May 15, 2016, Sunday — Cascais, Portugal

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A 1572 sketch of the coastal profile of Cascais

Cascais

Cascais was already inhabited in the prehistoric era. The Celts, Iberians, Phoenicians, Carthusians, Romans, Moors, and finally the Christians, all passed through Cascais. Cascais was important in protecting the entrance to the harbor of Lisbon and was a fishermen’s village until the 19th century. In 1870 King Luis I chose to convert the building of the Citadela into his summer residence and, of course, soon Cascais became fashionable and the construction of beautiful palaces and aristocratic mansions started. A few years later with the construction of the railway to Lisbon, Cascais entered a period of significant growth, leading it to be in the 20th century one of the most important tourist destinations in the country, comparable to places such as Marbella, Monte Carlo, and Rimini. During World War II several Kings and Heads of European countries sought refuge in Cascais and nearby Estoril. With these people came other aristocrats, politicians, actors, and writers. Some of the most famous ones were the Duke of Windsor, King Umberto of Italy, Prince Juan of Spain, and Count Henri of France.
We drove to the seaside resort town of Cascais, and admired its many beautiful ceramics.
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statue of Sebastian José,
Marques of Pombal

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island prison at the mouth of the Tajo River where it empties into the Atlantic ocean

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beautiful tiling

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tiled house

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window tiling

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statue to Portuguese poet Luis de Camoes

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gorgeous ceramic tiling

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ceramic of St.Sebastian

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the Cascais pier

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fish in the water

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crab pots?

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fish nets

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beautiful wall tiling of Cascais

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The Museum Conde Castro Guimarães in Cascais

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plaque for the combatants of WW II

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Centre of Cascais

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wave pattern tiling in the streets

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little church

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tilings for sale

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Arthur Luehrmann rests

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Sandy Barnes, Elaine Heim, Pat Nagy, and Marcie Siegel rest

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schooner in port

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tiled house

We continued to drive along the coast and got to the westernmost point of Portugal, between Cascais and Sintra where we walked along the coast and admired the views.
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westernmost point of Portugal, between Cascais and Sintra

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our local guide, Alejandra Bartolo and
Juan-José Perez, our trip leader

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Myrtha Saleme, Isabel Sandez, Jim Crampton, Nancy Crampton, and Marcie Siegel

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Pat Nagy, Sarah Kolb, Jim Crampton, Ann Lorenz, and Nancy Crampton

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