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Portugal |
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Cascais After a 6-day crossing from the Azores, any land probably would have looked beautiful, but Cascais was truly a feast for all the senses. From its dizzyingly pretty hand-laid stone streets and pristine beaches to its mounds of fresh fish and produce in outdoor markets, we walked, shopped and ate our way through this old port town. Lisbon Only a short train ride away, Lisbon was close enough for a couple of sightseeing trips that introduced us to the famous maritime museum, and the museum that houses the royal coaches of Portugal's illustrious history. And much, much more in this slightly dilapidated capital city.
View of Lisbon from the Moorish Sao Jorge Castle.
Across from our restaurant, an old Portuguese woman greeted all her neighbors returning home in the evening. Sintra We took the local bus to the ancient hill town of Sintra , dominated by its magnificent palace and old fort on the mountaintop. We descended through the palace's large garden/forest and later toured the exhibit of working replicas of Leonardo da Vinci inventions in the town's museum.
The palace garden in Sintra was acres of lush landscaping and ponds built for Queen Maria and the ten royal children. Porto
The old city of Porto on the Rio Duoro is famous for it's port wine.
Gondolas like these once carried the port wine in casks from inland vineyards down the Rio Duoro to Porto.
Saturday produce market in downtown Porto.
A flower stall in the market in Porto. |
Bob noticed right away that the Portuguese women prefer to sunbathe topless, even in the middle of town. He thought it was one of the nicer cultural traditions we encountered. In a nearby bar/restaurant, we first ate wonderful and new Portuguese dishes, including marinated baby octopi, eels, and, our favorite, "pimientos padrones". Small green peppers were sautéed in olive oil until slightly seared, then mashed flat, tossed in sea salt and served with hunks of fresh loaves of bread. We soon were
The Cascais lighthouse near our harbor.
One of Lisbon's picturesque riverfront avenues.
Pena National Palace "crowns" Sintra with majesty. The earliest buildings date back to 1356. King Fernando bought what had become a Moorish castle in 1838 and restored the convent that had been destroyed by the Moors. He lived in his dream palace with Queen Maria II until her death in 1853. Later, second wife Elisa Hensler, a German singer, helped restore and decorate the palace. Obidos
Tables piled with unwrapped, dried, salted cod were in every supermarket. It is still a primary food staple in Portugal.
Lots of time for friendly visits among stall keepers.
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addicted and prepared them aboard while underway or ate them in restaurants between Cascais and the Basque region of Spain. Unfortunately, once we sailed across the border into France, we never saw them in the markets again. We still look for them in every market we visit.
So, what in the world are these red fish? We will never know the names of everything we saw, even if we had understood Portuguese.
The markets were heaped with fresh fish of all types, brought in early the same morning by local fishermen. Red tiled roofs of Lisbon.
Lisbon's tropical, flowering vines were much like St. Petersburg's tropical landscapes. Batalha
The abbey of Batalha (above and below) was built to commemorate Dom Joao's victory over the Spanish in 1385 and is the burial place of his son, Prince Henry the Navigator.
In Porto, we toured the Sandeman Port Distillery with our new German friends, Boca and Christina. We then enjoyed several free samples of the product. All authentic port is produced in Porto.
Snooze break during a long day at Porto's market. Click here to continue on to Spain.
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Stones in the main square are laid in a wavy, optically- confusing pattern that makes you think you are going to move up and down on the flat surface.
We caught the trolley up the hill to Lisbon's Sao Jorge Castle for spectacular city views.
In the ancient walled city of Obidos, now home to many cultural programs and musical concerts every year, we enjoyed some of the local characters.
