A Day in Cascais

After all those castles and cathedrals, we were ready for a change of pace, so we hopped on the train for a ride up the coast to the lovely seaside town of Cascais. We thoroughly enjoyed just strolling through the town and along the seawall, watching the children splashing in the waves, and the occasional topless sunbather laying on the beach. (Don't look!)

The fishing village

sand sculpture

It was just a lazy day with a bit of shopping in the Fashion Fair that was set up in giant tents on the beach, and lovely conversations with friendly people we met along the way.
 Our favourite was meeting up with a group of women from China who were having fun posing in front of the town's statue. One of the women was so excited to tell us that it was her 66th birthday. That was about as much English as she could speak and the rest of the group knew even less. Although we didn't speak the same language, we spent quite a bit of time laughing and joking and finally taking our pictures together. They were absolutely delightful. They finished our time off together by grabbing me and giving me the traditional Portugese greeting of a cheek to cheek embrace on each side before waving good-bye. This is a memory to cherish forever!

Delightful friends from China

Another castle. No, we didn't go visit!

Psychedelic sidewalks.