Our next stop in Portugal is Cascais, a coastal resort town on the Atlantic ocean 25 km west of Lisbon. Since the late 19th century, when the Portuguese royal family established a seasonal residency here, Cascais has been a summer home for noble families and several deposed 20th century monarchs including the former Edward the VII after his abdication, Juan Carlos I of Spain and Umberto II of Italy.
However, long before its trendy resort status, Cascais was a fishing village. While little is left of the old fishing industry, there is a lovely restaurant at the Associacao de Armadores e Pescadores de Cascais (the association of shipowners and fishermen). This is where locals read the daily offerings posted on the door, and enter to dine on the catch of the day. Our beautiful Robalo (Sea Bass) with potato, salad and house white wine was the perfect lunch, and under 10 Euro each, a bargain. This was one of those local haunts away from the town square cluster of tourist restaurants and bars with the high tourist prices.
The Cascais main square has a wonderful example of calcada portuguesa or the portugese patterned pavement. These mosaic designs are quite commonly used for pedestrian walkways, and the design illustrated here mimics the rolling waves of the nearby ocean.
Then of course, there is the beautiful tile work found on the exterior of so many shops and homes, and this particular storefront is a great example. This establishment no longer sells wine and tobacco, but now contains several apartments including the one we called home while here in Cascais.
A special thanks to cousin Ingrid and Robert, who are a great source on all things Portugal. Visiting Cascais, and this particular apartment here were among their suggestions.
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