Also, did you know Portugal was officially neutral during WWII? Who knew…??  As a result it became a hotbed of information, covert activities and espionage!!

Being at anchor didn’t stop us from getting out on the bikes and exploring a little further afield. We cycled along the coast to Capo da Roca before heading inland to the magical mountain town of Sintra. 

Sintra has had castles and palaces built over many centuries from the moorish castle in the 5th century to the kings palace of the 18th century.

Cabo da Roca

Enjoying coffee and cakes in Sintra

It was such a lovely ride we did it again 3 days later but headed up a slightly different route taking us past the fairytale castle that is known as Pena Palace. We cycled through towering forests of eucalyptus trees reminding us of Australia and riding along the Great Ocean Road! Nearing Pena Castle, we were greeted with cobbles and ascents that we were not prepared for!!

Park and National Palace of Pena, Sintra

Stopping for lunch in Sintra to enjoy this amazing pizza!

It was lovely spending a week here, getting to know Cascais, jogging along the incredible coastal foot/cycle path, mooching around town trying the local delicacy 'codfish croquette' and at €5 each, we definitely enjoyed them!

We were invited to join John and Susie on Casamara for a BBQ one night which was fantastic catching up while the sun went down. 

The day before we left the anchorage, we were joined by Steve and Carol from 'Innamorata' and Kate and Iain from 'Intrepid Bear'. It's incredible how close and supportive the sailing community is. We have been fortunate enough to meet some amazing people along our journey to date and very much hope we bump into them again sometime soon.