Oh Canada, Our Home and Native Land

Another journey has come full circle and we are once again safely ensconced in our home in Ottawa.  The trip from Lisboa to Toronto and then from Toronto to Ottawa was essentially effortless.  Everything went as planned, no delays, comfortable, and in terms of driving, nothing to really slow us down.  This morning, as we make our coffee and tea, we find ourselves asking each other where things are!!!!  Funny what six months away does to the memory.

Before heading home we enjoyed a few days in lovely Lisboa and area.  Although Marc and I both came down with a terrible stomach virus in Estoi, I was in good form for Lisboa, Marc, on the other hand, spent two days in bed at the hotel.  Happily, our last full day there, we were all in good form.

On the Wednesday Pat and I headed off on an organized tour of Cabo da Rocha (the most westerly point in continental Europe), Sintra and Cascais.  We were picked up at the hotel at 8h10 and arrived back at 17h00, worn out but happy from the excursion.

Waiting in front of our hotel on what turned out to be a scorching hot day.

The entrance toThe Palacio Nacional da Pena

The Palacio Nacional da Pena

Detail is marvelous

Inside one of the courtyards

I love the gargoyles.

This fellow looks as if he would gobble you up

The rich color of the tiles against the gorgeous green of the many hectare forest.

WE climbed up to the top of the terraces to have a better look

Again, colour is phenomenal.

You can see the influences of other cultures in the detail on the building.

Window shots appeal to me

I love the detail and the light

Simple beauty.

The colourful queen’s terrace (Relógio de Sol) with beautiful views over the Sintra region and Patricia enjoying the outing and the many breathtaking vistas

Petit moi!

I found this calming

Now we are back down in the village of Sintra……we had been right to the top.

In the village of Sintra.

Walking around the village

This quite appealed to my senses. The angles, the shadow and light.

Thee tower on a local building which seems to tilt a tiny bit…..or wait, maybe that’s me!!!

From the village we walked a short distance to the Quinta da Regaleria, which in my opinion, is worth the visit to Sintra.  The castle is fun and colourful but this place is a dream to visit both the building and the grounds.  I could have spent a long time here.

The building is filled with symbols related to alchemy, Free Masons, Knight’s Templar etc..  In some ways you feel as though you have entered a “magic kingdom”.  Lots of walking, which of course I love, but worth every step.

Along our route to the quinta.

So much to see and enjoy in terms of architecture and detail.

Whimsy abounded.

Secrets and symbols to be found everywhere on the grounds. This is all about protection.

The goats head and Bacchus, both symbols in the Free Masons.,

This lovely plant is locally called “Thee Princess’s Earrings”!!

Imagine the creation of this!!

Thee house itself, which we went through.

The doorway to the chapel.

Me and boars…..I never did see the real thing. This plaster was enormous and decorated the dining room wall.

This mosaic decorated the same room but on the floor.

I could have stayed in this room for awhile to enjoy the decor but a group of noisy and annoying people were parked there and not moving.

Just look at this gorgeous blossom.

A quite tranquil spot in the garden.

Under restoration but already quite lovely.

If you are ever fortunate enough to visit this city, make this your first stop and wander as much as you can.   It takes a bit of stamina as much is up or down, therefore. save the palace for later and don’t compromise your energy.

From here, a lovely drive to Cabo Da Rocha……it’s not really worth the trip by itself unless you simply want to say you’ve been to the most westerly point in continental Europe, but it was part of our tour.

The final part of our excursion was to Cascais, a coastal resort town in Portugal, just west of Lisbon. It’s known for its sandy beaches and busy marina.  Again, pretty to see but for me, much too touristy.   We did enjoy a lovely lunch, a brief walkabout then hit the trail for Lisboa.

I took a number of shots to show Marc what the village looked like. As you can see, you could be in any tourist town. Nothing special stood out.

Busy and it’s not even the season yet!

Everybody has to do laundry even in the middle of the tourist section

The main beach was small and when we arrived, packed. This was a couple of hours after our arrival and people were starting to leave.

Police busy protecting the population!!!

A selfie where the objective was to show some of the colourful animals on the carousel. LOL

Love graffiti.

The main street towards the beach. Lined with high end stores that you might find in any shopping destination.

Flowers and colour is always beautiful.

A drive along the coast back to Lisbon.

Overall we enjoyed the day and if you asked me whether or not I would recommend this sort of voyage, I think I would tell you “no”.  Instead, take the metro to Sintra, do a little research before you go and enjoy the walk and the views on your own……that way at least you can take the time to enjoy things as long as you like instead of being herded like cattle.  All that said, we did enjoy ourselves.   And my favourite shot of this particular day……..you will see why!

Our final day in Lisboa was just perfect.  It was a bit cooler, which made it wonderful for walking and we had planned to spend a few hours visiting The Lisbon Oceanarium.  Turned out to be an excellent decision, we were as appreciative as three little kids we enjoyed it so much.   It is located in the Parque das Nações, which was the exhibition grounds for the Expo ’98 and it is the largest indoor aquarium in Europe.  The design of the interior is quite unique and makes for a fascinating half day of enjoyment.  Four tanks around the large central tank house four different habitats with their native flora and fauna: the North Atlantic rocky coast, the Antarctic coastal line, the Temperate Pacific kelp forests, and the Tropical Indian coral reefs. These tanks are separated from the central tank only by large sheets of acrylic to provide the illusion of a single large tank. Throughout the first floor there are an additional 25 thematic aquariums with each of the habitats’ own characteristics.  We were giddy with enjoyment.

Who doesn’t love a puffin?

He looked a bit sad but was quite playful with the others.

I love how everywhere you see loads of school children, who were just in awe of all they saw.

Lots of feeding.

This little penguin seemed drunk or sleepy. He kept wobbling as if he would fall over any moment.

I’ve had hair cuts just like this one!

I’m not certain what species this is but they were quite bold and flew very low over our heads…….playing with all of us.

Made from recycled plastic found in the ocean!!!!

Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant, I could have stood in front of them for hours.

Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant, I could have stood in front of them for hours.

Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant, I could have stood in front of them for hours.

Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant, I could have stood in front of them for hours.

I’m not certain what this was but it was gorgeous.

The photos don’t do any justice to the fish in terms of depth of colour and size but I had to put in a couple.

The photos don’t do any justice to the fish in terms of depth of colour and size but I had to put in a couple.

Made from wood and bark. Enormous and quite beautiful. The tiled walls were a piece of art onto themselves.

My happy fellow….happy to be feeling well again and being able to be out and enjoy this glorious day.

Love the colourful blending of dots.

I love this shot

Here is the Princess on one of her final outings in Lisboa.

We took the metro part way home and decided to get off and walk the final few kms to enjoy the city one last time.  As it turns out, we stumbled on a marvelous local festival and sat and enjoyed a cold drink and simply people watched for an hour or so.

The sky was cloudy but the colours nonetheless brilliant.

Simple and tranquil.

The jacaranda against the sky. A perfect contrast.

Our final shot in Lisboa, taken by four Canadians we chatted with at he table next to us.

And so ended our half year living in Portugal.  What wonderful memories we all have and how truly blessed we feel.   Life now returns to a different routine of sorts, one that is equally as satisfying but in a completely different way.

Marc, in particular, is excited about the next few months as he is having a large exposition here in Ottawa on October 17-20th.   He has done lots but still has much to do.  If you happen to be or were thinking of being in this area, check out his website and make a note on your calendar.  You won’t be disappointed.   And please, feel free to share, any and all publicity is appreciated.

https://www.marcthivierge.com/