Back home

Tuesday April 23

Time went so fast. Every day so full of exciting/nice things. Packing to go home is easy and we had time to have our breakfast in the hotel. OAT brought us and another couple (same flight) to the airport. Everything went well and our flight left Lisbon punktuell short after 10 am. Unfortunately I didn’t have a window seat (we both had aisle seats) so this is the best I saw.

Oh my, no other airline food photos except this. OMG, this was so good. Cacao Truffles! I wonder whether they are available here somewhere?

Yup, across the aisle.

We arrived punktuell too. We got our steps in ... from the plane ... through the passport area ... getting the suitcases ... finding where to drop them off ... to another terminal. But everything worked well with the flight leaving Newark. And I had a nice view of the Big City!

An hour and a bit later this greeted us at our final airport. 

And now this trip is "history" too. Or should I say "part of our memory"? What can I say? I think I said it in every blog how much we enjoyed it. Small ships, small groups is the way for us to go. OAT has a unique way for us to be "travelers" and not "tourists". And the trip leaders make you feel like family. Ours, Joana, was so sweet, funny and incredible knowledgeable about what she was visiting, history and all.

And now we try to settle down again. Unpacking the suitcases. Doing the washing. Luckily James does the folding (even mine) and putting away of the clothing. All the other things on the diningroom table took a little longer to find their places again. Yes, stocking up the fridge etc etc.

April 25 - James was washing off the yellow pollen of some patio covers and guess who he found.

Not the first time that Freddie liked to hide in one of the covers. Few days later he was back in the cushion box.

You get the window washers when you can. They are firemen, they have to coordinate their time off, and when they call with a timing suggestion you say yes. They do a good job, including that foyer lamp.

Still "living" our last travel experience. A girl has to have her fun. Do you remember THIS BLOG in Barcelona when one of our tapas was a 'cheese flower'? 

You need a tool called 'Girolle' to do it. It took only two days to get it from amazon. To get the cheese 'Tête de Moine' (a goat cheese, actually Swiss) is more difficult. It is quite expensive. I googled for a substitute suggestion. We went to our upscale supermarket Wegman's and came home with half a p'tit basque which works very well and the taste is how I remember it. 

I playd a bit with the presentation. 

And of course I have to report on our garden. These photos speak for themselves.

We can continue with short sleeves and sandals, at least most of the time. James' condition has greatly improved on the trip. I keep saying that it was the best PT he could have had. We are so happy about it.

The above photo was taken May 1. Still trying to catch up with everything. 

Iberian Voyage 20 - Lisbon to Cascais/Sintra

Monday April 22

Our last full day. I think we left again at 9 am on the bus. Have I said that the bus was almost always big enough for double the people we were? So comfortable.

First we went to Cascais, were we had been before but only to have lunch at a beach restaurant. 

This time it was different. We visited actually the town. A very cute one. 

We viewed the lovely beaches and clear blue water.

And yes, I bought some pashmina shawls for myself. 

And then, back onto the bus and towards Sintra. 

Ha-ha, we were so on the wrong track. On the itinerary was the Royal Palace in Sintra. Well, we thought we had been there already (in 2015) and were actually a bit sad that we would not go also to the Palácio e Quinta da Regaleira we had liked very much. 

Well, there is another Palace in Sintra we had not been too. So we had a totally new experience. 

Joana had tickets and on we went right in. 

Joana explained on this model the different parts of the palace. The two white peaks on the right are the kitchen chimneys. 

James and I decided to walk through this opening very fast. We didn't trust the stone arch on the top left.

This is the Swans Hall because of the crowned swans painted on the ceiling. It is assumed that they were painted in the 14th century when Sintra was directly administered by Queen Philippa of Lancaster. Her brother was Henry IV of England.

There were so many "nooks and crannies" all from different centuries. 

I am always fascinated by potential lace or quilt ideas. These tiles....

Another painted ceiling. This one with ships.

The walls in this room were totally covered with large scenes painted on tiles. 

It was impossible to take a photo to show what the kitchen was like. I can't even imagine how they would cook here. Two huge rooms.

This terrace was my favorite. Covered and with a beautiful view. 

From the National Royal Palace we went straight across the street to have lunch.

The tables were very posh set up. The food was not so impressive. But by now we were really never hungry.

We had a little bit of free time to wander. We went to the Info and I had the strong feeling to have been there before. We got a map which explained the many palaces. 

Next door was this church ... with some lace.

Back in the bus we had a view again of the palace we had just visited and we also saw the train station were we had arrived 2015.

If you are interested, here is the LINK to our previous (totally different) visit. I enjoyed reading it again.

But now it is time to pack the suitcases. Tomorrow morning we have to leave. Time has gone so fast.