European Holiday - Portugal 2 - Cascais

Joining Tom's signs - to check other signs from around the world please check this link.

The day after our return from the centre of Portugal, my younger sister Luisa arrived from South Africa on the 6,30am flight. My middle sister Isabel, Jose and I picked her up at Lisbon airport.

After a long, long wait, her bag hadn't been delivered to the carousel and she was asked to contact the "Lost and Found" counter to report it. She was told it was possible her bag hadn't been put in the same flight and would probably arrive the following day, and she was given a claim number and a phone and website to check.

Sign at Lisbon airport

We then drove to my parent's house, where we had a family breakfast and then my sisters and I went to a nearby shopping centre so we could buy some essential clothing items for Luisa.

After 2 days, checking the website, calling the airport, still no bag! 

Someone suggested she go to the airport and actually check the "lost luggage room" and see if she could spot her bag. Off we went to the airport again! She checked, and checked and nothing, but on her way out she decided to go to the carousel where her luggage had arrived and as she walked towards it, she spotted her bag standing all alone just two carousel's away from the original one. 

Crazy that the airport people don't collect all those "stray" bags and take them into that "lost luggage room". What might have happened is someone grabbed her bag and a few steps later realized it was the wrong bag and just left it there instead of taking it back to the original carousel, creating a stressful situation for others!!

Name of restaurant (We are a treat - chicken Guia style)

       

That night the family had grilled chicken for dinner at "Somos um regalo" in Cascais, with my uncle, wife, daughter in law and 2 granddaughters, all visiting from the United States where they live.

Grilled chicken with chips and tomato salad

             

Rooster and Chicken Toilet signs at the restaurant

         

After dinner we walked around Cascais and then stopped at the famous Santinis for Ice-Cream.

A delicious ice cream for all

I accompanied my sisters to a newish supermarket in Cascais - Auchan- (a French multinational), that blew my mind away. It was built on the site of a former smaller supermarket. I had never seen such a huge supermarket with such a massive choice of articles like cheeses, wines, bread, fruit and vegetables (that I didn't even know), fish, nuts, yogurts, juices... I was going from aisle to aisle in awe, like a kid in a candy shop!  

Auchan supermarket - on the top floor are the restaurants and a lovely outdoor eating zone and garden

Pink silicone baking articles, cheeses and more cheeses, nuts, spices by kg, yogurts of all kinds

And from the underground car park entrance they had recycling stations for things like coffee pods, batteries, electronic equipment, oils, ink cartridges and even cork bottle tops. In the car park they have "green parking bays" by the doors, marked with a leaf.  Very advanced I thought!

Two days after my sister's arrival, our son-in-law Thomas arrived from Cologne at midday and because Karina had an online work meeting, Jose and I picked him up.  As we went early, I convinced Jose to drive me around the suburb just behind the airport so I could photograph murals in the area. He's well trained by now 😃.

That evening Jose and I had dinner with a young couple who we originally met in Perth a few years ago, and now live in Sydney (who were also on holidays in Lisbon), plus her parents and the parents of another Perth friend, at Adega das Gravatas in the inner-city suburb of Carnide. 

The restaurant was huge, very quaint with loads of ties (gravatas) hanging from the ceiling and on walls. Even though it was a Thursday I could hardly believe how popular and full the restaurant was!  Again, the food was delicious, but the portions were gigantic!

Ties hanging from the ceiling, Jose's steak, my Octopus dish, fridge counter full of delicious desserts

There are so many different styles of tiles (azulejos) in Portugal, mainly covering old buildings.... I must have taken photos of over 50 different ones.

The following day the 9 of us left in 2 cars to spend 8 days relaxing in Vilamoura, in the Algarve in the South of Portugal. 

25 April Bridge crossing the Tejo (Tagus) River from Lisbon to Almada on the way south

Christ the King statue in Almada - inspired by Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Next episode:  Relaxing in the Algarve