10-16 Lisbon

Our last mainland Europe port.  We’ve only got 6 hours here – a short little pit stop – mostly to refuel for the long journey home across the Atlantic.   We don’t get in until noon and we don’t have any time to waste – so we are with the first to get off when the ship is cleared and we make our way quickly to the train station located right outside the port. 

We are heading to Caiscais – another beach town on the Mediterranean (this seems to be the beach trip!).  Another gorgeous sunny and warm day –perfect for exploring the coast of Portugal today.  We hop on the train right away – they come every 20 minutes or so – and watch the little towns and villages on the outskirts of Lisbon slip away as the train heads west along the coast. 

After about 15 minutes, the train stops at one of the stations and there is some long announcement. Unfortunately we’re not even slightly fluent in Portuguese so we are clueless.  Almost everyone immediately gets off the train though. We sat for a moment wondering what was going on (memories of Helsinki when we were all thrown off the tram for no reason are running through our heads).  Fortunately a kind local takes pity on us and tells us we must get off here and get the next train – in a few minutes.  After we look harder at the train map, we realize this is the local train that stops here and then you transfer to another train that goes to Caiscais.  Problem solved!

So – 15 minutes more on the next train and we’re deposited in Caiscais. We once again navigate our way from the train station to the waterfront – with a short stop in the tourist bureau where we had to endure a British couple asking the tourist rep the same inane questions over and over again.  I finally, politely, interrupted and asked for a map – and we hit the streets. 

We walked down the shoreline a little while to the Boca de Inferno – a cove that where the tide comes in and out with a fury.  It was a great site – good for pix too!

 

 

Heading back into town, we took a detour in the large park located just on the edge of town. A lovely shaded respite from the hot sun.  Lots of vegetation, and animals. The peacock was right on the walkway and didn’t care one whit that we were there! Just like the  Galapagos – just a little more accessible!

Back toward town, we passed the marina where all the fishing boats come in.  There were pots and pots and pots all stacked up on the dock. Whatever they fish here, they fish it in quantity – that’s for sure! We figure it’s off season now, since the pots are on the dock and not out on a boat.  Back in town, we wandered the little windy streets and ended up grabbing a snack at a little cafe in what we were calling the food court plaza.  

There must have been 8 or 9 different cafes and restaurants in the little plaza – we chose the pastry place (of course!!).  Ed wanted octopus (what a surprise!) – but the waiter said it was bad – it smelled bad and was slimy – thanks for the info!  Ed decided to change to a crab salad and I chose the crab sandwich- figuring those pots were for crab.  Figured wrong!  The crab was fake – should have asked before we ordered – but whatever.  It was still really good with our beer and wine. 

Heading back to the ship – we missed the train by minutes – bummer!  So had to wait another 20 minutes to get the next one.  Then we decided to stop at Belem and walk back to the ship.  Had to change trains again – since we were on the semi-rapid train. Though maybe we could walk from the station before Belem – but changed our minds at the last minute because it looked so far. Good move!  It was REALLY, REALLY far to Belem and all on a major road. We would have been so unhappy.

In Belem, we chose not to visit the monument – figured we could get better shots of it from the ship – rather than at the base. So we hiked our way back toward the ship, walking along the promenade on the riverfront. It was really a nice walk and a pretty day – so it all worked out. EXCEPT that I never got to try the Belem tarts that everyone raved about. Bummer!  (Like I need one more sweet! Ha! I’m lucky my pants still button!).

We actually had time before we had to be back onboard so we stopped at the Havana Bar – in a strip of renovated warehouses that had tons of restaurants and bars.  We relaxed, cooled off and hung out as long as we could without having to rush.  Wandered back to the ship and then headed up to the hot tub to spend sailaway on the top deck, in the tub, watching the scenery slip by as we head out to the Azores and our last port on our trip.