Oeiras - 38:40:56N 09:19:07W
Red Skies
David Alexander
Wed 17 Jun 2009 17:07
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Wednesday 17th June
Another cruising chute blast - this time down to
Oeiras, on the River Tagus, and is just a short train ride from
Lisbon.
On the Thursday, a tour of the local fort had been
arranged. This was somewhat special, as it is the official residence of the
Minister of Defence and is generally not open to the public.
 Minister of Defence Residence - Oeiras
Following our tour of the fort, a coach had been
organised to take us first to a park, dedicated to Portugese poets and then to
the gardens of a past royal palace, now used as a welfare home.
 Poets Park - Oeiras
Friday was a free day for Rally participants to
visit Lisbon if they wished. We duly caught the train, which efficiently
transported us there and walked up the hill to the magnificent castle. It was a
hot day and having managed to get a flavour of the city, we resolved that we
should return on another occasion and appreciate more of its
attractions.
 View of Lisbon from Castle
Later that afternoon, we were encouraged by the
marina authorities to leave a lasting reminder of our presence by painting
something on the breakwater. Don and Charlie duly obliged, with some
debilitation from the heat, with a magnificent representation of the Red Skies
logo.
 Charlie and Don pose in fron of their handiwork on
the breakwater at Oeiras
Alison felt an ode was in order:-
We were welcomed at Nazare
With a finish line squall And once into the marina By pescadores and all It is sad to relate That we didn't go out It was time to recover >From incipient gout Nazare to Peniche Was such a short hop So we put on the motor - We needed to shop Despite warnings of anchoring We were all rafted by flank We saw the town by an engine Like 'Thomas the 'Tank' A civic reception - In the Middle Aged fort 'Suzie' came first in the leg Well deserved we all thought Leg Peniche to Oeiras Was a self-timed start But Andrew was checking That we were honest - hand on heart The heat really kicked in After rounding the Cape - The wind did blow iup there Carl said "Thirty-eight" We visited the fort here The Minister's private abode And a tour of Poets' Park Where we read the odd ode A magnificent meal With a stupendous view At Rio'ses restaurant And prize-giving too Some visited Lisbon And climbed the steep streets Others did boat things And untangled sheets We're sailing to Sines The wind's just arrived The 'L' plate is flying It's good being alive We'll party in Sines There's lots going on Mandy & Steve's Birthdays And to Derek - a grandson |