Sunday, 22 March – Lisbon - Sintra - Cascais

 We slept in, so were a little late joining Joan & Bob for breakfast, before we made our leisurely way to the train station. A kind attendant helped us buy the correct tickets and get to the necessary platform for the train to Sintra. When we got off the train, we were approached by a woman named Flower, offering touring services. After some conversation and debate, we decided to do the local area with her. We drove up the mountain to where we had a great view of the castle, and she told us its story. We opted not to tour the castle, but just enjoy the view and its history. Then Larry and Bob sat while Joan and I went with Flower up a path to see the Moorish fortification on another mountain. The history of this place is so long and so interesting and the surroundings are so very beautiful. We were very happy to enjoy all the green leaves and spring blossoms after the miserable winter at home. It’s a great place to visit. We had lunch on the outdoor patio of a local restaurant. By that time, we had become very attached to Flower, so we reached an agreement that she would show us the coastal area from Sintra to Cascais (pron. Cash-Kai), her hometown. What a wonderful day we had!!

The ocean coast is lovely and rugged. We visited the most easterly point of Europe, several lighthouses, the Devil’s Mouth rock formation. Flower told us about it all, along with her personal connections with it. We soaked it all up, along with lots of exercise, fresh air and sunshine. At one place there was a memorial stone for the Paul Harris Rotary award.
I was reminded that my dad was a Raul Harris fellow, and had a moment to honour him. Finally, Flower dropped us at the beach area of Cascais, 





where people were sunning and even swimming. She said it was the first she’s seen this year. We sat and had drinks and watched the beach scene, then walked back to the train station. The train dropped us in a different part of Lisbon, and we wondered how to find the subway. As we looked for clues, we spotted an empty taxi – problem solved! Another nice dinner at the hotel and off to bed.

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