Portuguese Voyage - Day Trips: Cascais and Évora - Day trips from Lisboa

Just a 30-min train ride away from the Lisboa's Cais do Sodré railway station is the pretty coastal town of Cascais - former fishing village and the birthplace of Belcanto's José Avillez :D

View from the train

Cascais

If the weather is right, you can tan on the beach or take a dip in the inviting waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Quaint alleys

Looking for a place to have a delicious, healthy treat? Head to Cafe Galeria House of Wonders. When I heard of this restaurant that serves raw, organic, vegan food, I HAD to go there. It screams my name! (I am no vegan, but I am into all these raw, organic kind of food).

*Raw food diet: uncooked, unprocessed or foods cooked using very low temperature (<118 degree Celsius) to preserve the natural enzymes in the food, ensuring they are closest to their natural form. The foods used are usually organic.*

The selection of the raw foods of the day- usually changes daily

The person who makes the raw food is an ex-model - awesome right!

Instead of the raw food option, you can opt for the salad buffet instead, which comes with some special bread. :)

View from the roof of the cafe

You can spend some time basking in the sun, after lunch, sipping meia de leite, whilst enjoying the view :)

Desfrute de Cascais!

Évora - the capital of Portugal's south central region of Alentejo whose roots go back to the Roman times. (And more vinho! :D)

Templo Romano de Diana (Temple of Diana) with a traditional Pousada on the right 

Templo Romano de Diana (Temple of Diana)

Another distinct quality of Évora is the whitewashed houses decorated with azulejos and wrought-iron balconies dating back to the 16th-18th century.

Historical city of Évora

View from Jardim Diana (Diana Garden)

View from the Sé de Évora (Cathedral of Évora)

Traditional alleys

Another unique monument in Évora is the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), which I unfortunately, or fortunately, didn't go to. Apparently the interior walls are covered with human skulls and bones. *Eek!*

From Lisboa, you will need to take a bus from the Sete Rios Bus Station to reach Évora. The Sete Rios Bus Station is located on the north side of Lisboa and you must take a metro from the city centre to the bus station. The bus ride to Évora is approximately 2 hours, but it is a pleasant journey. It is your chance to go on the 25 de Abril Bridge and see the Cristo Rei and the famous Aqueduto das Águas Livres up close.

View from the bus

*Note: In Portugal, you will notice there are many products made from sobreiro (cork) sold as souvenirs (a variety of things including shoes). This is because Alentejo is the world's most important area for growing cork. The cork-oak has been grown commercially for the past 300 years!*

That's a wrap! See you in magical Sintra!

Portuguese Voyage - Stop 1: Porto (Day 2) - Being Artsy and a KL-loving Portuguese!

I love art museums. I try to go to at least one in any city. I used to be crazy and made sure I went to ALL art museums in the city I was at - then I used to get sooo stressed out if I was running out of time! Then I thought: "FTS, I can always revisit the city!" (especially if I love the city!)

I went to the Museu Serralves - it is a contemporary art museum located in a very elegant neighbourhood (near Lordelo do Ouro). The area is so different from historical Porto. Seems like the rich people live there...lol. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures, but I found this image online to give you an idea.

The neighbourhood around Serralves (reminded me of some parts in Vancouver)

Before heading to the Museum, I took the metro from Sao Bento station to Casa da Música, Porto's concert hall. You can take a tour of it, but I opted not to. I spent some time there, then took a bus 502 to Museu Serralves.

(You can get a day card to use any transport within the Porto urban area - it is ~5 Euros. There are a few options you can choose from and can be bought at the metro station)

As stated earlier, Serralves is a contemporary art museum - and with contemporary art, it is an acquired taste.. lol. I like it because it makes me imagine what the artist is trying to convey, but sometimes, I just can't figure it out, "What is the artist trying to tell me!" Some of the pieces are just BIZARRE!

When I told my Airbnb host of my plan to go to the Serralves, she said, "Wow, it is very nice. The garden is beautiful!" I did enjoy the garden. It had some funky sculptures, like a huge spade, and beautiful floral surroundings (like roses and more).

I find most Westerners love gardens compared to those from the tropics - well, I guess there is not much of it throughout the year, and when spring/ summer finally arrives, they take full advantage of the sun, gardens, flowers, beach, etc. Well, it's human nature I guess, we appreciate things when they are scarce and take for granted things we have in abundance - sad isn't it.  

After a few hours at the museum, I walked down the elegant neighbourhood towards the Foz do Duoro. It is about a 20-30 minute walk. I love these long walks because I get to fully absorb the surroundings, the city and walk through the little charming rows of shops - quintessentially European! 

It was FREEZING at the Foz near the lighthouse (and the castle nearby). I was looking at the vast Atlantic Ocean but the winds were not welcoming. The winds were gushing! It was sooooo cold I did not take any pictures (I think my fingers were frozen! lol)

After a VERY short while, I decided to head to the row of shops behind to keep me warm!
I went to a quaint little boutique selling clothes and fashion accessories. When I saw the clothes, I decided to buy something to keep me warm! (The first time I bought something impulsively because of the weather!) - a thin silk cashmere body-hugging dress. Although it is a bit thin, it keeps me warm. It can also double up as a top and worn with leggings or a skirt (just like I do to the office sometimes - yes the temperature in my office is like in Alaska!).
The owner of the boutique is an older Portuguese lady who is friendly and helpful. She asked me where I am from. When I replied Malaysia, she said Malacca! lol (They know us Malaysians cause of history!) Then I explained to her that Malacca is in Malaysia, but I am from Kuala Lumpur. 

"Kuala Lumpur!! That's my son's favourite city!!" she exclaimed... SCOREEEE - KL 1 (made me so proud! :D)

She told me her son is a pilot for Tap Portugal and he always tells her his favourite city is KL and she wants to visit... She also showed me a picture of his son and wife - such a good-looking couple!

She recommend to have dinner at Matosinhos - known for the seafood restaurants. She offered to call a cab, but I declined politely and told her I will take the bus. (Tão amigável!)

At Matosinhos, I walked into a random restaurant facing the ocean. I had the fresh grilled salmon. When the fish is fresh, it would taste good regardless of the preparation! 

(I am so sorry, but somehow, I did not take any pictures this time.... sorrrrryyyyyy!!!)

What I learnt:

1) Most people are nice.... (Always see the positive in people than suspecting the negative)

2) The Portuguese know Malaysia (or Malacca) - the boutique owner is not the only one, there were other people I met who ALL knew of my beautiful land!

3) Something to add on about Portugeuse dining: the food is SALTY!! (This was not the only restaurant, in fact, almost everything I ordered was salty! Makes me wonder: do they have high blood pressure? :S)

I know I said I am not a fan of long blogs/ articles... but...... :SSSSSS  Anyways... see ya later!!