If you visit Portugal this time of year be prepared to be amazed by the flowers: an explosion of colors on a green and blue background is all around. You don't need to visit the botanical gardens to take your share of oxygen and beauty, you can just walk the streets.
And the perfume, oh my, I don't know if it's because I quit smoking (since January) and my senses came back to normal (or maybe it's the pregnancy), but I feel I'm going crazy with these wonderful scents of roses and many many more flowers and trees.
I always loved yellow roses (and yellow flowers in general) and today, while taking a break from walking, I sketched some fabric designs that I will show soon.
So today I walked from Parede to Cascais and I guess there where app. ten km from which four or maybe five where just the actual boardwalk that connects Cascais and Estoril, two
very touristic suburbs of Lisbon.
The boardwalk (
paredão) twists and turns parallel with the railway and of course, the ocean. If the salty fresh air has caused you an appetite you can brunch, lunch, dinner or just have a snack at one of the many restaurants. They are charming and the service is great, but they're a bit expensive for my budget so I prefer to have a homemade sandwich and fruit in my backpack.
You can lay on one of the small beaches around or get fit and healthy using the outdoor gear available (with instructions). If you feel like exercising even more you can rent (for free) a bicycle from one of the stands in Cascais - you can bike all year on the boardwalk, except when touristic season starts and it becomes forbidden (the place gets very crowded). Oh, before I forget, water sports are available for learning and practicing, especially surfing.
A very good option is to just sit somewhere, maybe on the sand, maybe on a bench along the way, and do nothing. But you have to do it properly: no thinking, no moving, just stop and breathe.
Hope you enjoyed our walk!
