Estoril
Along the way, we enjoyed the coast of Estoril, a fashionable playground by the sea with Europe’s largest casino and top-rate golf courses. According to our guide, the beach from Estoril to Cascais is the longest beach in Europe and the 3rd longest beach in the world.
Estoril has long welcomed international visitors. During World War II, it acquired a glamorous reputation when Portugal's neutrality and mild weather attracted the rich and the famous, German and English spies, and European royals. Hollywood actor Orson Wells stayed at the town's legendary Hotel Palacio at the time, and was reportedly "stunned" by the number of kings at the hotel during his stay.
The town has since lost much of its status, but maintains certain faded grandeur and an attractive sandy beach. The picturesque beach of Tamariz has a number of bars and restaurants, and a castle overlooking it that is owned by the royal family of Monaco.
Behind it is the casino surrounded by attractive gardens with tall palm trees. Known to give out the biggest weekly prizes in Europe, it also presents top international shows. It was also the inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond and Casino Royale. The Hotel Palacio facing it appeared in one of James Bond's first films ("On Her Majesty's Secret Service") and served as a backdrop for Richard Wilson's novel, "A Small Death in Lisbon."
Cascais
Our first stop was the postcard-perfect cosmopolitan little beach town of Cascais. The Portuguese has this weird way of pronouncing “s” as “sh” so Cascais is pronounced as “Cash-caish”.
As a backgrounder, Cascais was formerly a quaint fishing village that became (along with neighboring Estoril) a popular resort favored by European nobility and kings in the early 20th century. It was once known as a royal village because it enjoyed the patronage of Portugal's ruling family. Today, it is a colorful cosmopolitan town with elegant pedestrian streets, luxuriant villas, fashionable shops, restaurants and bars.
To say Cascais is growing would be an understatement: It's exploding! Apartment houses, new hotels, and the finest restaurants draw a never-ending stream of visitors every year. However, the life of the simple fisher folk goes on. Auctions of the latest catch still take place on the main square. In the small harbor, rainbow-colored fishing boats share space with pleasure craft owned by an international set that flocks to Cascais from early spring until autumn.
Wandering through the town centre is very pleasant and you will discover charming houses, picturesque corners dotted with small cosy restaurants, cafes and shops, where you can rest until you feel like going on again.
A 20-minute walk along the coastal road leads to an outstanding sight, Boca do Inferno ("Mouth of Hell"). High waves crash into gigantic caves carved out of the rock by the sea, causing an awe-inspiring noise that may explain the name given to the site, and why Aleister Crowley chose it to fake his own death in 1930.
The best beach nearby is the magnificent sandy beach of Guincho. Backed by dunes and with some of the best rollers in Europe, it is a true paradise for surfers. The water is clean and the Atlantic waves pound onto the sand even on the calmest of days, which is why World Surfing Championships usually take place here.
Back on the coach, we continued on our way to Sintra, the preferred destination in Europe by poets. Along the way, the tour guide pointed out Cabo da Roca, which is not only the westernmost point in Portugal, but in Europe.
Formerly a symbol of hope for those who once sailed away determined to find new worlds, the lighthouse of Roca appears vigilantly in its everlasting mission of keeping the ships away from the tricky cliffs. It towers almost 150 meters above the sea, which is usually very rough and regularly buffeted by gales.
At Cabo da Roca, the land meets the sea in a wild landscape of undergrowth making its way on the cliffs. This feeling was expressed with mastery by the words “where the land ends and the sea begins” of Luís Vaz de Camões, one of the great Portuguese poets, describing this magical place in his masterpiece.
Sintra
As a backgrounder, Sintra, considered not only one of the wonders of Portugal but of Europe, is truly a gem. Once the royal town of the country, it now deservedly holds UNESCO world heritage status and attracts hordes of visitors throughout the year. Its unusual geography, nestled in a stretch of hills surrounded on all sides by plain, estuary or ocean, and its subsequent climate, which is perhaps typical of Northern Europe, create a verdant paradise where ornate palaces lie hidden behind tall trees and walled gardens, history abounds and romantics feel that they have at last found their nirvana.
Hans Christian Anderson found inspiration here, describing Sintra as the “most beautiful place in Portugal” and Lord Byron during his time here christened it his “glorious Eden”.
A tourist region par excellence, Sintra is one of the most delightful places to be found in Portugal. With its extensive range of the Serra de Sintra, so picturesquely situated and offering stupendous views of the coastline with its impressive beauty, Sintra is indeed "a garden of earthly paradise".
In the centre and an obvious landmark with its two enormous white chimneys is the Palacio Nacional de Sintra, which was a functioning palace until the early 1900s. And that was exactly we first headed to where, upon arrival, we had a tour of the palace.
Originally built under Moorish rule for sultans spending summers in the temperate serra, the palace has been remodeled and altered by successive residents. Though predominantly Manueline and Gothic in architecture, the original Arab style still prevails in some parts of the building. Certain rooms stand out because of their uniqueness and splendour.
After the tour, we were given free time to wander around the charming village with very narrow pedestrian streets and stairs set onto the hillsides, grab a bite to eat, and do some retail therapy.
While shopping, this was where I truly experienced the laidback trait of the Portuguese people that Rafael was talking about. Anyway, I saw some shirts that I really wanted to buy for the grandkids. But I couldn’t find the right sizes. So I asked the help of the saleslady who was busy texting on her cellphone. When she finally “found” the time to help me, I urged her to make it quick as I would be late for the coach. But no, she took her sweet time in looking for the right sizes. So – since I didn’t want to be left behind, much as I would love to stay longer in Sintra, I left the store with no purchase and dashed for the coach to make the trip back to Lisbon. But in spite of my failed purchase, I really had a wonderful time in this fairytale land. Sadly, we had to leave and return to reality.
Upon arrival at the hotel, we were given the entire afternoon to wander around Lisbon. Since I was by myself and not wanting to look like a tourist, I didn’t dare take out my camera and snap some photos but just took my sweet time walking around downtown and browsing through their shops.
The weather was sunny with a temperature of 22C which, coming from a cold country, was warm enough for me; and so I was dressed in just my top and leggings without any sweater or jacket. The Portuguese folks were staring at me because they were wearing their warm clothes for autumn with boots to boot! But I totally understand their getup because they are used to 35-degree temps and, therefore, 22 degrees is cold for them. It was actually hilarious seeing the incredulous look on their faces. In fact, I found the weather in Portugal warmer than in Spain. Moreover, I read somewhere that Portugal has the warmest weather in all of Europe. If the weather that day was warm enough for me, I can just imagine their weather in the summer. Yikes!
Anyhow, not finding anything special, I walked back to the hotel and hit the business centre to check on my emails. I then grabbed a bite to eat since our optional dinner with Fado singing (Portugal’s traditional melancholic singing) was not until 7:30pm.
And so, at the appointed time, we boarded our coach, dropped off close to Luso Restaurant since the streets are too narrow for the big bus, and walked thereto. While walking, and camera freak that I am, I was able to get a chance for a snapshot with Lisbon in the background at nighttime.
Below are photos of the “fadistas”, with folk dancing during intermission.
Honestly, I didn’t enjoy both the food and the fado singing. But hey, it was still an experience to remember. We walked back to the coach, returned to the hotel, and called it a night.
To Be Continued.....
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