Lisbon is just a 40 minute train ride from Cascais, and it’s a pretty ride along the banks of the Tagus River. After a first stop at the new food hall for a breakfast of coffee and the best egg custard tarts we’ve ever had, it was off to wander the hilly (every town in Portugal is uphill in all directions, I swear) Lisbon streets.
We turned a corner and ran into new cruising friends Anna and Clyde from Viking Goddess. We had known they would be in Lisbon as well, but what were the odds of running into them? They had signed up for a city tour in the afternoon, so we decided to wander the city together that morning and then join the same tour.
Lisbon is the capital of Portgual and is a huge city, but once again felt very walkable. There were cafes everywhere you turned to satisfy the local craving for a coffee and a cigarette (a habit we’ve both been able to avoid). We didn’t have much of a plan, just wandered the streets enjoying the views. We eventually turned back toward the river, and started looking for a restaurant for lunch.
The tour was rather remarkable. Our tour guide was very passionate, and rather than just walk us past buildings and recite facts, would sit us down and re-enact parts of history like the famous earthquake of 1755 or the Carnation Revolution of 1974. He did not shy away from difficult subjects like life under a dictator (women did not get the right to vote till 1974!) or the fact that there are no antique buildings in Lisbon (as you would expect in other tours of Europe), because everything was reduced to rubble during the earthquake. The tour was a bit exhausting, but really made me want to learn more about Portugal.
We needed another drink after the tour, so found a little cafe around the bend, and rehydrated again. Then it was back to Cascais.
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