Lisbon grew up facing the river, inexhaustible source of inspiration. On the right bank of the Tagus River, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) in the shape of a stylized caravel was built to honor the heroes of the Portuguese Discoveries. The Torre de Belém (Belém Tower) marks the challenge of the Portuguese in throwing themselves out the huge and unknown ocean in their small boats. The Terreiro do Paço (Commerce Square), the plaza where the caravels arrived from the East with silks and spices, is located in downtown, also along the river. Continuing the course, the Casa dos Bicos and its eccentric façade houses the Fundação José Saramago, Nobel Prize in Literature. Leaving behind the historic city, at Parque das Nações, revived by Expo 98, are the Pavilhão Altântico, the Bridge and the Tower named after the navigator Vasco da Gama, and the Oceanário, all symbols of the new Lisbon.
