Lisbon

 

October 28, 2011

Today, I have arranged a tour to Sintra and Cascais thru Inside Lisbon.  This is the same company we did a walking tour of Lisbon with last year.  Hugo was our guide last year and will be again this year.

The day was beautiful..sunny and warm.  Sail in to Lisbon is always spectacular!!!  Going past the Belem Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, going under the 25th of April Bridge and past the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

 

It took a long time for the Portuguese officials to clear the ship and the lines were very long waiting to disembark.  We are only in port for 6 hours so our tour very short.  Hugo was waiting for us as we got off the ship and we were off to our visit to Sintra.  Set in the mountains, Sintra is one of Portugal’s oldest cities.  The hillsides are dotted with the manors and castles of feudal lords and monarchs.  An 8th-century Moorish fortress overlooks the town.       

    

We drove thru Cascais on our way back to Lisbon.  Cascais is a small fishing village on the Bay of Cascais that became a fashionable seaside resort with an interesting mixture of early 20th-century homes and modern buildings.

Our final stop of the day, was in Belem to get some of the famous “Belem Tarts”.  These are custard tarts that are wonderful!!!!!

We had a good day..just too short. Then it was back to the ship, thru Lisbon’s Friday rush hour, to enjoy sail away from our balcony….