Mario James, Gleaner Writer
This is the actual resting place of explorer/sailor Vasco de Gama, the first European to sail around the Cape of Good Hope to India. - photos by Mario James
Cascais: Portugal's crown jewel in the 'old country' (Europe). A place once home to the exiled Italian King Umberto II, it has a quiet, brooding aura; landscape that has a patina unscathed by 'modernisation'. The old ways are still alive here. No HBO, Cinemax or Pay Per View, just unhurried fisherfolk going about their business. Soothing. Very soothing.
Having to test drive as much of Nissan's stable of cars as possible between the 18th and 22nd of May, meant more of the land could be seen. For three days we installed ourselves in delectable transports and soaked up great expanses of brooding Portuguese weather and coastline. The beaches along Cascais are beautiful, with a mustard-coloured inner sand belt battling a very rocky waterfront. The sand wins in places, and there the tourists spill over into the sea.
The Capital
Lisbon holds gothic architecture in its spotlight. Roof-tile red is the predominant colour when viewed from above. The city itself has been around since ancient times, and it shows with streets and inner sanctums that are barely wide enough for a horse and buggy to traverse. But modern traffic fill them, and in spite of the intense maze of roads that run like tributaries from main coastal roads, there are no stoplights. Instead, a network of roundabouts and keep-lefts punctuate each intersection. A single mantra guides the traffic: 'Give way to those already on the roundabout', this is the predominant sign at every intersection. It seems to work, too. Being a tourist, and having very little time to acclimatise, it was inevitable that I would get caught learning the system. Despite causing at least two logjams, there was not a single horn, not an impatient word. In three days of driving, not once did I see an act of road rage. They simply waited until I saw my error and corrected myself, and I was allowed to proceed. How ... human!
Day's end sees us retiring after a 'long day's toil' to a magical little alcove called the Grande Real Villa Italia, which is the made over abode of the deposed Italian king. While Umberto's sexual orientation was questionable, his tastes in the finer things were beyond reproach. The Portuguese are big on seafood, but they have a passion for preparing and presenting food that is second to none and makes one feel lucky to be able to partake.
The Europeans serve wine with everything, and 'Cascaisians' are no exception. But I find the dinner vino an acquired taste. It sneaks up on you, and improves your social skills tenfold! The Port, or dessert wine, is another matter. It's perfectly balanced tangy sweetness is addictive and packs quite a wallop!
Perfect alignment
But the main act was yet to unfold. The resort's sun deck lies in perfect alignment with the path of the sun, and has a spectacular panoramic view of the ocean. The transition between light and dark is very sudden, and this time of year the sun caresses Cascais until a little after nine. So at a little before, the 'solar promenade' is filled with lovers full of port, biding their time until the sun becomes tangential with the horizon. On that cue, lips lock, bodies melt, and the tourists seem to offer themselves up to appease the coming night. You can almost hear a sizzle as the bright orange-yellow ball loses its battle with the Atlantic, brilliantly bleeding on a sky that will wring itself of colour momentarily, surrendering to the twinkle of a thousand pin pricks of light in the drape of night that falls, like a curtain closer, on the closing act of an unforgettable day.
Sights like that are humbling. God is in the details. After a lullaby like that, sleep comes easily.
Torre de Belem - Tower of Belem - a monument to Portugal's great military and naval history. Constructed in the 15th century, it overlooks the spot where caravels (type of sailing ship popular in Portugal and Spain) once set out across the sea.
The Tchu-Tchu train - yes, that's what it's called - for tourists' sight seeing around Lisbon.
Portuguese are big on boats. Exploring and adventure seem to be genetically ingrained. Marinas like this one, dot the coast every few miles.
The awe-inspiring Hieronymites Monastery, located in the Belem district of Lisbon. Done in the Manueline architectural style, (probably named for the king reigning at the time of construction, King Manuel I) it houses the final resting place of Vasco de Gama.
Lisbon, Portugal - The City on the Sea. In the background is the bridge that was renamed in honour of an almost bloodless coup initiated by far left conspirators. The population convinced the Portugese army not to resist, and the soldiers swapped bullets for carnations. The coup was successful, the takeover called the Carnation Revolution, and the bridge was renamed from the Salazer Bridge to the 25 de Abril Bridge, the day the revolution started in 1974.
Inspirational beach. It is easy to understand why most of the Portuguese population are sailors. This stretch of paradise is located on the outskirts of Cascais.
