In Transit

The air of expectancy of visiting a new place yet untrodden,

People coasting along in jackets,trenchcoats and sweaters chasing planes in 

numerous gates.

The smell of freshly baked croissants wafts in the air

The babble of multiple languages in all 4 corners of the expansive halls

This is the Transition of our Times.

People, places, nourishment, chatter, laughter and the distant roar of the engines

All mix in one heady cacophany of excitement, anticipation and curiosity

Time and Flights wait for no one

We have so little yet experience so much in Transition.  

Cabo da Roca Westernmost point in Europe

                           38.7804° N, 9.4989° W

These are the coordinates of the Lighthouse above for the Cabo da Roca. The Westernmost point of Western Europe facing the Atlantic Ocean.

As a place to visit, it offers grandiose views and steep sheer rocks into the stormy Atlantic Ocean below. It is cold, windy and basically apart from the scenic view, a pretty harsh environment for anyone to live let alone operate a business nearby. We were making our day trip as scenic and memorable as we could, so first stop out of Cascais was the Praia do Guicho surfer's beach. 

As the second stop, we went to the Westernmost part of Western Europe to see and experience for ourselves what it was like standing on the rocky cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. In one word, humbling. 

This cenotaph depicts the location as being the Westernmost part of Western Europe.Many tourists from all over the world know of this scenic spot, and we made our way their thanks to a good Portuguese friend and the utilities of Uber.  I am really glad we came as this trip was the first in a long while with our younger son.   

There were hordes of tourists at this spot, and while there were plenty of signs not to walk down the cliffs as there was the danger of tripping and falling, many people took no heed to the signs and walked right to the far end of the most distant cliff.

Darwin's theory of evolution sure was in fine exhibition that day ! 

Adopting a silly pose in front of a beautiful scene. 

As you can see behing me is the "No Go" zone but there are plenty of tourists attempting to go to the farthest and lowest parts of the rocky cliffs taking risks of falling or slipping into oblivion just for the sake of taking that most unique of selfies and risking their lives.

As I age, I get more and more Kiasi and Kiasu ! A trait only Singaporeans will identify ! 

Well at least I live to come back and write this blog post. 

Another wacky smile in front of the distant lighthouse. 

Praia do Guincho Beach ; Surfers Paradise Portugal Dec 10th 2019

The massive roar of the waves can make anyone humble before Nature. 

Part of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, Guincho Beach is endowed with a surrounding landscape of great beauty in which the white sand dunes contrast with the deep tones of the Serra de Sintra hills, looming in the background.

Given both its strong winds and waves, the Beach attracts a great following among bodyboarders and surfers. Throughout summer, there is generally a good northerly wind ensuring Guincho is excellent for windsurfing.

Nearby, there are some excellent restaurants specialising in fish and shellfish dishes.

The Praia do Guincho in the Sintra National Park is a must visit ; this beach is world famous for its breaks and windsurfers,body boarders and surfers from Europe and the US make a beeline every spring till Autumn to ride its breaks.

If I ever had a chance to relive my life, I would try to extreme ski, surf, parachute and even bodysuit down the highest peaks. I would easily qualify as an adrenaline junkie ! Maybe not live past 30 years of age !!! 

This Fort converted to a 5 * hotel with a Michelin * restaurant to boot sits right above the crashing waves of Praia do Guincho. I was taken aback that the waves actually splashed right below the window seats ; Hence the food and the ambience were frankly a "one of a kind experience."

 "World Class" 

Cascais Dec 9th Evening Sunset and Night View of Town

As small coastal towns go, Cascais is a pretty town especially at night. In 2018 we travelled to Nice, Antibes, Cannes and Monaco and spent really an enjoyable time in the towns there. France has the Cote Azur - the playground for the rich and believe me, they are very glamorous and touristy. 

Canne in particular is one town I don't  like, its vibe is too flashy and in your face rich.

Too ostentatious and obnoxious for me. 

Portugal's coastal towns are somewhat more down to earth and they have more local tourists. The dining is far more Portuguese than the French coastal towns where there are many international chains of hotels. The natural wonders such as the steep cliffs facing the Atlantic Ocean as well as the raw Boca de Inferno plus Baco de Roca, Praio de Guincho and the sights further up north only refinforce Portugal's potential to be one of the top tourist destinations in the world in the coming decades.

The town of Cascais is easily seen by foot and while there are suburbs in the north, the coast town itself is pretty and during winter, it is deserted, which suits us just fine.We loved the seafood, the egg tarts (Portuguese egg tarts are world famous), the people seem more friendly than the Spaniards and dining is relatively cheaper than in Spain. 

It is my dream one day to cycle the coast with my friend and see the length up and down of Portugal.Now that would be a Massive Tick off my Bucket List.

Carpe Diem. 

Cascais 9th - 13th Dec 2019 Boca de Inferno

Hell's Mouth, or Boca de Inferno which was just 10 minutes walk from our Eurostars Hotel.

Cascais is a coastal town and a municipality in Portugal, 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Lisbon. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 206,479, in an area of 97.40 km². The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal’s royal family in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Nowadays, it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists. It is located in the Estoril Coast (named after Estoril, a town in the municipality), in the Greater Lisbon subregion. It has an airport for general aviation serving the Lisbon Region in Tires (S. Domingos de Rana), Aeroporto Municipal de Cascais.

Cascais is situated on the western edge of the Tagus estuary, between the Sintra mountains and the Atlantic Ocean; the territory occupied by the municipality is limited in the north by the municipality of Sintra, south and west by the ocean, and east by the municipality of Oeiras.

The municipality also hosts international tennis and motorcycling events and for many years hosted the FIA F1 Portugal Grand Prix. The famous Estoril Casino is one of the largest in Europe. Near the casino is the “Hotel Palacio” (Palace Hotel), a 5-star hotel where scenes of the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service were shot.

The views were beautiful ; as was the sunset

Today, there is a large yacht harbour and several small sand beaches in and around town. Cascais is easily reached from Lisbon by car, (A5 Lisboa-Cascais highway, or the scenic “marginal” road), or by frequent inexpensive commuter trains. It has the ruins of a castle, an art and sea museum, as well as parks and the charming cobbled streets of the historic centre. The town has many hotels and tourist apartments as well as many good restaurants of varying cost. It is a fine base to use for those visiting Lisbon and its environs who prefer to stay outside of the city yet in an equally urban and sophisticated environment.

Postcard Picture Perfect

Cascais is surrounded by popular beaches, such as Guincho Beach to the west, and the lush Sintra mountains to the north. Some of its shoreline is cliff-y, attracting tourists for its seascapes and other natural sights such as the Boca do Inferno. It is also becoming a popular golf destination, with over 10 golf courses nearby. Surfing, sailing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing are also popular in the region around Cascais due to favourable weather, wind, and sea conditions. In 2007, Cascais was the official host of the ISAF World Championship in sailing for dinghies and racing yachts.

Amazing backdrop of Sun Sea, Surf and Steep Cliffs 

Our accomodation for 3 nights was the Eurostars Hotel and it was frankly the 2nd best of our 13 night stay in Southern Europe. The best being the Suites at Saville which I will highlight in another blog post later on.

Happy 

Ericeira - a Beautiful Fishing Village Dec 10th 2019

Austere White Walled Cottages, Hotels and Houses 

10th Dec 2019, we were fortunate enough to have a beautiful sunny winter's day with temperatures in the high 'teens and cool enough to walk the beach and the small village called Ericeira.

After a lovely lunch at the Mar a Vista, we ambled our way to the beach and there was a springkling or elderly retired folk just enjoying the afternoon sun. Compared to the other fishing village called Antibes (to the west of Nice along Cote Azur) the Ericeira village is less touristy and it faces the huge Atlantic Ocean while Antibes faces the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa not too far away. 

Taking a short walk along the promenade, I am struck by the simplicity of life in the fishing village and where everybody more or less knows each other, as well as their families and professions. So coming as a foreigner to this part of the world, I am indeed privileged and grateful to have this opportunity to travel, visit far flung places and expand my mindset and readjust my attitude. 

Portugal is blessed to have balmy winters and many pensioners from the UK and Europeans further north have bought property in the country. Asians, most notably the Chinese have also invested in the property sector of Portugal in the last decade.

The beach after the fishing boats have come back to shore 

On the way back to Cascais where we were staying (another beautiful part of South West Portugal), we got the Grab and the driver whom we made acquaintences with is from Brazil. 

Raul told us that there are many Brazilians who have come and made Portugal their 2nd home and also ventured into various businesses. 

Location of Ericeira from Lisbon the capital 

Portugal is one of the gems of Europe, relatively (yet) unspoilt by the mass tourism from the Asian hordes armed with their cameras selfie sticks invading into everybody's faces. There will be one day when the country is beset by these tourists,  and we try very hard to adapt even temporarily to the local culture so that we will be welcomed again to this fine country. 

Mar a Vista Ericeira Portugal Dec 10th 2019 - Fabulously Fresh Seafood

Mar a Vista seafood restaurant; approximately 1 hours drive from Lisbon

About an hours drive from Lisbon or 45 minutes by Uber from Cascais is this quaint fishing village called Ericeira. It has the pure white walled cottages and small houses so reminiscent of Santorini but not as crowded or congested. We took the scenic route on 10th December from Cascais and first did the Praio de Guincho, which is a wonderful empty (its winter) beach with beautiful surf and roaring waves. A dream place for the surfers during summer.

So, after visiting the Praio de Guincho and the Boca do Roca, the most Western point of Western Europe, we gleefully headed for Ericiera for lunch to try out what the Portuguese themselves call one of the Best Seafood Restaurants in Portugal (no kidding !). 

A 'wefie' before tucking in 

The Mar a Vista is a small restaurant in the centre of this fishing town. You need to book it in advance and it being winter, I guess we were lucky that there was a table reserved for us even though the hotel helped us book it that very day. I have to give the shout out to my good friend Filipe Cunha who is Portuguese and recommended us to try the once in a lifetime seafood which is really out of this world. 

This restaurant does not serve any fish only shellfish (Note !) 

We made the reservations for the 10th Dec (Tuesday). Oh what a treat it was !   

Seafood Pot 

First off we had the seafood pot which was heavenly. There were plenty of shrimp, clams, and remnants of lobster thrown into the stew with rice and garnished with some herbs. Only 1 word for it ; superb.  

Grilled Prawns with a Hint of Lemon 

The grilled prawns - mind you they were at least 6 inches long and 2 inches thick. It was the "best prawn we had tasted " and we have eaten plenty of prawns in our lifetime ! The doneness of the grill was just nice, the flavour was so fresh and sweet full of the genuine prawn taste. The texture was a little chewy but because of the size of the prawns, it was made up by the simple fresh sweet flavour of a freshly caught prawn (probably that morning itself). My rating : Best Prawns we have Eaten 

Boiled Clams 

The clam dish was always going to be an anti-climax. But my son gleefully ate up most of his and our portions. I took this picture but having eaten quite a lot of seafood in Portugal I must say this dish did not stand out as being exceptional. However in the overall quality of the food, this will rate in the 'above average category'. 

My ratings for Mar a Vista (Ericiera) :

Food : 5.0 out of 5.0 (first time I have ever given a perfect score)

Really the best and freshest seafood so tasty and simple that there could be no better way to serve fresh caught seafood. 

Ambience : 3.8 out of 5.0 

it has a very homey feel to it, and all the patrons are local, so I guess the need for a top notch interior does not figure  highly into their plans

Service :  3.8 out of 5.0 

Nothing exceptional, and the Maitre' D or the guy who was recommending us the dishes to eat had a very laid back and rather sanguine attitude to serving us. Which is a bit of a shame. 

Price : for the 3 of us food and 1 Sauvignon Blanc the bill came to a rather steep EUR 120.

No rating given for this. 

Overall Score :  4.2 out of 5   Excellent food

To go if ever again I am in Portugal : YES 

MAR A VISTA 

Rue de Santo Antonio

16,2655-360 Ericeira

Portugal

Tel : 261 862 928