Brief background:
L and I have had Portugal on our wishlist for many years. We actually researched and planned a weeklong Portugal trip a few years ago but backed out because we wanted Luke to come with us. We wanted Luke to be of an age in which he could have the stamina and desire to wander and appreciate a foreign country to the max. An age in which he could carry his own crap. An age in which the memories of the experience would stick. So, we waited and we are SO glad we did! Luke has always been a fantastic little traveler, At times he is an "old soul" and I think he gets it. Travel matters to him too. The 5 weeks: Doors open and doors close in life. We had an open door that allowed us to do this. A unique opportunity that allowed us to be away, to be present, to disconnect, to do something big. As Luke would say "something epic." And that it was.
Our "home":
We chose to have a home base. We wanted to feel like we were part of a community, part of the culture of Portugal and so we picked one location and immersed ourselves in our little town. Cascais. A seaside town full of vibrant people, history, and lots to see and explore! Cascais is a 30 minute train ride from Lisbon. A train ride that has an Atlantic Ocean or River Tagus view for 99% percent of journey. Our apartment was in a residential area in which we said Bom Dia (good morning) to our neighbors and knew exactly which dog lived with which human and which shift our favorite grocer worked at the store a block away. We went to the farmer's market on Wednesdays and Saturdays if we were in town and shopped from the same loud egg man, the same fast moving, deal giving vegetable stand, and the same fish monger. (Our fish monger had a crush on L and she could filet a fish faster than I can say "filet a fish"). We walked to the train station (15 minutes), we walked to the beach (15 minutes), we walked to the coastal trail (10 minutes) that led us endless miles north and south along the Portugal coast. It was the perfect home base for us. The baker gave Luke free treats every once in a while and she was patient with me as I insisted on using Portuguese instead of just pointing to the bakery treat that we wanted. She practiced her English with us. We miss her. We miss it all. Our apartment and our host (Airbnb for the win!) were perfection. A sweet mother/daughter team (Ana and Marianna) who were beyond helpful before our arrival with answering our questions and checked in on us weekly during our stay just to make sure we were comfortable. A home base was a good decision and let us really unpack (literally and figuratively) and be.
Before this post becomes all words let me show you our "home".
Cascais, Portugal
Team Tully - living the Portugal Dream
Cascais Village (how they refer to the "downtown" area - shops, restaurants, etc.)
Brave teenagers jumping off the bridge into this tidal inlet...high tide ONLY, it is dry at low tide.
Wandering the coastal trail
Hopped off the coastal trail to descend down...lots of rock climbers in this spot
Always time for a teachable moment!
Cascais Marina at sunset
FUN!
So many places to clamber and climb along the coastal trail, hours and hours and hours of beauty and fun!
Boca do Inferno - just 10 minutes from our apartment!
A quintessential Cascais street
Weekly fish and seafood shopping! Yum
Luke's favorite park - Parque Marechal Carmona
Or as we called it "the rooster park"
Trilho das Vinhas Park
We called it "Narrow Grape Park"
So many little farms and grapevines. Beautifiul
The flower portion of our market
We spent many many hours on this coastal path - both on the path and veering off of it for the road less traveled. :-)
The actual coastal path is mostly paved (primarily for biking...which we did) but there are plenty of places to explore more, and we did that too.
A Cascais gem, just for Ima
Gorgeous!
My boys got SO tired of me talking about the hydrangeas. I have never ever seen hydrangeas this big and beautiful. They were everywhere!
The Rooster Park...we walked through very often
A bike ride led us up the coastal trail to Guincho. Home of massive dunes and some of the best surfing Portugal has to offer.
Seeing him take it all in will NEVER get old. What an amazing Earth we get to call home.
Off the bikes for a dune walk
The bike path - it is mostly on the water side of the road but here was a little too narrow
The marina and fort
Cascais Lighthouse
Fun sculpture at the "rooster park"
90% of our meals were seafood! L and I made a great team...he prepped, I cooked.
So quaint
Our favorite Cascais beaches (there are multiples..separated by jetties or rocks. This one had this alcove for extra exploring
Forever testing their boundaries. Ha!
Luke's usual restaurant order: fish soup and an entree like this.
Our Market!!!! I miss it SO much! The fish market is behind the doors at the far end of the photo. Amazing!
The rooster park had many resident peacocks and we loved seeing these guys on display.
Such care and detail in the architecture and design. The street signs all look like this...whether they be in the village center or miles away. Such pride in their heritage. Fantastic!
Cascais will always hold a special place in our hearts. We felt at home there and we loved and appreciated its natural beauty, its culture, its people. Obrigada, Cascais, obrigada!
SO SO SO much more to come! Stay tuned.......
No comments:
Post a Comment