I wasn’t too thrilled to hear that we were moving on again, especially when I heard we were going to visit Lisbon, but it turned out to be not so bad. The trip alone was wonderful; long, unpopulated stretches of surprisingly lush countryside, eucalyptus forests (gosh, but they really smell fantastic after the rain!), miles of sand dunes, regular glimpses of the sea ….  The highlight for me was the ferry trip across the Sado estuary from Troia to Setúbal. Her Ladyship was less than enthusiastic about boarding yet another boat (the second this year!), but with the bay as smooth as glass, even she couldn’t complain. The Heroine of the High Seas rides again – and lives to tell the tale!

The best news was that we’re not staying in Lisbon itself, but out in Estoril on the coast. And we have sea views from the apartment! Even the Oldies themselves concede that big cities can be rather exhausting (well, at their age…), so this is a great idea. It is a short commute into town on the train, only about 30 minutes, and whenever they’ve had enough of the ‘big smoke’ they can retreat back to the seaside. Sounds good to me too!

     

I suppose that Estoril and nearby Cascais were once small fishing villages, but nowadays they have grown together and are practically suburbs of Lisbon. They still maintain a small town flavour however and are well worth exploring. I loved the citadel in Cascais. And here is yet another lighthouse to add to our collection!

On one of our strolls along the seafront I again notice, as I had already in the Algarve and Alentejo, how much the Portuguese are into health and fitness. It seems that every second person is doing something energetic – nordic walking, jogging, running, cycling, not to mention the brave souls swimming and surfing.

What is particularly striking is that it’s not only the young who are active. I have spotted many a 70 and even 80-something using the exercise apparatus that is so often available in public places and where there is none, they do their stretching exercises on benches or at the railings along the seafront. The Oldies should take note, especially Her creaky-kneed Ladyship!

I must say that my owners have become very adept at sniffing out good value restaurants, even in popular tourist areas. They make a point of searching out places where the locals go – often only a few streets away from where busloads of tourists are thronging about – and usually come up trumps. Lunch in one ‘Pastelaria’ (pastry shop) for example, which consisted of a chicken quiche, a chocolate cake, a small beer, a mineral water and two espressos, set them back only €6.05. Now they just need to join in with the locals on the exercise equipment to work off all those calories!

We have been spending some of our time here exploring the coast further to the west and have again found some beautiful beaches and cliffs. A must-see of course is Cabo da Roca, the most western point on continental Europe. What a beautiful spot!

What is it with this selfie mania? I couldn’t believe some tourists who risked life and limb on the cliff edge for the sake of taking a photo they most likely will never even look at again. Her Ladyship couldn’t bear to watch. Even His Lordship was unnerved and, to ensure that I came to no harm on the wild and windy cliff top, he took me under his wing. Sweet!