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<\/a>Cascais<\/p><\/div>\n
We leave the magnificent city of Seville and the beautiful country of Spain for Portugal.\u00a0 I have come to learn that Spain and Portugal are like sibling rivals but without the brotherly love.\u00a0 The fact is, they really don\u2019t like each other much, but it doesn\u2019t matter, we like them both.\u00a0 Shortly after crossing the Portuguese border, we stop at a tile museum and tour through it; at the end of the tour is a glass of Portugal port wine waiting for us – so far Portugal is looking just like Spain – lots of wine!<\/p>\n
We are staying three nights at a beach resort in the coastal town of Cascais<\/strong> (pronounced CASH\u2013KAI-SH), our hotel is an old fortress right on the water, with a marina right next to us.\u00a0 It is a short walk to town along the beach as we take in the sites, which include a \u2018no-hands\u2019 beach volleyball game, just like regular volleyball, but you can only contact the ball with your feet, your chest, or your head \u2013 very interesting; and the guys we were watching were very good.\u00a0 We go to an out-of-the-way place (meaning it\u2019s not in the middle of all the touristy area) for a chicken dinner \u2013 maybe the best tasting chicken I\u2019ve ever had.\u00a0 The next day we tour Lisbon, which is about an hour bus ride away.<\/p>\n No, not the Golden Gate<\/p><\/div>\n The parallels between Lisbon<\/strong> and San Francisco<\/strong> are amazing; both built on a hill, both have a \u2018Golden Gate Bridge\u2019<\/strong> (see photo), both have cable cars<\/strong> and both had devastating earthquakes<\/strong> that reconfigured the city.\u00a0 As we toured, we learn the extensive history of the many Portuguese explorers like Vasco de Gama<\/strong> and Ferdinand Magellan<\/strong> \u2013 they literally ruled the world in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. After a streetcar tour of the city, we go to dinner and experience a Fado<\/strong> exhibition.\u00a0 Fado?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know either, but it is a form of Portuguese folk music that is typically mournful and melancholy.\u00a0 The show we saw featured a singer, a stand-up bass player, a rhythm guitar player and the virtuoso of the group, a 12-string Spanish guitar player, who picked with a thumb pick and one finger pick and made the most beautiful music I\u2019ve ever heard come out of a guitar \u2013 he was amazing!!\u00a0 A very fun evening.<\/p>\n Fado musicians<\/p><\/div>\n The next day we head to the little town of Sintra<\/strong>, in a wooded area that has been a favorite summer residence of Portuguese kings for the past six centuries.\u00a0 We explore a Disney-like castle, Quinta da Regaleira<\/strong>, with a Gothic facade and beautiful gardens.\u00a0 We are back in Cascais in time to enjoy our \u2018farewell dinner\u2019<\/strong>, where we will say goodbye to our tour guide, Daniel and the ten \u2018other\u2019 travelers in our group.<\/p>\n Quinta da Regaleira<\/p><\/div>\n The ten \u2018hood members stay an extra day for an excursion to Fatima<\/strong>, Nazare<\/strong> and Obidos<\/strong>.\u00a0 We are now in a Sprinter van with a local tour guide for our first stop, Fatima.\u00a0 Next to the Vatican<\/strong>, Fatima is probably the most revered place for those of the Catholic religion, as it\u2019s the place where, in 1917, three Shepard children saw the apparitions of the Virgin Mary<\/strong>.\u00a0 One of the three children\u2019s final resting place is in the church at Fatima \u2013 a pretty impressive place.\u00a0 Our next stop is Nazare<\/strong>, a popular seaside resort known for its 100-foot waves \u2013 yes, one hundred feet high!!! \u00a0\u00a0It is a surfers\u2019 Mecca, although some have lost their lives to the huge waves.\u00a0 The big waves come in November and December, so we have a great lunch and see a beautiful coast line. \u00a0Our final stop is at the ancient walled-city of Obidos, which was originally a Roman settlement (This is why you travel, we don’t have any Roman settlements in the US).\u00a0 Interesting side note, the Church of Santa Maria in \u00d3bidos was the setting for the wedding of King Afonso V to his cousin, Princess Isabella of Coimbra in 1441, when they were both still children aged 9 and 10, respectively.\u00a0 You don’t see that much in the US either!<\/p>\n Fatima<\/p><\/div>\n The next morning we are on our way to the airport and the bitter-sweet journey home \u2013 bitter for the end of our amazing adventure, but always good to get to home sweet home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thursday: Epiloge of Spain & Portugal Journey and perhaps a ‘Photo Finish’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow We leave the magnificent city of Seville and the beautiful country of Spain for Portugal.\u00a0 I have come to learn that Spain and Portugal are like sibling rivals but without the brotherly love.\u00a0 The fact is, they … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Golden-Gate.jpg\")
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