The Social Event will be on November 9, starting at 15:30. We will depart from the conference venue. It will include a visit by bus to some of the best known locations of Lisbon, Cascais and Sintra followed by a traditional Portuguese dinner. For this visit is advisable to use comfortable shoes and clothes.
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, and one of the oldest European cities. In the city, you will have the opportunity to visit two of the best known Lisbon monuments: Torre de Belém and Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
The Torre de Belém (Belém Tower), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Lisbon’s most remarkable monuments and an icon of our country that is historically shaped by its proximity to the ocean and its maritime discoveries of new worlds (Os Descobrimentos). The tower is a 16th-century fortification and it is located at the mouth of the Rio Tejo (Tagus River) and initially served to defend the city, and later became a customs center and a lighthouse.
Image credit: freeimages.com
The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery) was also a proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The Jerónimos Monastery is along with the Tower of Belém, one of the most visited sites in Lisbon. This notable 16th century work of architecture is part of the Portuguese identity and culture. It is located in one of Lisbon’s most noble areas, a both historical and monumental setting overlooking the Tagus River. On the monastery’s imposing façade, extending for about three hundred meters, stands the Church’s richly decorated South Portal boasting images of Portugal’s Patron Saint, St. Michael the Archangel (on top) and Our Lady of Belém (at the centre).
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The tour will continue to Vila Cascais (Cascais Town) where you will enjoy the magnificent scenario of this town situated close to the sea and traditionally a fishing town. Cascais enjoyed an important period of development in the 14th century, when it was a major stopping off point for boats on their way to Lisbon, turning it into a very busy port at that time. In the 19th century, King Luís I decreed that the town would be the summer residence of the Portuguese aristocracy and nowadays Cascais is a very lively and cosmopolitan town that still preserves a great deal of its earlier aristocratic atmosphere.
 Image Credit: unsplash.com |
 Image Credit: unsplash.com |
Our bus tour will end in Sintra. Awarded the qualification of Cultural Landscape of World Heritage in 1995, Sintra is a postcard from the past framed in a fascinating nature. The natural landscape of Sintra gives this mythical place a unique beauty. The green of the mountains and the blue is one of the well know characteristics of this old town. Sintra also known as the Moon Hill, is a place full of magic and mystery.
Image credit: Lacobrigo, via Wikimedia Commons
At the end of our visit, we will go to the restaurant in the beautiful town of Sintra and enjoy the best of Portuguese typical gastronomy!
Sources:
http://www.patrimoniocultural.gov.pt/en/museus-e-monumentos/dgpc/m/mosteiro-dos-jeronimos/