What an enignmatic city Lisbon is!  Situated at the mouth of the Tagus River, the estuary provides a glorious backdrop to the broad avenues of Rossio, with it’s grand station and cobbled squares, as well as to the windy tight alleys of the old town in Moorish Alfama.  There is an unexpected mix of old and new – with a tangible feeling of faded glory of a once powerful colonial power, as well as a lively feeling to the new wine bars on the waterfront. It somehow feels like a city that once was….and a city that is still waiting to be.

Our first day in Lisbon was spent at the site of the 1998 expo where there is a living science centre with over 300 (according to the guide book) interactive science displays.  It was great fun – we all felt and acted like kids for hours – and best of all it counted as a school day!  We had been given sightseeing bus tickets by a couple that were leaving so we took a tiki tour around the city listening to fado music all the way.  The return trip took us to the back of beyond (including the airport?) which had us all climbing the walls but a stop for a piece of pizza (interesting choice of cod & spinach for Bron….) on the waterfront soon brought our spirits up.

Day two was a monumental day of monuments….the Discoveries Monument – celebrating the maritime history of the country, the elaborate defense that is Belém Tower, Jeronimoh’s Monastry with it’s elaborate and flamboyant Manueline architecture, and finally the Visigothic Castle of St George, which is perched high above the city and where, having trudged up the steep hill, we clambered over the walls admiring the views.  We then took one of the old rattly trams back down.  In hind sight, catching a tram up the hill could have been more sensible.  For research purposes only, we tried out the famous Belem Pastries – divine crispy tarts filled with silky golden custard!  A last meander through town back to the waterfront saw three very weary tourists on the train home to the van.

While in Lisbon, we were based in Cascais, to the north west of the city on the Atlantic coast and the train we took each day into town hugs the shoreline – with the sea only metres from the track – a most pleasant commute! Cascais itself is a lovely seaside suburb, but just up the road we stopped for a few hours in Sintra – a gorgeous hilltop town that captured our imagination.  We both almost lost our sense of humour after getting lost in the small streets and ending up in the van in the busy main square, but Deane definitely was not giggling when he stepped into a drain, up to his ankles in mud.  We persevered and went to Quinta da Regaleira (Will’s excellent choice) – an extravagant mansion with extensive lush gardens with fairy lit caves and grottos, towers and wells galore to explore.  Hate to imagine the cost, but the fourteen years that Luigi Manini spent creating this wonder for the Monteiro family had amazing results.  Sintra was simply stunning and we drove on to Evora with smiles.

We are now en route to the Algarve which will be our last port of call in Portugal.  Hard to believe!