025 - Lisbon, Portugal

The morning we left on our pilgrimage I still had some
doubt as to whether or not we should be going. 
In my mailbox was this unsolicited Youtube short. 
Mary's fiat indeed does/did change everything.
We're going! 

Saturday March 29, 2025 

Mike and my great pilgrimage adventure on a 206 Tour of Fatima, Lourdes, and Northern Spain began Saturday March 29, 2025 at 7:30am with the first of three flights. We began in Sacramento and end in Lisbon, Portugal, 17 -1/2 hours later at 9:00am Sunday March 30, 2025.  

In Dallas we picked up fellow pilgrims Nancy and Larry.  We didn't know them yet, but that is Nancy sitting behind us on our flight in the top picture.  In Philadelphia I scanned the gate for a man in a clerical collar with a red 206 backpack.  Knowing that the priest who would be our Spiritual Director was from Pittsburg I figured he had to get on board here. And there he was.  I made the introduction with Fr. Thomas Miller, but we would not start to get to know him for a few more hours.  

Before we land in Lisbon here is a little background on our pilgrimage. This trip was originally planned in 2019.  A three week grand adventure.  About 10 days in I experience a tear in my retina.  We were actually on an incredible hike in Kotor, Montenegro to the Castle of St. John when my symptoms began. 

2019 view from Castle of St. John Kotor, Montenegro

But God had other plans and we cancelled the rest of our trip and flew home so that I could have surgery. 

In June 2024 we decided to try this trip again and booked our tour with 206 Tours Catholic Pilgrimages this time.  A few months later Mike began to experience pain near his hip. Prior to leaving on this trip in March 2025 it was clear that Mike would need hip replacement surgery.  After much prayer we decided to proceed with our pilgrimage. Mike made it through the entire trip with crutches, a wheelchair, beer, and a lot of ibuprofen. This and the following series of blogs documents our journey.    

Lisbon Airport

At the Lisbon Airport, 206 Tours picked us up along with Fr. Thom, Larry and Nancy, as well as another set of pilgrims Patty and Charles.  On the short bus ride to our hotel we began to bond.  By the end our our trip all 20 pilgrims would be like family to us.  

After a short drive from the airport we arrived at the Lumen Hotel which is known for its nightly light show.  We would only see it from the window of our hotel room as jet lag, by 9pm finally took over.  

In the lobby fellow pilgrims converged.  Some had arrived a day or so before and were already adjusted to the time change.  Though fatigued, we were not giving in.  This would be our only day in Lisbon.  

Meeting Leo our tour guide

Around 2pm, Leo our most excellent tour guide, greeted us in the lobby to distribute our room keys.  He explained the itinerary for the rest of our first day, and let us know that itineraries would always be posted by dinner for the following day.  We were to take a picture of the itinerary and follow it religiously, making sure to always arrive on time. If we did, he assured us, our trip would go well.  

First itinerary 

We had a few minutes.  And I mean a few minutes, to check into our hotel room before meeting in the lobby at 2:15pm.  

Standard double room Lumen Hotel

Partial view of the courtyard from our room

Back in the lobby we piled onto our bus for the first time.  50 seats for 20 pilgrims meant we had a lot of room to spread out.  Each of us claimed a spot that would remain our bus home for the duration of our trip. Typical of humankind there were the front of the bus, back of the bus, and middle of the bus people. God planned it perfectly and we were all happy with the results.  Mike and I are center of the bus people, but we are sure, after this experience the back of the bus had the most fun. 

Lisbon is divided into districts.  Our hotel which is located in the Avenidas Novas district is known as one of the more expensive areas, with one bedroom flats selling for over 1 million US. 

Nearby our hotel we pass Marquess of Pombal Square, considered the heart of modern Lisbon in the Santo Antonio district near Edwardo VII Park, it is known for its high-end shops. The Marquis of Pombal was the prime minister responsible for the rebuilding of Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755.  

Marquis of Pombal

Fighting off the urge to sleep as our drive continues to the Belem district on the waterfront, we listen to Leo give us our first history lesson.  This one would be about Lisbon, Portugal. 

Lisbon, located at the mouth of the Tagus River on a sheltered harbor, is one of the oldest cities in western Europe.  Its history dates to the indigenous Iberians who migrated from Africa around 3000 BC. Between 800 to 600 BC, the Celtic people arrived, migrating from the north. Then the Carthaginians around 500 BC, and Romans in 205 BC.   After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD the Germanic tribes arrived.

Lisbon Harbor

In 711 Lisbon’s history was markedly changed with the invasion of the Islamic Moors. Lisbon would be under Moorish control for over 400 years until 1147 when it was recaptured by Christian forces led by Alfonso I, the first King of Portugal who reigned until 1185.

Mosaic near Monument of the Discoveries 

With Christianity reestablished, Lisbon became the capital city of the Portuguese territory in 1255. By the end of the Middle Ages in the 1400’s, it had become an important trading post.  Most of the Portuguese expeditions during the Age of Discovery (c. 1418 to c. 1620) set out from the Lisbon Harbor at the mouth of the Tagus River. 

                      Map of the Age of Discovery (Wikipedia Commons Creative Commons License)

In 1418, under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator, child of King John I of Portugal, the Portuguese began to explore the Atlantic coast. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias reached the Indian Ocean from Portugal. In 1492 Christopher Columbus made his first of 4 voyages across the Atlantic to Central and South America, also from Portugal. 

Monument of the Discoveries Prince Henry the Navigator
overlooking Lisbon Harbor

In 1498 another Portuguese expedition was led by Vasco de Gama, he sailed around Africa to India, opening a direct trade route with Asia. These discoveries led to Lisbon’s golden era where Lisbon became the hub of European commerce between Africa, India, Asia, and Brazil.  Okay that is a lot of information to process while jet lagged. 

In the distance in the picture above, the rectangular building leaning left is the Port Authority for Lisbon.

Though there is limited parking around the Belem Tower, as well as the Age of Discovery Monument, our driver has no trouble finding a place for our bus. Here is a map of our parking stops for Belem Tower and Discoveries Monument. 

At Belem Tower we took on our first local tour guide.  Using our Whispers Phones, affectionately known as our "whispers" or hands-free headsets, (which we will use daily on our tour) we are able to clearly hear the guide as they describe the features and history of the area.  We walk  the promenade along the waterfront of the Tagus River on what was a gorgeous afternoon in Lisbon to our first highlight, the Belem Tower. 

Belem Tower

It was built between 1514 and 1520 out of Lisbon limestone by Francisco de Arruda a Portuguese architect and sculptor.  It is one of the best representations of Gothic Manueline style, which incorporates maritime elements.  Originally built to defend the city, it is divided into two parts, the bastion and tower. The Belem Tower is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

25 de Abril bridge

From the promenade near the Belem Tower, in the distance is the 25 de April bridge, a suspension bridge that connects the city of Lisbon to the municipality of Almada.  Constructed between 1962 and 1966, it was built with American steel, and patterned after the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.  It was originally named the Salazar Bridge after the Prime Minister (and Dictator) at the time.  After the Carnation Revolution in 1974 which overthrew what was left of the Salazar regime, the bridge was renamed April 25, the date of the revolution.  Scenes from the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service were filmed on this bridge.  

25 de Abril bridge from Almada
(Wikipedia Commons Creative Commons License) 

Pedestrians can not walk out on the bridge but the Pilar 7 Experience (entrance located on Av. da India) allows visitors to take an elevator to the bridge street level for unique views.  

To Mike's right in the distance in the picture above is Christ the King monument. Unveiled in 1959, it is located in the city of Almada and inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. The statue was erected to express gratitude to God for sparing the Portuguese from the mass destruction of World War II.  

Christ the King 

At the top of the pedestal and at the feet of the statue, there is an elevator to the top of the statue and a viewing platform.

Christ the King (Wikipedia Commons License)

From the Belem Tower area we board our bus for a short ride to the Monument of the Discoveries. Originally built with perishable materials, the monument was created by Angelo Cottinelli Telmo and sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida in 1940 as a temporary exhibit at the Portuguese World Exhibition. 

Monument of the Discoveries

It was later reconstructed out of concrete and stone mined from Portugal.  It was inaugurated in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator in commemoration of his contributions to Portugal's Age of Discoveries.  

Designed to appear as a caravel setting out to sea with Henry at the prow, thirty-one other significant figures to Portuguese maritime development file in behind him.  Each carry a symbol to indicate their identity such as navigator, cartographer, missionary, royalty, or soldier.  In the middle of this monument is a flight of steps leading to a platform with views of the surrounding area. 

In the picture below, our local tour guide describes the significance of the Rose dos Ventos mosaic that encompasses the area in front of the monument.    

Rosa dos Ventos (Compass Rose)

Impossible to get a picture of the Rosa dos Ventos, or Compass Rose without visitors standing on significant features, this large mosaic is made of local black and red limestone.  

In the background is St. Jerome's Monastery

The mosaic includes dates and caravels that mark the main routes of the Portuguese expansion during the Age of Discovery.  It was designed by architect Luis Cristino da Silva and presented to the city of Lisbon in 1960 by the Republic of South Africa. The drone shot below from Wikipedia Commons Free Use, shows the sheer size of this piece of art.   

Rosa dos Ventos (Wikipedia Commons GNU Free Documentation License)

Back on the bus we drive a short distance to park and then tour of St. Jerome's Monastery. In 1496, at the height of the Age of Discovery, King Manuel I sought permission from Pope Alexander VI to build a monastery near the Lisbon waterfront.  Construction began in 1502 and was completed several decades later using money from profits made off the Portuguese India spice trade.  

St. Jerome's Monastery (Wikipedia Commons Creative Commons License)

The monastery would be built in the Gothic Manueline style and dedicated to the memory of Prince Henry the Navigator.  

A community of Hieronymite monks, of the Order of St. Jerome, would live on these grounds until 1833 when the religious order was dissolved.  The monk's primary role was to pray for the King's eternal soul and to provide spiritual direction to navigators and sailors departing from the nearby harbor. In 1907 the monastery was classified as a National Monument and placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1983. 

St. Jerome's Monastery is one of the most visited heritage sites in Portugal, and tickets are required for entrance.  There are two primary entrances, one to the Church of Santa Maria and one to the monastery cloister and garden.  Already late in the afternoon, our time was limited to the church.  Inside in the first transcript to the left is the tomb of Vasco de Gama. 

Vasco de Gama tomb

Church of Santa Maria inside Monastery 

In addition to the church and cloister the monastery building is home to several exhibitions rooms and two important museums.  The Maritime Museum features artifacts related to Portugal's Age of Discovery and the National Museum of Archaeology, located where the monks had their dormitory, is devoted to ancient art from the Iberian Peninsula. 

Pastel de Nata

As we entered the bus to drive to our final destination of the tour, Leo surprised us with individual Pastel de Nata pastry.  Purchased from the nearby Pasteis de Belem the most popular place in Lisbon for these delicacies, these pasties were created by the Catholic monks at the St. Jerome Monastery in the 1600's.

Next we drive along the waterfront to the Alfama district, the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon.  It is here, at the Church of Saint Anthony that Fr. Thom will celebrate the first Mass of our pilgrimage.  This church is right next to the Lisbon Cathedral which is shown below.     

Lisbon Cathedral 

Saint Anthony was born Fernando Martins de Bulhoes in Lisbon in 1195. He joined the Franciscan order around 1220 just 11 years after it was founded by Saint Francis. He died in Padua, Italy June 13, 1231 and was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946.  The Church of Saint Anthony is shown in the picture above along with the statue of Pope Saint John Paul II.  

Our pilgrim group ascending the steps to Mass

Fr. Thom in prayer before the altar

The altarpiece above is topped by two angels carrying a crucifix. The image of Saint Anthony in the center at the foot of the Eucharistic throne, survived the 1755 earthquake.  It was carved in a single piece of cedar wood and weighs over 600 pounds. The statue is said to be the approximate height of Saint Anthony. 

On the left side of the tabernacle is a reliquary that holds a first class relic, a bone from Saint Anthony’s left arm.   After Mass we had the opportunity to touch this reliquary.  I touched my scapular to the relic, making my scapular a 3^rd class relic. 

Fr. Thom told us that the church that holds the largest collection of relics in the U.S. is St. Anthony’s Chapel in Pittsburg. It happens to be very close to Fr. Thom’s parish in Pittsburg.  If you are interested in learning more about what a Catholic relic is, please visit my Catholic blog.  

    

The two paintings above on side altars are attributed to Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho (1729 – 1810).  They are the Nativity and  The Immaculate Conception.

Shown above is another side altar.  This one dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.  Under her statue is a reliquary altar with the body of Saint Justina of Padua.  

After Mass we took a staircase down to the crypt.  On the wall is a tile which represents the visit of Pope Saint John Paul II in 1982. The tiny chapel in this crypt marks the birthplace of Saint Anthony in 1195.  

    

Evening shadows are setting in on our first night as the sun begins to set.  We have a short walk from the Church of Saint Anthony, past the Lisbon Cathedral to our bus.  

Back at the Hotel Lumen we still have a welcome cocktail party and our first dinner together.  

First Dinner Lumen Hotel Lisbon

Those that still had energy, the Hotel Lumen Light Show would be featured in the courtyard at 10:00PM.  I must say we missed it, even though we have a partial view from our window.  But here it is on Youtube. 

Tomorrow  Santarem, Portugal 

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Interested in being your own tour guide? I have over 20 published GPS audio tours with VoiceMap (Carmel, Monterey, California Gold Country, Folsom, Tahoe, Sacramento) and over 40 tours published with GPSmyCity (Carmel, Monterey, Big Sur, Folsom, Sacramento, Boston, Cinque Terre, Kotor Montenegro, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Helsinki,  Stockholm, Estonia). Happy Adventures! 

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All photos or videos by L.A. Momboisse unless otherwise noted