For the past two weeks we have really been enjoying our last stop in Portugal, the seaside town of Cascais. It is a suburb about 40 minutes west of Lisbon by train.
The name of the town is pronounced "kash-KIISSH" (with a long I, like in the word "light"). In the middle ages it was a sleepy fishing town, then in the 1600's became a defensive port. Several forts were constructed along the peninsula to protect the entrance to the Tagus (Tejo) River where Lisbon is located.
Cascais became more of a resort town in the late 1800's because the King and his family liked to vacation there. The wealthy aristocrats of Lisbon built luxurious holiday homes here, like the Palácio dos Condes de Castro Guimarães (which is now a museum). Nowadays, the upscale town is popular with American and British expats; you hear a lot of English spoken (with various accents from both sides of the Atlantic).
Our Airbnb apartment is within a ten minute walk of downtown and the boardwalk area. We got here just before New Year's Eve and the old town was still decorated for the Christmas holiday. We loved strolling the narrow pedestrian-only streets. For a small town, Cascais has a lot of restaurants to choose from.
The weather has been great for walking and exploring all the cafes along the boardwalk. The boardwalk promenade stretches from Cascais to the next town of Estoril about 3 kilometers away.
At this time of year it is still too cold to get in the water, although we do see surfers out there wearing full wetsuits. But on New Year's Day, everyone was at the beach and quite a few people were swimming just in regular bathing suits! Apparently it is a local tradition to take a swim in the ocean and get together with family and friends on the beach. Brrr!
Cascais has a beautiful park right in the heart of town called the Parque Marechal Carmona. We went there several times and enjoyed strolling the shady pathways and gardens, or sitting on one of the benches and people-watching. Sitting on a bench and people-watching is apparently a popular pastime for the local wild chickens, too.
Chickens are a common sight in the park; all of the utility boxes sport playful poultry-inspired artwork.
One of the best spots in town to grab a meal was the marina -- there were several great restaurants to choose from serving everything from burgers to seafood to traditional Portuguese food. Especially since it was low tourist season, we were always able to find a table with a great view of the water.
If we timed it just right, at dinner we could watch the sun set behind the marina with a silhouette of the pretty blue-and-white Santa Marta lighthouse.
Just a fifteen minute walk up the coast from the marina is a rock formation called the Boca do Inferno which ominously translates to "mouth of hell". It was once a sea cave, but part of the roof collapsed leaving only the arch and a small inlet surrounded by high cliffs. Waves crash in through the mouth and churn around inside -- very dramatic to watch!
You can view the Boca do Inferno rock formation from both sides but can't walk out on top of the arch because the rocks are so unstable. At the base of the cliffs you can see where large chunks of rock have broken off and tumbled into the sea. We thought this stretch of the Portuguese coast was incredibly scenic.
Unfortunately, our time in this beautiful country has come to an end. We do hope to come back someday to see it under better conditions (maybe in spring or fall instead of winter, and hopefully the pandemic will have ended!) We have loved the friendliness of the people here, the beauty of the scenery, and the affordability of the wines -- we would come back in a heartbeat! Adeus, Portugal! Até já!
