We went to the Pena Palace in Sintra a few days ago. It was great, definitely worth it. I recommend the gardens and outside of the palace (all accessible with the fee for the gardens). Inside of the palace has historic furnishings, but we did not find it particularly interesting. The gardens and outside of the palace were definitely worth it though. Middle of April was a great time to see it. The colors were great, the gardens were intensely green and the palace incredibly colorful. The photos don’t quite do it justice, you will have to see it in real life!
We made a quick trip to Nazaré, Portugal. If you have not heard of it, Nazaré holds the record for the largest wave surfed. The best part of Nazaré is the vantage point for viewing the surf. At the lighthouse you can feel the spray from the waves!
The day we went, there was a decent size swell on. It was a bit over 4 meters at 13 seconds. Nazaré canyon brings the deep water swell right up to shore, amplifying the wave size. The waves were predicted to be ~25 feet high. (The record wave surfed is over 100 feet!).
No one was in in the water so there is no size reference for the waves we saw. They were big in my book. I would love to see it in the 100 foot range. If you have the opportunity to see one of these days it should top your list! (If you are thinking about it, there is a website focused on the wave and has a sign up for big wave notifications: nazarewaves.com).
I’m not sure they do it justice, but here are some pictures from the day we were there:
On the bluff leading to the lighthouse there is a small square with some cafés, touristy things to buy, and an impressive church.
The town of Nazaré is at the base of the hill to the south. There is a nice beach with volley ball nets, lots of cafés, tourist shops, etc. We drove down, but noticed that there is a tram that runs up the hill. When return we plan to take the tram (on the left in the panorama image).
This last picture is from town and puts the size of the waves in perspective (the lighthouse on top of the bluff looks small). There is a little over 1 km between the wave (lighthouse) and the beach.
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We have been enjoying the nearby town of Cascais. First, we went for the farmers market on Saturday. The Cascais farmers market is every Wednesday and Saturday and is great! After collecting fruits and vegetables for the week, we stopped at a little restaurant called Local in the market building. It has great, healthy food!
We have been back to Cascais twice since. Each time exploring a bit more. On the second trip, we met the Elliotts, another family taking a long travel vacation. They have a travel blog as well! Theo had a great time with his new friends!
Otis, Theo, and John Pierce
Thanks for the memories; we look forward to the next time our paths cross!
Parque Marechal Carmona in Cascais was awesome. First, that is where we met the Elliotts. Second, there are great trails, bridges, and old structures to explore. Last, but not least, spring was in the air for the birds! And they were friendly!
And a Peacock was showing off its mating ritual:
Yes we really were that close!
I also found a great mural in Cascais.
I use google photos and it stylized the photo in black and white and I think it’s great!
Anyway, we are finally starting to settle in to our new location. I even made it out surfing today. I have not been in the water enough to get into surfing shape yet, but it is still fun! FYI: these waves are well overhead, with some small barreling sections. I would guess there are 10-15 surfers in the water in this picture.
Here is a video for those of you following the blog because of Theo, here he is wandering through the park:
About a week ago we moved from Lagos to the Lisbon (Lisboa) area. Specifically, the municipality of Oeiras. We chose this location for a couple of reasons: proximity to a surf beach (Praia de Carcavelos), on the train line to Lisbon, and outside of the major tourist craziness. And, most importantly, we were able to get a larger place, decent amenities, and garage parking for a reasonable price on Airbnb.
When you don’t know an area it is always a bit of a gamble where you end up. After 5 weeks in Lagos, we were very happy with our location choice. One week in to Oeiras, we are not unhappy with our choice, but it’s not the ideal location. There are local amenities around, but it is a bit of a distance to get everything we want. The biggest drawback for us is Crossfit classes are a drive away, not a walk. (We have yet do take it on).
Anyway… Lisbon! We are here! The first thing I noticed when we arrived is the housing density. Most buildings you see are apartment buildings, in the 5-10 story range. the ground level usually has a few shops and all housing above. Lisbon housing merges into each city around it until you get to the lightly populated areas where the housing just about disappears. Here is a picture off our back deck:
Most of the first week has been consumed with organizing life. There hasn’t been much time for working on the blog or even exercise. Hopefully this week will we will get more of both done! I hope to add blog posts for: 1) our favorite things in Lagos, 2) driving in Portugal, 3) initial impressions of Lisbon
Speaking of the website, there is now an option to sign up for the GoLaunch newsletter. If you sign up you will receive new blog posts in your email once a day (or week or month if desired). I plan to periodically write a dedicated newsletter as well. This will probably be monthly-ish. Let me know if you have any difficulties!
I made another t-shirt of Theo! Leslie took a picture of him watching me surf. For a tag-line I was waffling between "can't wait for the day" and "dreaming of the day". Leslie won me over with "waiting for my set". Enjoy!
We have been accepted for Portugal Residency Visas! This gives us the ability to stay 4 months and the option to apply for a residency permit. The residency permit, as I understand it, sorts all of the paperwork out with the Portuguese government for taxes, etc. It is a process to get, but not so much a review like the visa is. There isn’t a question of whether we will qualify, just what paperwork and who do we give it to.
The Portuguese Residency Visa has been quite a process. I have a page dedicated to it here. I will continue to update that page as we make progress.
