Postcards from the Beyers

 Our last stop in Portugal was Lisbon. We only had two nights here. Short and sweet! We had a wonderful time exploring all of the neighborhoods, eating delicious food, and riding the cutest little yellow trolleys. Carl eating a barnacle - he and the kids thought they were delicious!  Lisbon was a place we felt we could have spent much more time - hopefully another stop over on our way back and forth from USA to UAE. It was a very relaxing city, but still had plenty going on. We'd love to be back!  Next stop - ABU DHABI! 

 After we enjoyed a few days of quiet countryside, we headed northeast towards the coast. The drive was easy and beautiful. We drove through Lisbon, and headed about 30km west to the beach town of Cascais. We were wowed by our accommodations - The Intercontinental did not disappoint! Our first day here we spent walking along the promenade, looking at the sailboats in the harbor and enjoying people watching on the beach from our balcony.  The next morning we had a guided tour of Sintra. We met our guide at a coffee shop and he took us on a wonderful full day driving tour all around Sintra and the coast. We enjoyed getting to explore but letting someone else take over the itinerary for once - very relaxing and fun!  For our last full day in Cascais we decided to check out some tide pools and do a short, steep hike to Cabo da Roca - Europe's Westernmost Point. The coastline reminded us so much of California! 

We made it to Portugal!  Our flight was uneventful, and we mostly slept. We landed in Lisbon around 530am.  We arrived a little disoriented from the red-eye, but excited to finally start our journey.  Our first stop was a rental house in Monsaraz. It’s in the Alentejo region - lots of wineries, cows/pigs/sheep, and beautiful pottery. Our house is built into the walls of the historic castle walls - really unique and gorgeous views from the terrace.  We spent a few days exploring, taking it slow, and eating delicious food. After about half a day the kids were running through the castle streets like they owned the place. Everyone has been very friendly, especially to the kids - showing them how wool is made into woven rugs, and always giving a warm smile.