Aaargh! Give me patience! Well, that’s the problem actually. I’ve too many patients. Two too many. We’ve just arrived in Lisbon and the Oldies are sick. They’re both down with ‘flu-like symptoms. What rotten luck! We’re finally by the sea again, the sun is shining, there isn’t a cloud in the sky and I’m confined to quarters with the Wobbly Wingless Wonders. Talk about being as sick as a parrot! Her Ladyship is having palpitations about the fact that His…
River Tagus, Lisbon Much as I love going to the beaches with the Wingless Wonders, I have also developed a great fondness for our riverside jaunts. Ah, the mighty river Tagus! It is always fascinating to spend time along the estuary watching the constant flow of traffic, from one-person dinghies tacking around buoys, to commuter ferries traversing the river at speed, to tankers, cargo ships and luxury cruisers heading out to the open sea. Belém is one of the Oldies’…
Portinho da Arrábida and Setúbal City, Portugal I have to pinch myself. Apart from the occasional paraglider landing nearby, we are practically alone on the beautiful sun-drenched white sands, staring out at an azure sea. We could easily be forgiven for thinking we are on some south sea island at the height of the summer, but it’s late November and we are on Portinho da Arrábida beach, a stone’s throw from the city of Setúbal. Driving down into Portinho village…
My first cable car trip! On an Austrian-built cableway. Along a river. In Lisbon. Right. Well, they say there’s a first time for everything. That’s a first time for a whole lot of things! The Oldies got an insider tip to the effect that the Oriente train station would be well worth visiting for its spectacular modern architecture. ‘Yawn. How exciting’, I thought. The station, however, is actually stunning, with its roof of glass and steel made to look like…
Look at that view! This is a window sill I don’t object to. Apart from the Oldies snoring in the background, it can’t get much better than this. Suburbia would never have been high on my list of places to hang out in, but I can certainly live with life in suburban Lisbon. Well, it comes with beaches for a start! And staying in a seventh floor flat, sure, when I half close my eyes and squint just so, it…