Before leaving for Lisbon, I had planned to rent a car, which luckily I didn’t do in advance because once I arrived, I realized that public transport is well-served and quite affordable. This morning I wake up early, as it will be a long day. The plan is to go to Sintra to see the Moorish Castle (Castelo de Mouros) and the Palacio e Parque da Pena, then take bus 403 which follows the Atlantic coast passing by Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point of the European continent, finally ending the journey in Cascais.

From here I will take the train to Algés, where I will get off and meet Sergio at the shipyard, who at 4:00 PM will launch his Class 40 “Calaluna” and bring it back to the marina, a unique opportunity to see Lisbon and its surroundings from the Tagus River. I will make a nice “round trip” using various means of transport.

The train to Sintra departs from Rossio station, just a stone’s throw from the apartment. It takes about 40 minutes. I take the 7:41 train, but once I arrive, I realize that the entire tourist “machine” of Sintra is still at a standstill.
The first bus to the two main attractions leaves at 9:15 from the station, so there’s time to walk to the historic center of Sintra for a coffee and to see the National Palace from the outside.

We’re off, the route that bus 434 takes to climb Mount Luna is winding, and the driver must have good experience for the very narrow passages, but especially for the natural obstacles on the road, like bent plants or rocks that force you to stay in the middle of the lane. I stop at the first attraction we encounter, the Moorish castle, but I later realize that the ideal would have been to go up to the palace, visit it, and then walk down to the castle. Both open at 10, so there’s a bit of waiting involved.

The castle is truly beautiful, from its walls you can see 360 degrees, all the way to the Atlantic coast.
In about 45 minutes, I saw all the walls, the cistern, and visited the archaeological part, which honestly wasn’t anything special. It was a quick visit, as time is running out.

I leave the castle and walk towards the palace. The entrance ticket also includes access to the 200-hectare park, where there are tree-lined walks leading to panoramic spots and hidden lakes. Unfortunately, I can’t see them due to lack of time.

The palace is truly enchanting, with an Arabian air, terraces with breathtaking views, and many tiles and bright colors. Inside, the state rooms have been preserved as they were in 1910, when the Portuguese royal court had to flee the revolution. It has a somewhat fairytale-like quality.

It’s now half past noon, and I need to catch the bus back to Sintra station. Here I have a quick lunch and then take bus 403 which, passing by Cabo de Roca, will end its journey in Cascais. I quickly check the schedule, but unfortunately, time is tight, and I can’t stop at Cabo de Roca to take photos, I have to go straight to Cascais to catch the train.

At 3:53 PM, I arrive at Algés train station, I still have a 15-minute walk to reach the shipyard. I meet Sergio, they are applying the antifouling on the last spots where it was resting, and then off we go, Calaluna goes into the water.

We motor along the Tagus and head towards the Lisbon marina. The tide is rising, so we have the current in our favor. In Lisbon, the tidal range reaches about 3.5 meters, so the currents can be significant. We arrive at the marina, and the bridge is still closed, we have to wait for it to open to enter. Once docked, we have a coffee and then say goodbye, with my intention to return and do a week-long course on this boat.

I haven’t yet seen the stretch of shore from the marina to the center of Lisbon, so I walk there, heading to Cais de Sodré station where I’ll take the subway home.
And today, I’ve walked my 18 km.

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Last update: Feb 25, 2018 @ 12:50

L'articolo Sintra proviene da Yamana - Sailing Life.

I’ve been in Lisbon for a couple of days, and one thing I understood right away: if you want to move around easily and perhaps visit some important attractions, you need to start your day early in the morning. Around 11:00 AM, hordes of tourists start arriving, creating long queues at monument ticket offices, and you can be sure that despite your efforts to avoid them, some Japanese tourist will end up in your photos.

I leave home at 8:15 AM and head to Cais de Sodré station, where I’ll catch the train to Cascais. The city is slowly waking up, there’s little traffic around.

In Cascais, there are several attractions and museums, apparently with free admission. Note that most are closed on Mondays and holidays. I’ll skip them as I want to walk and enjoy the outdoors.

Leaving Cascais station, I walk through the town center until I reach the main beach in front of the town hall, Praia da Ribeira. It was once Queen Dona Amelia’s private beach.

For those interested, you can take the free BICAS bikes and ride to Guincho beach, one of Portugal’s most spectacular beaches. Thanks to its magnificent waves, it’s also very popular among surfers. You can reach it by cycling about 8 km along the beautiful bike path next to the Atlantic coastal road.

I don’t take a bike, but I follow the path next to the imposing Cascais fortress (Fortaleza da Cidadela) until I reach the marina. From there, I continue to the Santa Marta lighthouse, then take the Atlantic coastal road that leads me to Boca do Inferno, a collapsed cave where the huge Atlantic Ocean waves have eroded the rock.

It’s noon, after seeing the cave I walk towards the town center and end up eating at MyAtlanticRestaurant, above Praia da Rainha.

A Brazilian street musician entertains during lunch, singing songs in English, Italian, French, and Russian… impressive repertoire and great entertainer!

After lunch, I move to the beach next door, Praia da Conceição, where I treat myself to a couple of hours of relaxation in the sun. The temperature is around 20°C and people are swimming, not bad for February 20th.

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Last update: Feb 22, 2018 @ 11:21

L'articolo Cascais proviene da Yamana - Sailing Life.