Lisbon's history as well as food and culture

The first St. Clare's trip to Lisbon returned with students full of Portuguese culture! Fifteen IB students travelled to Lisbon for a long weekend to learn about its history and its food and culture.

Many of our Brazilian students were made less homesick with the weather reaching 24 degrees and Brazilian influences seen in some of the Portuguese food and buildings.

On Friday the group had a guided tour of Lisbon which took in the Rossio square, Alfama district, Chiado, and the famous No 28 tram. On Saturday they visited the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos and the Cultural Centre of Belem where they had a fantastic guided tour of the Modern Art Museum.

To rest from the morning's excursions, Ricardo da Silva Esteves, IB Portuguese teacher, took the students to the birthplace of the famous Portuguese custard tart (Pasteis de Belem) where they were able to sample a few tarts with a nice pick-me-up coffee!

The Pasteis de Belém is a small custard tart found throughout Portugal's pastry shops or cafés. It is believed that it was created before the 18th century by Catholic Monks at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos of Belém, in Lisbon. Casa Pastéis de Belém in Lisbon was the first place outside the convent selling this creamy dessert, with the tart being named after the area Belém. Since 1837, locals have gone to the café to get the tarts warm out of the oven and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Sunday consisted of a trip to the famous Oceanarium in the Expo area of Lisbon and a little shopping time before the flight back. The trip was very successful and allowed the students to learn a lot about the history of Lisbon and it's food and culture