European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 21, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The monastery of jeronimos is considered one of the masterpieces of port Guai s ornate Manuelina architecture. A amps file windows Bird fanciers have set out cages of canaries. Planted solidly on one of the City s highest Hills the Castle dates at least to the 14th Century although the romans visigoths and moors Are known to have built earlier fortifications on the same site. Today Only the Crenell ated Walls and towers remain and what was once the Interior courtyard is now a tree filled Park. From Many Vantage Points visitors can look Down upon the City a from this View a sort of half bowl opened wide to the River. First impressions Are of hillsides of Burnt red a the color of the tiles that roof almost every visible building below. In the distance freighters can be seen coming and going in the Busy Harbor. It is possible to spend the entire time wandering the old streets of the Alfama and the Barro Alto examining the glazed tiles that decorate the Many churches peering into tempting bakeries and relaxing in one of the coffeehouses or sidewalk cafes. But Lisbon also has its share of cultural treasures Well Worth visiting. The Gulbenkian foundation museum museum Couste Gulbenkian is named for an armenian Oil tycoon who found Sanctuary in Portugal during world War ii. At his death he bequeathed his massive store of paintings sculptures and other artworks to the country and they Are now exhibited in a modern museum building in Lisbon. Among the treasures Are impressionist paintings from the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg which he reportedly bought from the soviets when they needed ready Cash in the 1920s. The collection s Range is wide and includes sculptures from ancient Greece and Rome and european paintings Down through the centuries. But most interesting Are the tiles ceramics and rugs of the islamic world. Portugal has a moorish heritage and traces of it can be seen in Lisbon s architecture and its abundant til work. The museum on the Avenida a Berna is just North of Eduardo Vii Park a Long but manageable walk from Naixa a Uphill All the Way of course. Many of the museum s galleries have huge windows that face nicely landscaped Garden courtyards. Also Worth a visit is the museum of ancient Art museum Nacional de arte Antiga. If features a 1 5th-Century polyp Tych of the adoration of St. Vincent Patron Saint of Lisbon and Portugal. Also included Are works by portuguese painters from the 15th and 16th centuries plus tapestries and Gold and Silver creations from Portugal s heyday. About a a seven mile 30-minute trolley ride downriver from Commerce Square is the pretty Riverside suburb of Belem. It is the site of several attractions a couple of historical museums a former Roy Palace the 16th-Century White Marble monastery that holds the Tomb of explorer Vasco a Gama a fortress and one of Portugal s most important maritime monuments. Greatest among these is the soaring monastery of jeronimos. Begun in the year 1500, it is an immense gothic Structure with moorish and Indian touches a reflecting the influence of Portugal s great voyages of discovery during the period it was under construction. Two years before work began a Gama discovered the sea route around Africa to India and in 1 500 Pedro Alvares Cabral reached Brazil. The monastery is considered a tribute to the nation s great explorers. On the River s Edge is the Tower of discovery a modern sculpture erected in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the navigator. Henry established a school of navigation and map making fostering Portugal s exploration of the african coast and ultimately aiding Christopher Columbus voyages of discovery for Spain in 1492. Spain was prompted to support Columbus in part because of the example of Portugal s maritime successes. Just downriver is another Monument to Portugal s ancient Empire the Tower of Belem a Small elegantly proportioned fortress completed in 1521. Nearby Are two very interesting museums a the museum of popular Art which houses a Large collection of colourful portuguese ceramics traditional costumes from earlier eras leather work painted wooden horse carts and other old crafts and the National coach museum which preserves Many fancy coaches dating from the 16th to the 19th Century. A pedestrian Waits for an old Streetcar to squeeze through a narrow stretch of the Alfama. May 21, 1992 stripes Magazine 9