Lisbon, Portugal

We spent the morning and early afternoon in Sintra and Cascais. We only toured Lisbon on our way in and out of the city and on the way to our World Cruise Dinner in the evening. We will definitely return to Lisbon and the surrounding area.

We took a ship tour and our guide named Rita was excellent. It was an overcast day and rained on and off. Sintra is set in the mountains and has been hailed by poets for centuries. One of Portugal's oldest cities, Sintra is dotted with the manor houses and castles of feudal lords and monarchs. From the central square, we could gaze up at the 8th-century Moorish fortress on top of the hill near the city. We wandered through the shops surrounding the 15th-century square and explored the tiny streets.We came out of the mountains and drove along the coast to Cascais. It was a beautiful day to see the wild sea. They do a lot of surfing in this area.

Cascais is a small fishing village that has grown into a popular resort. Set on the Bay of Cascais, the town boasts an interesting mixture of early 20th-century homes and modern buildings. There was a lot of sailing activity. This may be a location that was discussed for the America's Cup that was later sailed in Valencia, but we aren't positive. Strolling the streets, browsing the shops and simply taking in the relaxing ocean views was great. Stopping for a cappuccino and one of their famous tarts that are filled with a custard type filling was a must. We are already talking about coming back to rent a place here for a very extended stay. Wonderful! I must check out VRBO! J
We drove back along the water and through Lisbon. Loved the architecture! It was still a pretty rainy day so we decided to stay at the ship and prepare for our World Cruise party that night.