This week, I’m excited to share more with you about my exciting experiences in Portugal! 💚(If you haven’t seen my other Portugal posts, check out Day 1 and Day 2. 😊)

On my third day, I did A LOT of exploring. 😁

In the morning, I visited Museo Nacional del Azulejo (the National Tile Museum). I was VERY excited to go to this museum because I just LOVED all of the GORGEOUS tile art I had been seeing around Portugal, and I couldn’t wait to see what a museum dedicated to these tiles would have! 😃

It was really awesome that my Lisboa Card gave me free admission to this museum!

The exhibits at the National Tile Museum were INCREDIBLE! The tiles were so BEAUTIFUL, and I couldn’t believe there were so many to look at!

I wasn’t aware of the history of Portuguese tiles. I was shocked to learn that the tiles in various shapes, patterns, and colors have been around for over five centuries! 😯

There were THREE floors of tiles to look at! It was my first time at an art museum overseas, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 💙

Next, I visited the Museu Militar de Lisboa (the Lisbon Military Museum). This museum was absolutely incredible!

There were so many cannons! In fact, this museum has the largest collection of old cannons in Europe! 😲

I didn’t realize that cannons were decorated with beautiful detail until I saw cannon after cannon that looked like a work of art.

One of the cannons I saw had been able to shoot a 225-pound cannonball! 😲

There were so many incredible cannons to look at that I had assumed that this museum was just focused on cannons.

I was wrong. The museum kept going and going!

There were beautiful paintings, ornately designed ceilings, statues, knight armor, and an assortment of old weapons.

I particularly enjoyed a room with knights in full armor sitting on horses. I love knights! 💛

I also really enjoyed seeing intricate statues of Athena and a Japanese katana sheathe covered in jewels.

It was such a neat museum!

Next, I got to experience something that I had been excited about seeing as soon as I started planning my trip to Portugal—Museu da Marioneta (the Puppet Museum).

You might be asking yourself, “Why was she especially excited about seeing the puppet museum?”

Well, why not? 🤣

I love Halloween, but I hate clowns and am creeped out by some dolls. Because of this, and because I had never been to a puppet museum, I thought that visiting a puppet museum would be an unforgettable experience.

It definitely was! 😁

My FAVORITE puppet at the museum was one that I saw pretty early on at the museum, and it was my favorite because it was the most terrifying! 👻

The puppet is the one on the left in this picture.

The puppet made of papier-mâché and fabric is named “Duente” (Elf) and was created in Spain by Alberto Urdiales. In 1982, its head was completed, and its body was completed in 2016.

The puppet makes me think of something a person would see in their nightmares! 🤣

It’s SO FANTASTIC but also SO TERRIFYING! 😅

Not all the puppets were terrifying, however. 😉

There was a stunning, intricately decorated elephant puppet that I LOVED.

I was also moved to see a BEAUTIFUL dragon puppet. 🐉

Something else that stood out was what I saw when I went to the part of the museum that had puppets that visitors could play with.

There was a very dark corner in the play area, and sitting there, facing the wall were TWO clown marionettes. 🤡

It was like in a horror movie! 😱

I quickly left that area.🤣

I can assure you that I had a FANTASTIC and memorable time at the Puppet Museum. 😁

After the museum, I visited the tallest tower in Portugal—Torre Vasco da Gama (the Vasco da Gama Tower)—and traveled in an elevator 145 meters high to see the GORGEOUS sights of Lisbon from above.

Here’s a photo of Ponte Vasco da Gama (the Vasco da Gama Bridge)

During my trip to the tower, I learned that this bridge is the second largest bridge in Europe!

I was definitely EXHAUSTED by the end of the day, but it was TOTALLY worth it!

I’m so grateful for all the experiences I had during my third day in Portugal! 🧡

Wishing you well! 💜