I spent April visiting Portugal for the first time, seeing and tasting why so many friends rave about the country. I'll mention only two visual highlights here. The Belem district of Lisbon has many famous sites, but my favorite was not in guidebooks because it's so new. The Museum of Contemporary Art opened in October 2023 in the massive Cultural Center of Belem, built in 1992 for Portugal's term hosting the Presidency of the EU. The museum hosts a huge collection of 20th-century art, with room for large exhibits of current art. It's a must-see.
The city of Aviero, 160 miles north of Lisbon, is most famous for its network of canals and canal boats. I was most taken by its public artwork. Here are two examples of the creativity visible throughout the central area.
