A short train ride from Lisbon is the picturesque fishing village of Cascais. In my research, I read you could pick up a bike at the train station upon arrival in Cascias, ride along the ocean and return the bike at the train station in Estoril, before returning to Lisbon. Both villages had been tagged as the most affluent suburbs of Lisbon, sort of the Portuguese Riviera. I had it all pictured in my mind. A nice relaxing afternoon of biking along the waterfront, stopping for a couple of beers and eating the fresh catch of the day.

Well let’s start at the beginning as you will soon learn the picture I had in my mind started to fade fast. As the cab driver departed from the hotel, he insisted he should drive us to Cascais. I think the translation was something along the lines of “no person in their right mind would ride a train.” I insisted we were taking the train and he should continue to the station. I guess he kinda won out when he charged ten euros for the ride when it should have been more like three. The train station was another obstacle as the ticket machines were difficult to understand, even as we watched others go through a very laborious process. Thanks to a young gal who spoke a little English, we finally purchased our tickets. (She knew she needed to do something otherwise she would miss her train if she didn’t!) We arrived at Cascais and guess what? No bikes anywhere. No racks to indicate they were sold out, not one person in site riding a bike, nothing at all relating to a bike. Time to create a new picture.

The pedestrian streets were inviting, paved with stone creating a wavy pattern throughout the town. Numerous restaurants and shops were tucked in every corner imaginable. Visually kind of touristy, but the feeling of local. Only a few hours later would we understand how local.

We enjoyed several Portuguese beers called Super Bock, along with a few small plates of clams and shrimp. Delicious! The outdoor restaurant was perfectly situated overlooking the Atlantic and the best people watching spot imaginable. We could have stayed for hours and we did!

Feeling the effects of the Super Bocks, it was time to wander deeper into the neighborhood and find a nice local spot for dinner. The smell of fish cooking on the grill permeated the whole village. As we passed beautiful mansions and immaculate tree-lined streets, we soon came upon a window with a very friendly chef inside his restaurant preparing the catch of the day. His smile and inviting demeanor sold me right away! We had found our neighborhood restaurant.

Around 10:00 p.m. we headed back towards the train station. Families with children of all ages were streaming out of their homes towards the village center. As we got closer we understood why. Hundreds of people had gathered for an outdoor concert near the ocean. Without even realizing it, we were about to have a very local experience.

Song after song, everyone both young and old knew the words and sang along. It was a festive, family event with the sounds similar to our Elton John or Liberace. After researching the next day, I learned it was their legendary king of pop, Jose Cid. A night and dose of portuguese culture that I will always remember making it to the “top ten” of my favorites of Lisbon!

Yes, keeping it to TEN is going to be very difficult.

Tucked away on a small side street in Belem is a cute little wine bar with an inventory that will take you throughout the country of Portugal, compliments of Nelson and Angelo.

So let’s take it a step at a time.

Experiencing Enoteca of Belem was like having your own private wine tour. We started with various whites and several hours later we had tasted a number of delicious reds throughout a variety of regions. We never made it to the ports. That’s for the next visit. Nelson was the perfect host. His knowledge and English were superb.

We were introduced to tremocos or lupin beans. At first glance I think “lima bean” and I’m not a fan of any kind of bean, especially limas. But I’m all for trying something new and was I fooled. A nutty, crunchy, salty taste. A perfect snack with wine or beer. I would call it Portugal’s peanut. Angelo is quick to give instructions as to the proper way of getting to the nut. You pop it in your mouth, softly bite a small section of the skin with your teeth, pop out the “nut” into your mouth and spit out the skin. Addicting!

After a number of tastes from the nectars, some tapas was in order. In my travels, I’m always on the search for the perfect tomato, mozzarella and basil so this was another chance to see if it could come close to my expectations. Local tomatoes, fresh mozzerella topped with..ready for this? Basil ice cream. Yes, basil ice cream made by a local in the area. I’m picky in that I like my tomatoes and mozzarella served at room temperature so I wasn’t sure how I was going to like the chill of the ice cream. It didn’t take long for it to melt and my, oh my. My dad’s word once again came to mind. “SINFUL!”

How do you top off an evening like that? We simply asked where we could make a wine purchase as we headed back to the hotel. Along with a very reasonable tab, out comes a bottle of wine, opened but the cork gently pushed back in for easy access, along with glasses and napkins. Who does this these days? Their graciousness will always be remembered. A return visit before this trip is over is a must!

Besides the typical monuments and sites, I’m always on the search to experience “local.” My favorite parts of traveling the world are visiting the markets, tasting the cuisine (wines and beers? that’s a given!) and of course finding small, quaint neighborhood restaurants where you can just absorb the culture. So my goal this trip is to create my own “top ten” “best of” Lisbon, Portugal. We’ll see as the week progresses if I can keep it to ten.

Let’s start with Pastias de Belem. The original factory, located in the same area of the Pestana Palace, makers of the famous Portuguese custard egg tart. I’ve read that once you’ve had the signature tart, no others will compare. Let’s just say there will be very few (ongoing) tastings of this tart. To start, I can’t imagine this tart could be beat anywhere in Lisbon, not to mention the amount of calories in one of these small bites! The delicate crust, creamy filling infused with vanilla and sprinkled with cinnamon? As my dad would say…”sinful!”

Besides viewing incredible photos on the internet, it’s always a good sign when the taxi cab driver murmurs..”ahhh..the Pestana Palace…very good!” in an adorable Portuguese accent. As we made our way through the quiet neighborhood of Belem in the outskirts of Lisbon, the streets became completely saturated with graffiti. Had I not done my homework? Was I in the graffiti capital of the world? But how quickly those thoughts passed as we pulled through the gates into a stunning palatial oasis with its restored 19th century palace.

Ten days of this? No problem! For the past three days it has been go, go, go and with the jet lag? Well let’s just say there’s been a bit of a challenge to catch the early morning sun for good photo taking of the palace. So for now I’ll entice you with a couple of night time shots of the pool area. How quickly the European way of life sets in…sleeping late as a means to catch up from the late night before!