Muros (Spain) to Lisbon

12th to 31st October

It’s been a busy couple of weeks: sail down coast of Iberian peninsular from top of Spain to Lisbon with a few brief stops; leave Henrietta in a Lisbon marina; fly to England for a few days; come back with Anna; touristy whizz round Lisbon……

To add a bit of colour and some photos, it has been wonderful – mostly. Sailing the 250-odd miles down the coast in a bit of a hurry (as I had air tickets booked) meant some overnight sailing and short stops and not nearly enough time to explore, but you can’t have everything. I did spend a night anchored off Isla Ons (“beach is favoured by nudists” – but chilly so not a soul in sight). Then, a night at sea, one in Fig. de Foz and another brief halt alongside a wet wobbly seagull-pooped pontoon in Nazaire.

And I got to Lisbon with a day to spare and Easyjetted off to Bristol and Devon. Wonderful to see George (son no.3), find legs ok for a brisk walk with friends in Dartmoor, paint brushes ok for a couple of days’ house decorating, wallet ok for shopping for new underwear and Marmite (subsequently confiscated by airport security)…and other stuff.

Anna and I then flew back to Lisbon to rejoin Henrietta and indulge in some high intensity Lisbon sightseeing and move to Cascais, a well-heeled and established tourist hot-spot on the coast nearby. Here are some photos of Cascais….

Lisbon is a truly fabulous and fascinating city with civilised, courteous, friendly population; countless exquisite streets, heavenly coffee and fine functional public transport. And, even if we seemed to be almost the only tourists not indulging in obsessive selfie pics, I think it’s a thoroughly attractive and all-round gorgeous place – even better photographed without us in the foreground. Personally and for what it’s worth, my ratings would give Lisbon an 8 out of 10 (cf. Paris and Venice 9/10, Amsterdam 8,  Prague 7, Barcelona 6, Madrid and Berlin 5, Sydney -3, Los Angeles -2,000). If you have nothing to watch on telly, discuss with your spouse or someone, how you’d rate the places you’ve visited. Here are some touristy photos of Lisbon…