South to Cascais

Monday morning we left the Douro Valley and drove south toward Lisbon.  We had heard about a town called Aveiro which had been described as "the Venice of Portugal".  It was the perfect place to take a break on our 4 hour plus drive to Cascais.  We had a simple lunch in a little cafe on one of the pedestrian streets and watched the "gondalas" (motorized, very colourful and only mildly evocative of the real ones in Venice) on the waterways before continuing our journey southwards.  I love the use of tiles in Portugal, on buildings and one sidewalks.

At times, we drove through areas which had been ravaged by forest fires, although probably ones from last year.  The traffic was very light.  It was a toll highway - both in terms of the usual gates where you pay road tolls but the freeway was also equipped with overhead sensors at times which registered a road tax.  When we rented the car, we were told that, if we drove through such sensors, we would have to go to the nearest post office within 48 hours to pay the tax and a much bigger fine would be levied.  As an alternative, and this was a no-brainer, we could have a sensor on the car's windshield activated for 21 Euros which would automatically pay the tolls - both at the toll booths and when the overhead sensors registered our car - to avoid the hassle.  So, that is what we did.

The traffic was very light; I am sure the fact that it was Sunday helped.  Even just outside of Lisbon, the road was still fairly empty.  Before reaching the city, however, we took another highway and headed west toward Cascais which was our destination.  When we arrived there, I discovered I had broken one of my own travel rules.  That is to find out if there are any special events taking place in a city before I arrive.  Sunday was the Cascais Iron Man competition and many of the roads were closed, including the one in front of our hotel.  Very frustrating!  So, we found street parking a ways away and started walking to the hotel.  It was about that time that the police started taking down the barriers.  Of course!  So, we went back, retrieved our car, and headed to the hotel.  After that, it was easy.  There is an underground parking lot next to the Hotel Bahia with spaces designated for guests.  

Once checked in, we got to enjoy the marvelous sea views across the harbour.  It looks like a pretty town.  Our next stop was the rooftop bar where we had a glass of sangria - like none I have ever tasted as it contained Triple Sec, another liqueur and champagne along with the usual fruit and red (or white in Nawal's case) wine.  Too strong for me! 

We will be staying here for four nights and will spend some of the time here exploring Lisbon before we head south to the Algarve.