In less than a week I will be landing in Istanbul, where I will live for the next few months.

While it is definitely exciting, moving to a new country also demands a lot of preparation. Not only does my room need to be sorted out – which I can assure you should be considered a heroic task, – but also paperwork and Visas need to be taken care of.

So last week I finally got round to apply for my student visa, which meant for a day trip to Belém.

The beautiful view from belem

Belém is an area of Lisbon. A very famous one for that matter. For one, it was the setting point for the very important time of the great maritime discoveries, and now, because of precisely that, it is home to some incredible buildings.

The Monastery of the Hieronymites is one of the Unesco World Heritage sites and so is the Tower of Belém. Both mark a high point for portuguese discoveries and especially architecture, being the best example of the portuguese style Manuelino.

Manuelino also refered to as the late portuguese goth, is a style highly characterized by the presence of intricate nautical symbols throughout the building. It is unique and beautiful – a true celebration of Portuguese discoveries.

The amazing torre the belém

But Belém is not only interesting to see these unique sites – for me it is the place of well spent afternoons walking in the gardens, watching good exhibits at the CCB – cultural center of Belém, and indulging in the always delicious pasteis the Belém – the very famous portuguese pastry.

a beautiful detail of the Torre de Belém

Having my departure date rapidly approaching – the walk around Belém never felt better, but what I really started missing were the sweet, crispy, creamy, perfect little pasteis – that are sadly not going to be a short twenty-minute tram ride away from my school.

Thankfully, I am sure good food is not going to be missed in Istanbul. At least, I hope it doesn’t.

I will keep you posted.

foggy morning in Belém