Portugal | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Cascais Portuguese fishing village

October 27, 2013 by David Herd

Portuguese fishing village

Portuguese fishing village Cascais is a coastal town in Cascais Municipality in Portugal, 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Lisbon, with about 35,000 residents. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal’s royal family in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Nowadays, it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists.

Hotel at Cascais.

The town is small enough to explore entirely by foot, up the hill beyond the town centre there are numerous narrow cobbled streets to explore with interesting architecture, plants and animals to see.

Portuguese fishing village

I am really not sure what this building is, if I find out I’ll let you know. 😳

The Citadel

The Citadel is actually a prolongation of the Nossa Senhora da Luz Fortress and is the only part that can actually be visited today. It housed the Soldiers’ Hospital, considered the most well equipped and competent infirmary in the whole Portuguese military history.

Without a doubt AGODA is the best online Hotel booking site.

Portuguese fishing village

Kate afternoon walk along the seaside.

Guincho Beach

Praia do Guincho is a popular Atlantic beach located on Portugal’s Estoril coast, 5 km from the town of Cascais, and in the District of Lisbon. Wikipedia

Boca do Inferno

Boca do Inferno (Portuguese for Hell’s Mouth) is a chasm located in the seaside cliffs close to Cascais Portuguese fishing village, in the District of Lisbon. The seawater has access to the deep bottom of the chasm and vigorously strikes its rocky walls, making it a popular tourist attraction.

Have camera will travel

The one day trip was a great experience, if you find yourself in Lisbon make sure you take this tour.

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Lisbon is not too far away from Cascais.

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Sintra town near Lisbon

October 25, 2013 by David Herd

Historic Portuguese Village

Sintra town near Lisbon

Sintra Portuguese town near Lisbon is only 30 kilometres west of Lisbon near the coast. The bus tour also took me to Casais another interesting destination.

Sintra town near Lisbon

Sintra has become a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon. In addition to the Sintra Mountains and Sintra-Cascais Nature Park, the parishes of the town of Sintra are dotted by royal retreats, estates, castles and buildings from the 8th-9th century, in addition to many buildings completed between the 15th and 19th century, including the Castelo dos Mouros, the Pena National Palace and the Sintra National Palace, resulting in its classification by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1995.

I have copied all this information from Wikipedia.

Sintra Portuguese town near Lisbon

The earliest documents describe a built-up town in the 11th century by the Arab geographer Al-Bacr (who was later supported by the poets Luís de Camões and Lord Byron). The Moors built their castle atop a nearby promontory around the 8th-9th century. When Afonso Henriques finally captured Sintra (after the fall of Lisbon) in 1147, he ordered the construction of the Church of São Pedro de Penaferrim, within the castle walls. In 1493, Christopher Columbus sailing for the Spanish crown, was blown off course by gale force winds and fearing for the survival of his ship, spotted the rock of Sintra. Despite the awkwardness of seeking safe harbour in Portugal, Columbus had no choice under the circumstances and sailed from there into the port of Lisbon.

National Palace

The National Palace is the best preserved medieval Royal Palace in Portugal, having been inhabited more or less continuously at least from the early 15th up to the late 19th century. It is an important tourist attraction and is part of the Cultural landscape of Sintra, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The National Palace of Sintra is the only surviving intact medieval royal palaces of Portugal. Most likely, it was built on the former residence of of the Muslims wallis, and since the beginning of the Portuguese monarchy, monarchs had a palace here. Much of the palace dates from the times of King John I, who sponsored a major building campaign starting around 1415.

Inside the Palace.

The history of the Palace goes back to the times of Islamic domination, when Sintra had two different castles. One of them, located on top of a hill overlooking the town is the so-called Castle of the Moors, which is now a romantic ruin. The other, located downhill, was the residence of the Moorish rulers of the region. Most buildings around the central courtyard – called the Ala Joanina (John’s Wing) – date from this campaign, including the main building of the façade with the entrance arches and the mullioned windows in Manueline and Moorish styles, the conical chimneys of the kitchen that dominate the skyline of the city.

Sintra National Palace.

During the 19th century, Sintra became again a favourite spot for the Kings and the Palace of Sintra was frequently inhabited. Queen Amélia, in particular, was very fond of the Palace and made several drawings of it. With the foundation of the Republic, in 1910, the Palace became a National Monument. In the 1940s, it was restored by architect Raul Lino, who tried to return the Palace to its former splendour by adding old furniture from other palaces and restoring the tile panels. It has been an important historical tourist attraction ever since.

Spectacular ceiling

Check out this short video,

Sintra, near Lisbon in Portugal

Watch this video on YouTube

Here is the exact location, N 38° 47.846 W 009° 23.436

Sintra town near Lisbon, the Palace kitchen.

Looks like it has not changed in hundreds of years.

Imagine the meals that were prepared here.

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Close to Sintra Cascais is another interesting town

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Lisbon ancient European city

August 27, 2013 by David Herd

Lisbon hilltop district of Bairro Alto.

Lisbon ancient European city

Lisbon ancient western European city is an experience to remember. Wandering through the winding narrow streets among dozens of restaurants and bars, with jazz, reggae, electronica and Fado filling the air and revelers partying until dawn.

Baxio district

Nightclubs scattered all over town make fine use of old spaces, whether on riverside docks or tucked away in 18th-century mansions.

Amazing restaurants in Lisbon.

Food fabulous food, I think Lisbon is one of the most underrated cities in Europe.

Mouthwatering display of cured ham

The atmosphere in many of Lisbon’s restaurants is wonderful.

Lisbon ancient western European city

Bairro Alto is a great district for interesting restaurants.

Bairro Alto at night

Many of Lisbon’s buildings have not changed in centuries.

Fado, traditional melancholic singing.

Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that “the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best. But even that information was frequently modified within the generational transmission process that made it reach us today. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a characteristic sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholia (loosely captured by the word saudade, or “longing”). However, although the origins are difficult to trace, today fado is regarded, by many, as simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain structure. The music is usually linked to the Portuguese word saudade which symbolizes the feeling of loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent lifelong damage) Many thanks to Wikipedia.

Play it again Jorge.

Jorge really seemed to love his work. 🙂

The famous Café A Brasileira.

The Brasileira was opened by Adriano Telles on 19 November 1905 at No.122 (an old shirt shop), to sell “genuine Brazilian coffee” from the State of Minas Gerais, a product generally unappreciated in homes of Lisboetas of that period. In order to promote his product, Telles offered each shopper, who bought a kilogram of ground coffee (for 720 réis), a free cup of coffee.

Of course coffee at Brasileira was excellent

The Brasileira is one of the most famous cafes in Europe.

Lisbon, both modern & ancient.

There is a modern side to this ancient European city.

São Jorge Castle

Although the first fortification on this hilltop date to the 2nd century BC, archaeological excavations have identified a human presence in the Tagus valley as far back as the 6th century BC. The first fortification was, presumably, erected in 48 BC, when Lisbon was classified as a Roman municipality.

Beautiful Lisbon building.

A wonderful city to wander around in the evening.

Should the guy on the left be considered suspicious?

The cops are too busy trying out their new Segway.

This is one very steep hill.

Walking down is not a problem.

Lisbon tram.

The old fashioned Lisbon trams are a great way to get around the city.

So many restaurants & such little time.

Lisbon was such a total surprise for me, unlike the more popular busier European cities like Paris, Rome, Barcelona & Berlin, Lisbon turned out to be a gem. I am probably a little biased being such a lover of good restaurants, wine and music, coupled with the beautiful old buildings and narrow winding streets in the Bairro Alto district, this city has it all.