January 21-28, 2015

We returned to Lisbon by train and made some last minute changes to our itinerary. With our date changes we were only able to stay with Luis for a couple of days since he was booked up otherwise. Fortunately we found an apartment for several days. The apartment was great and we were able to visit more of the surrounding area of Lisbon.

One of our day trips was to a nearby town called Belem. It's about a 15 minute bus ride from Lisbon. Belem is a very popular tourist spot. Apparently people flock here for the famous Portuguese cake called Pastel de Nata. It's a custard tart sprinkled with cinnamon. There was a massive lineup at the famed Casa Pateis de Belem Bakery. They have been making these pastries for over 150 years. They say no trip to Belem is complete without a visit there, but the line never died down and sadly, we just weren't the patient types that day.

Our first stop was the Jeronimos Monastery. This is a 16th century monastery famous for its elaborate interior. It is said that Vasco da Gama came here before his voyage to India. Wives of sailors would then come here to pray for their husbands' safe return. Tours of the interior occur periodically for a hefty fee. We only visited the exterior.

Our next stop was the Berardo Museum. It is one of the finest free museums in Europe specializing in contemporary art. Free is good and Maeve especially enjoyed many of the pieces.

The plaza near the monastery and the museum is said to be the largest plaza in Europe filled with decorative gardens and water features. It is a great place to relax and enjoy a pastry if you stood in line for one.

Across from the plaza is the Discoveries Monument. This is a modern monument built to celebrate the Portuguese Age of Discovery. For a small fee you can take an elevator to the observation deck and enjoy a great view of Lisbon.

Happy family on the observation deck of the Discoveries Monument

We were lucky enough to have yet another contact in Portugal. We took a short train ride to a beautiful town called Sintra where we met a former Portuguese Ambassador. Jose and his wife, Henny, kindly gave us a tour of their lovely hometown.

Sintra is a resort town in the foothills of Portugal's Sintra Mountains. It is another popular day trip from Lisbon. Trains leave Lisbon every half hour and it's only about a half hour train ride there.

The weather in January wasn't great the day we scheduled to meet. It was cloudy with a constant threat of rain, but the little rain that fell early on didn't stop us from visiting the city. Parking is scarce in Sintra, so we walked a while to meet his wife where she was parked. We enjoyed the views of the 19th century architecture and the varying artists' statues which lined the streets along the way.

Unfortunately the clouds were so low we couldn't visit the Castle of the Moors. We could barely see it at the top of the hill. We drove up anyway, but ultimately decided not to go in since visibility was so low.

One of our favorite statues as we walked throughout Sintra

We enjoyed waking throughout Sintra. It has pretty cobbled streets and traditional buildings filled with shops, cafes and restaurants. We stopped in one cafe and enjoyed some coffee and hot chocolate.

After our visit in town, we drove about 20 minutes to the westernmost point of mainland Europe, Cabo da Roca. We have been to the easternmost point of North America, so we were keen on seeing the other side. We are no strangers to wind in Newfoundland and this spot was no exception. We had a short visit. Maeve took some lovely pictures and we were on our way.

After Cabo da Roca, we went to Cascai for lunch. We are always happy to have locals show us the best places to eat. Lovely company and food. We were not disappointed.

Liam with some extra energy after lunch posing with his leftovers

On our last full day, we rode one of the oldest street cars. Liam wasn't too thrilled with the experience. I watched a local guy hitch a ride on the outside of the car. He would jump off at each stop to pretend he was waiting for the next car, then jump back on when we took off again.

Our last connection at a liquor store in Lisbon. Luisa's family own the incredible Napoleao Wine and Gourmet Shops. It was a pleasure to meet her and her family. Portugal was one of our favorite countries visited. We will definitely be back.