Moving… again

We moved into our third place here in Portugal. This time we will be here for about 7 weeks. Our new location is about 20 minute walk from the center of Cascais.

Cascais is not far from Oeiras (10km by the way the crow flies), but has a different feel. Oeiras is apartment living with a suburban feel. Mostly middle income, working folk. Not much for tourism or expatriate lifestyle. Cascais, on the other hand, is heavily influenced by both tourism and expat lifestyles. It is very lively both day and night. And, it is much more affluent.

The real draw for us is how much more is happening and available. Our apartment is close to the water (can see it from the balcony), has a pool, and there is a boardwalk/bike path that follows the water for miles! Costs are a bit higher, but still not going to break the bank. In Oeiras, our favorite cafe served espresso for 65 cents, in Cascais €1 is typical. All in all, we are happy and excited for our new location.

Anyway, how about some stories from the last few weeks:

Mothers Day and the Zoo!

Mothers day in Portugal was last Sunday. We try not too, but all of our plans end up last-minute (mostly my fault). Brunch at a nice restaurant seems to be the standard here, similar to the states. But, “brunch” starts at about 12:30 and most people don’t show up until 1:30. (Everything is late in Portugal!)

As I was saying, last minute plans meant that most places were booked up. A nice hotel (Corinthia Hotel Lisbon) near the zoo had space available so we made reservations. Turns out the hotel we chose was not a popular destination for mothers day brunch. We were the only ones there when we arrived, and only a couple other groups came while we were there. The food, however, was very good. It was an open buffet with a wide variety of dishes. Lamb, oysters, mini burgers, salad, breads, and a chef that would cook you anything on the spot from omelets to pasta dishes. And dessert, of course. Theo loved the rice pudding!

The hotel is located near the zoo, so we decided to have an afternoon outing at the zoo. For the most part I am not a fan of seeing caged animals, but the Lisbon Zoo was much better than expected! The “cages” are set up so the animals are as close as possible to the patrons. I put cages in quotes because they are creative about how they contain the animals. For example, there is a pile of rocks that acts as a fence for the giraffes. With their long necks they can reach out and almost touch the patrons, but not quite.

There are monkeys that have lots of trees and things to climb on, but have a small mote that keeps them separated (sorry no pic).

The other really great thing is the integration with old ruins. Many of the animals live in and around great stone arches and the like.

And some fun with Theo:

We are not moving again for a while so (hopefully) I will have more time to post our adventures. Stay tuned!

-Jacob

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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!

To add some more fun:

Steep Lisbon

Lisbon Trolley

View over Lisbon

Pilot Theo

Lisbon, where dark, graffiti alleys are fun!

Big Leslie at the MC Escher exhibit

Little Leslie at the MC Escher exhibit

Leslie and Theo in an MC Escher painting

Theo loves the street art