The enormous church on the banks of the Tejo, carved with ropes and knots and anchors as though it were going to sea itself, represents the vast wealth and untold adventure of Portugal's Age of Discovery.

Portuguese king Manuel I commissioned the monastery upon learning of the success of Vasco da Gama's first expedition to India, the longest sea voyage undertaken to that time, a voyage that would seal the fate of three continents. For good and ill.

Listener Maria Fernandes joins to talk about her home country, and we wax nostalgic on the pleasures of Portugal, a country I very much like, including my favorite dessert of all time: pastéis de Belém.  

Sources: Clark, Gregor. Lonely Planet: PortugalCliff, Nigel. The Last Crusade: The Epic Voyages of Vasco da GamaPayne, Stanley G. A History of Spain and PortugalTaborda, Joana. Lisbon

Photograph by Concierge.2C (CC BY-SA 3.0)