Caldas da Rainha

26th March

We started the day by accompanying Teresa to the local markets where we bought fruit and vegetables.

After that we went to the nearby cheese shop where Teresa bought some white cheese. I was so excited I picked a cheese too! This shop also had a lovely bread selection.

Next it was time for a coffee. We sat at the cafe in the sunshine. Jay really liked the local coffee.

We carried the groceries home.

Teresa then drove us to Foz for Arelho to see the beautiful Óbidos lagoon  We had a snack while admiring the views. Teresa stayed there to work and Jay and I caught the bus back to town.

Then Jay and I caught the bus to the medieval walled town of Óbidos. After a short journey we'd arrived.

First we wandered the streets walking from one end of the town to the other.

Then we found the way to get up on top of the wall. We walked the whole way around. The views were lovely.

After an hour or two we headed back to Caldas da Rainha where Jay and I cooked pav bhaji for our host using the fresh vegetables we'd bought from the market in the morning.

27th March

Today we were very lucky because Teresa drove us to Salinas de rio maior where salt is made.

Unfortunately due to the rain in the past week we couldn't see the salt beds - too much water. However we wandered around the wooden shops and admired all the salt products.

Teresa then drove us to the nearby town of Alcobaca where we had cake and coffee. The Alcobaca Monastery was in the square where we were enjoying our morning tea so Jay and I went to see it. In the church there were the tombs of King Pedro and the woman he loved Ines. King Pedro's father had Ines killed because he didn't want Pedro to marry her and Pedro refused to marry anyone else. But in death they are in the same place as Pedro has her body moved to Alcobaca Monastery where he also built a tomb for the both of them.

Teresa then drove us to Sao martinho do porto  to show us the beautiful beaches. It was very windy especially when we were up high but the views were stunning.

After that we returned to the centre of Caldas da Rainha where we had a quiet afternoon. I had a very sore throat and was happy to rest.

Teresa's homemade Ginja that Jay loved. 

Lisbon

22nd March

Angeliki was so lovely to get up early to drive us to the bus station. After a frantic search we found the right spot to buy tickets and wait for the airport bus.

At the airport it was through security and straight to the gate once again. Maybe immigration is located in an area where flights are leaving Europe?

Once in Lisbon we caught the metro and then spent ten minutes looking for the 714 bus. Having found it we were unsure which direction it would go. Jay spotted one on the other side and we hurried to catch it. The bus driver confirmed that it was the correct bus going the right direction.

After dropping our bags at the accommodation we caught the bus to Jeronimos Monastery. It was beautiful on the outside. The church inside was amazing too.

Near the monastery there were many museums. None of them interested us as we were museumed out.

So we headed towards the water where we came across Padrao Dos Descobrimentos, a beautiful sculpture/structure.

From there we could see the famous Belém Tower. We went for a closer look but decided not to go up it for the views as it wasn't very high and the majority of the view would be just water.

After that we caught the bus and got off near Estrela Basilica. We walked up the hill stopping on the way for food. It was a pretty nice church.

We then went back to our accommodation and chatted with our host Nick. He recommended a good place to go for dinner, but when we got there the area seemed dodgey and we didn't feel safe. So Jay did some Googling and we took the metro elsewhere to a Chinese buffet restaurant.

I was so hungry by now (we both were). The food was delicious and the service was excellent. They even gave me a gift before we left! After that we went home stopping in at a supermarket to get breakfast on the way home.

23rd March

We woke up to find it was raining. We were swapping accommodation so we packed our stuff and went to the train station to put the luggage in a locker.

Due to the weather we decided it was the perfect day to ride the famous number 28 tram. It went a short way before the line ended and we had to find the next leg of the route.

The next part of the ride was my favourite part. Often there were cars in the way and the tram couldn't get through. The streets were  steep and narrow. It was hilarious!

We got off the tram to see Lisbon Cathedral.

When we went to catch the next tram it was very full so we hopped off after a short ride to explore another area.

On our way to the water we saw a long queue. We figured out that it was the Santa Justa Elevator so we joined the queue.

Within half an hour it was our turn. The views from the top were pretty good. We walked back down. Turns out we could have just walked up too but we wouldn't have known how to.

We then walked towards the water and ended up at Praça do Comércio. There was someone making absolutely stunning sand art.

Rua Augusta Arch

After a brief stop at the Information Centre we took the modern number 15 tram to catch the ferry to Cacilhas.

At Cacilhas there wasn't much to see except the Christ the King statue so we caught a return boat.

We then picked up our luggage and went to the next accommodation. It was back onto the metro and then a 15-20 minute walk to get there. We passed by some supermarkets which we returned to later to buy some dinner. The chicken soup we bought tasted homemade.

24th March

Today we caught the train to Sintra. We had a little hiccup finding the train station that was attached to the metro but the rest of the journey went smoothly.

When we arrived we bought tickets for the attractions and caught the tourist loop bus.

First we went to Palacio Nacional de Sintra. The most impressive part was the kitchen with the two tall chimneys. There were also some ornate rooms with tiled walls and interesting ceilings.

Next we wandered around the historical centre looking at the shops. We decided to try Ginja (cherry liquor) in a chocolate cup. It was yummy!

After that we walked to Palacio e Quinta da Regaleira. It was very beautiful but as we had bought tickets for other places we decided not to go in.

Then we grabbed a sandwich and went to catch the bus. There was a bus there but it was ready to leave so we weren't allowed on.

When the next bus turned up a person from the company let a whole group of people on before us even though we'd been waiting the longest. Jay was furious!!

The group took so long to buy their tickets that another bus turned up so we went on that.

The bus took us to Castelo dos Mouros. It was a 5 minute walk to the entrance of the castle. Once we were there I was pretty excited. It looked how I think a castle should.

We walked up high and the wind was so strong. The views were really good from up there.

Next we caught the bus to Palacio da Pena. It was better than the first palace. After walking through all the rooms and admiring the decorative features we explored the wall walk. Once again we were literally blown away!

Satisfied we'd seen everything that the palace had to offer we caught the bus back to the train station where we then wandered around for an hour before catching the train back to Lisbon.

25th March

We woke up much later than expected. For some reason Jay's watch was an hour out. Maybe still on Greek time we wondered?

We grabbed our luggage and went to the train station to leave it in the locker once again. Then we caught the train to Cascais.

The information centre recommended that we see Boca do Inferno so we went there first.

After enjoying the views we sat down and ate our sandwich watching the water crash against the cliff.

We then walked along the coast stopping to look at the sights along the way.

Farol Museu De Santa Marta

Museu Condes Castro Guimaraes

Palacio Da Cidadela De Cascais 

Palacio Da Cidadela De Cascais 

After a few pleasant hours we caught the train, picked up our luggage and went to the bus station to go to Caldas da Rainha.

It was on the bus we figured out the day's mystery. The clock on the train had been an hour out and now the bus too. Jay mused maybe it was daylight savings  A quick Google search confirmed it was so. Luckily we'd had no issues since our phones had automatically updated.

Our lovely host Teresa picked us up from the station and made us a healthy dinner of vegetable soup, vegetables and noodles.

After a chat (well, more of a whisper as unfortunately Teresa had lost her voice) it was time for bed.