Getting out to pick up our car was an adventure since we had a poor map and the only non-English-speaking cabby in Lisbon. I was prepared for a huge bill but since it was midday, it was less than the night-time fare in from the airport. The glum driver perked up considerable when Al gave him a large tip as apparently one doesn't necessarily tip cabbies here.
Al fell in love with the car at first sight. It is gun-metal gray with a sexily-sculpted hood and the latest in headlight design. It also has a sunroof that doesn't open but which has a cover that retracts for the entire length of the front and back passenger areas. Should be great in the mountains. Lots of legroom too. Much better ride than we have at home.
We had reservations at a B&B in Cascais, which turns out to be an outlying suburb of Lisbon and quite the day-trip beach destination. After milling around in the mist (yes, the weather has gone bad) we finally found the place which is a three story house in a residential neighborhood. Our hostess recommended a restaurant that is literally around the corner where we had a wonderful midday meal of grilled swordfish and grilled squid for me (yes, again--I love it!) A glass of the house wine was 1.2 euros and was wonderful. After a nap, we headed west to the Atlantic, just a few kilometers away, and followed the winding road to Cabo Rocas, the western-most point in Europe. All of Europe had also made their way to the point in private cars and tour busses and were making the short walk in the rain out to the monument, a pleasure that we skipped. The coastline here is quite dramatic, alternating between steep hills and deep ravines, all traversed by a narrow winding road. This must be close to the peak of the wildflower season and the hills are covered with blooms in all colors from white through yellows to blues, pinks and bright reds.
Driving back south, we found a beach off which dozens of surfers bobbed, waiting for the perfect wave, which apparently never came since hardly anyone bothered to get up on their board.
Despite a noisy house, we slept well enough and at breakfast enjoyed conversations with two couples from Germany, one of whom is originally from Kerala, India. All speaking good English of course. After a few hard showers, the sky cleared so we drove down to the touristy part of Cascais and never quite left all day. We walked along the beach and enjoyed the people watching. There were a few topless females which added to Al's enjoyment.
We found the marina where Al critiqued the boats, none of which were very large. We selected one of the bazillion outdoor restaurants and enjoyed more good seafood. Then we found a bench along the beach and just sat. And sat. What a way to spend the day along with half the population of Portugal and a significant percentage of Great Britain. On the way back to the car, we discovered that there was an hipermercado (supermarket on steroids) across from the train station where we found the rest of the Portugese population. Surprisingly considering that the aisles were literally so full you couldn't move at some points, we didn't have to stand in line for more than a couple of minutes. Al experienced a bit of sticker shock when he paid the parking bill, but when he realized that we'd been there for seven hours, 9 euros wasn't so bad.
After breakfast, we took the German-Indian couple to the train station for their excursion into Lisbon, then drove along the beach. We parked at one place where we could see divers in the water fishing for something. When one returned to the truck next to us, I managed to ask him what he had in his bag. He said chocos, which translates as cuttlefish in my book, but they sure looked like squid to me (which are called "lulas") although larger than what I've been eating. Anyway, even though I'm sure I sounded like an idiot trying to speak Portugese, he was very friendly and managed a little English himself.
Today is Easter and we celebrated by returning to our neighborhood restaurant for their advertised special of cabrito asseado, or roast kid. It was truly wonderful, although looking at the tiny legbone I almost felt guilty at eating such a baby animal. Almost.
Al fell in love with the car at first sight. It is gun-metal gray with a sexily-sculpted hood and the latest in headlight design. It also has a sunroof that doesn't open but which has a cover that retracts for the entire length of the front and back passenger areas. Should be great in the mountains. Lots of legroom too. Much better ride than we have at home.
We had reservations at a B&B in Cascais, which turns out to be an outlying suburb of Lisbon and quite the day-trip beach destination. After milling around in the mist (yes, the weather has gone bad) we finally found the place which is a three story house in a residential neighborhood. Our hostess recommended a restaurant that is literally around the corner where we had a wonderful midday meal of grilled swordfish and grilled squid for me (yes, again--I love it!) A glass of the house wine was 1.2 euros and was wonderful. After a nap, we headed west to the Atlantic, just a few kilometers away, and followed the winding road to Cabo Rocas, the western-most point in Europe. All of Europe had also made their way to the point in private cars and tour busses and were making the short walk in the rain out to the monument, a pleasure that we skipped. The coastline here is quite dramatic, alternating between steep hills and deep ravines, all traversed by a narrow winding road. This must be close to the peak of the wildflower season and the hills are covered with blooms in all colors from white through yellows to blues, pinks and bright reds.
Driving back south, we found a beach off which dozens of surfers bobbed, waiting for the perfect wave, which apparently never came since hardly anyone bothered to get up on their board.
Despite a noisy house, we slept well enough and at breakfast enjoyed conversations with two couples from Germany, one of whom is originally from Kerala, India. All speaking good English of course. After a few hard showers, the sky cleared so we drove down to the touristy part of Cascais and never quite left all day. We walked along the beach and enjoyed the people watching. There were a few topless females which added to Al's enjoyment.
We found the marina where Al critiqued the boats, none of which were very large. We selected one of the bazillion outdoor restaurants and enjoyed more good seafood. Then we found a bench along the beach and just sat. And sat. What a way to spend the day along with half the population of Portugal and a significant percentage of Great Britain. On the way back to the car, we discovered that there was an hipermercado (supermarket on steroids) across from the train station where we found the rest of the Portugese population. Surprisingly considering that the aisles were literally so full you couldn't move at some points, we didn't have to stand in line for more than a couple of minutes. Al experienced a bit of sticker shock when he paid the parking bill, but when he realized that we'd been there for seven hours, 9 euros wasn't so bad.
After breakfast, we took the German-Indian couple to the train station for their excursion into Lisbon, then drove along the beach. We parked at one place where we could see divers in the water fishing for something. When one returned to the truck next to us, I managed to ask him what he had in his bag. He said chocos, which translates as cuttlefish in my book, but they sure looked like squid to me (which are called "lulas") although larger than what I've been eating. Anyway, even though I'm sure I sounded like an idiot trying to speak Portugese, he was very friendly and managed a little English himself.
Today is Easter and we celebrated by returning to our neighborhood restaurant for their advertised special of cabrito asseado, or roast kid. It was truly wonderful, although looking at the tiny legbone I almost felt guilty at eating such a baby animal. Almost.
posted by Al and Linda @ 9:24 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home