Day Five - Day of the Castles

I call this the "Day of the Castles" -- we toured three different ones with a guided tour through the "Mad Man's Castle".  The history and lore made everything about the castle come to life !  We started the day with the carriage ride through the beautiful city of Sintra.  The restored homes were gorgeous -- In my next life, I want to do a restoration of an old home --   The Toy Museum was fascinating -- where, if ever, will one ever see such a huge collection of any and every kind of toy one could imagine ??  I walked the paths of the Moorish Castle with Suze, Lennie, Micheal, Andrea and Tammy -- didn't make it to the top, but, I am enjoying the view through the photos !!  Lunch and off to the guided tour of Mad Man's Castle and Pena Palace.  We had a good laugh about the "crab paws" at the Brazilian Restaurant that evening !!

Day Four - Workshop in Full Swing

We're really getting into the swing of things now !  The daylight hours of this day were spent at Margarida's studio watching and listening to Micheal plus getting a good start on our own projects.  Having the cafe next door and a little grocery market just down the street were so convenient.   However, I would like to teach the cooks how to make a good salad !!  I enjoyed the bit of shopping I did in Cacais, but, the park was beautiful and sitting on the park bench - people watching - well, I've always liked doing that !!  I was disappointed the sunset was not more colorful that day, but, then, how many people do we know that can say they have enjoyed a sunset in Portugal ???

Day Three - from Estoril to Lisbon

This day was full of surprises and wonder !!  Neither one of us got a photo of that hillside full of vendors at the flea market !! One of the first things I noticed on our taxi ride from the airport to the hotel when we arrived was the graffiti everywhere -- it seemed to be something that the locals were proud of.  There was no sign of it being painted over on the cement block walls or sides of buildings.  In Las Vegas, a graffiti artist would be arrested if caught painting on the side of a passenger train car (if we had trains !!).  I'm glad we didn't miss the doll hospital -- the inventory of "doll parts", the restored antique dolls, the shelves full of dolls needing repair, the displays -- it was a gift to have a private tour of this destination.  AND, then, that handsome Naval officer and the private tour of the Marine Museum !!  What a  full day we had !!  We must try to make some of those wonderful pastries that were our "afternoon snack" -- a trip to Portugal to purchase more of them is out of the question !!