Our last port of call for this cruise was Lisbon. With my memories of that incredible amphibious vehicle ride through the streets of Lisbon and on its river still very vivid in my mind, I decided that this time I would travel with a small group to two nearby towns along the Estoril Coast - Cascais and then Sintra.
The drive along the coast to Cascais was fascinating. The vegetation was typical of a coastline, and there were many sand dunes on the opposite side of the road. Near Cascais there were some lovely mansions on the upper side of the road, mostly hidden behind fences and gardens. They must have fantastic views of the sea! Unsurprisingly, they are worth millions. Most are now foreign-owned, as few locals can afford to buy them. The average wage in Portugal after tax is 950 euros per month. The minimum monthly wage is 550 euros. But healthcare, while very slow, is free.
In Cascais, which is a delightful seaside town, our guide walked us from our mini-bus to the main street and gave us 45 minutes to be back at the bus. But that had to include going to a cafe and at least having a drink so we could go to their loo. In that case, I decided, I was going to have another of those divine little Portuguese custard ‘tarts’ I tasted on my last Lisbon tour. I soon found a lovely cake shop and had my treat and a little black coffee (they serve black coffee in very small cups there). It was divine! With only 15 minutes left I bolted around to get a few photos of the beach area then back to the bus. We did not have any chance to visit the outdoor markets, which were so popular with the local residents. I felt that was a great shame.
Just before we headed into the hills to Sintra after visiting Cascais, we saw the westernmost point of Europe. Our guide said “If Europe is the face, that promontory is the nose.” To my disappointment, however, we just whizzed past with it still in the distance, though tantalisingly not too far awayI would have loved to have walked there to stand on that point, and photograph it. But unfortunately the local private companies who offer these tours and work in partnership with the cruise ships do not always think of the photographers amongst their tour groups.
After traveling some distance in the hills along winding roads and past forests, we eventually reached the township of Sintra, which was much cooler than Cascais. There we had some lunch, which was quite nice but no different to food back home, then drove back into the town for just another 45 minutes of free time. On the way our guide told us that there was a palace in the middle of the town that originally was built by one of the Spanish kings - I think for hunting. Later on, in the 19th century, the queen of Portugal, who hailed from England, used to move her household there for the summer season to escape the heat in Lisbon. She had the palace extended in the Romantic style and insisted on having conical chimneys, as this reminded her of a monastery that she lived near back in England. These are unique and lend an almost comical twist to the place, in my view.
With our limited time in Sintra we were only able to photograph the facade of the Sintra National Palace, as it is now known, and a little of the town. As Portugal is the ‘home of cork’, and some years ago a Portuguese fashion designer had found a way to bind very fine slices of cork to a fabric, many of the group purchased cork handbags and purses. They are very attractive and just so light!
After that we headed back to Lisbon, quite tired by now. However, there was one more treat for us in Lisbon itself, and that was the16th century Jeronimos Monastery Church. I will tell you about that in the next post.
The first ten photos were taken in Cascais. The remaining photos were taken in Sintra. I have only captioned some.
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The Cascais local market. |
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The town hall at the beachfront of Cascais. The paving played tricks on your eyes! |
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A close-up of some the town hall. |
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An amazing sand sculpture along the beach. |
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A lovely old building in Sintra. |
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The Sintra National Palace. |
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The remarkable conical chimneys. |
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A steep narrow street of shops. |
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And another . . . |
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