This post is categorized as Laughter and not Visuals as you might initially think. I thought it would be fun to invite you to supply a caption to Martin’s photo. He had seconds to align this shot of Lisbon’s Memorial to the Discoveries with an incoming jet.

The 107′ memorial, museum and observation deck overlooks the coastal city of Belem near Lisbon. Unveiled in 1960, it was built to commemorate Prince Henry the Navigator’s discovery of the Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde. Prince Henry, at the prow, is flanked by 32 statues featuring navigators, captains, cartographers and others of Portugal’s 15th century Age of Discovery, including Vasco de Gama and Magellan. It’s good to be reminded of the courage, determination and sheer audacity of the discoverers of yore.

Walking across the wavy-patterned plaza, I felt wobbly and off-kilter as if I were one of Magellan’s deck hands trying to get my sea legs. The 150′ compass rose mosiac in the forecourt of the monument was crafted from different types of limestone, including a rare beige limestone found only around Lisbon and Sintra. Architect Cristino da Silva’s (1896 – 1976) Mappa Mundi measures 50′ wide. Its design depicts the established routes of Portuguese ships opened up during the Age of Discovery. Before heading to the observation deck, I tiptoed across the Mappi Mundi, crossing the world in a matter of steps, not years. No scurvy either.

 (photos courtesy of Martin Darvick)