Dia 7: Sintra castles and beaches in Cascais

I arrived to our tour’s meeting spot off of the Restauradores metro station in front of Armani Exchange. There were far less people there than Thursday’s tour to Fatima, Nazare, and Obidos. Today, we would be visiting Pena Palace in Sintra and a resort beach town called Cascais.

I immediately found common ground with a few people from our group. One woman, Johanna, teaches at Kent State and has done research and fieldwork in Conflict and Peace Studies and Political Psychology. Two other women, a couple from Brooklyn, were both teachers at charter schools. One taught middle school science and I told her about my youngest sister’s experience with working at a public-charter school and the new NGSS standards. She could definitely relate! It was great to talk to other teachers who were traveling and relaxing during their time off.

Our tour guide, Nuno, was great. He has also been to the Azores and compares them to California's Hawaiian islands. He did not require us to give awkward introductions this time, but instead gave us a great background and history of Portugal in the 20th century. I learned that Portugal’s democracy is fairly new, and that the country was under dictatorship (mostly by Salazar) until the 1970s when the Carnation Revolution took place. The Carnation Revolution happened when a military coup opposing the current regime was put in place, and was unexpectedly helped by a widespread resistance campaign from average citizens. Portugal had been under authoritarian rule for over 40 years. Something special about the Carnation Revolution was that almost no shots were fired; it was almost completely peaceful. Carnations were put in the barrels of military member’s gun barrels to signify peace. ( This display of the carnations reminds me of the famous photo from a 1967 Vietnam War peace demonstration at the pentagon that I saw at the Asian Art Museum’s “Flower Power” exhibit in San Francisco in 2017. In this photo, the protester puts a flower in the barrel of a soldier’s gun. Flowers have since become somewhat a symbol of peace. This photograph was later nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.) The Carnation Revolution brought democracy and an end to authoritarian rule.

Portugal also finally withdrew from the African colonies that it had been warring with due to nationalist movements and uprisings for independence coming from the colonies. Currently, Portugal’s government has a Prime Minister and a President, with the president being more of a figure-head. Portugal’s current president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is one of the most popular ever, according to Nuno.

Here are some pictures of the amazing Pena Palace from Sintra. Sintra has become somewhat of a vacation home region for the wealthiest families of Portugal in addition to a tourist destination since the palace is a UNESCO site.

Later, we went to Cascais, a beautiful resort city with the loveliest beaches and shopping. I would love to return to Cascais and spend a bit more time. Driving back to Lisbon along the coast of Cascais reminded me of descending California’s Highway 1 through Malibu.

Later in the evening after a long nap, I met up with Johanna who is staying in Lisbon for a conference. We had the most delicious tapas at a place called Tapisco. When I got there, Johanna had already been eating with some new friends she had made standing in line outside of the restaurant. It was an absolutely delicious meal, and I will be taking my family back here. Claire, I want you to make this tomato bread when dad’s tomatoes start coming off the vine!

It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be my last day in Portugal before I fly home Tuesday morning. There is so much I have done and so much more I want to do here! Tomorrow I will be heading to Berlenga island, and the tour calls for bathing suits and sunscreen. Thus, my fingers are crossed that I will get one more beach day in Portugal before heading back home.

Boa noite,

Alana