Caravels and Catastrophe

Portugal's Journey from Moorish Fortress to the Edge of the World

From the Algarve's Moorish citadels to Lisbon's shattered convents, this tour traces Portugal's arc from reconquest to exploration to catastrophe -- a small kingdom that redrew the map of the world and then watched its capital collapse in a single November morning.

Itinerary

1. The Moorish Capital — Before Portugal was Portugal, this red sandstone fortress was the seat of an Islamic kingdom -- the Algarve's forgotten capital.
2. Where Exploration Began — On this windswept promontory at the edge of Europe, Prince Henry the Navigator dreamed of routes to Africa and India.
3. The Edge of the World — The westernmost point of continental Europe -- where medieval maps ended and the unknown began.
4. Templar Ambition — The Knights Templar built their Portuguese headquarters here -- and when the order was dissolved, they simply changed their name and kept going.
5. A King's Tragic Love — In this Cistercian masterpiece lie the tombs of Pedro and Ines -- the king who exhumed his murdered lover and crowned her corpse queen.
6. Gateway to the Unknown — This limestone watchtower on the Tagus was the last thing Portuguese sailors saw as they left for the unknown -- and the first thing they saw when they came home.
7. Profits of the Spice Trade — Built with a tax on pepper, cinnamon, and cloves, this monastery is the most exuberant expression of Portugal's golden age.
8. The Disaster That Remade Philosophy — On All Saints' Day 1755, an earthquake, tsunami, and firestorm destroyed Lisbon and shattered the Enlightenment's faith in a benevolent universe.
9. The Roofless Memorial — The Gothic arches of the Carmo Convent still reach toward a ceiling that no longer exists -- Lisbon's most eloquent ruin.