Back For A New York Minute

We flew in from London on Monday and tried to stay up as late as possible to avoid the inevitable jet lag. Alex's parents have graciously allowed us to crash at their NJ residence whenever we land in the NYC area so we took advantage of their hospitality, home cooking and laundry facilities for a couple days while we got ourselves sorted.

On Wednesday we drove into the city for a day of errands - mostly beauty treatments to remove excess hair and callouses - and a reunion dinner with our friends. Being surrounded by the faces we have missed so much over the past eight months was incredible - and a reminder of how at home we feel in New York!

Not the best quality image but definitely the best quality people.

Taking advantage of additional hospitality, we stayed with our friends Nikou and Mike in Brooklyn so we could get an early start on our drive to Massachusetts Thursday morning. We stopped in Boston for lunch with our former colleague Avi and made it to Newburyport by early afternoon so we could rest up for two days of wedding festivities.

Charming streets and shops in Newburyport.

Town Square.

Looking out into the marina.

I loved the "old-timey" feel of the shops and buildings.

So many sailboats!

We enjoyed a casual BBQ outside with the bride and groom before heading to bed early (Alex is the Best Man so he needed to be fresh for Friday's wedding events!).

I spent Friday exploring the charming town of Newburyport on foot and sampling the local blueberry iced coffee before returning to our hotel to get ready for the wedding. The weather had been cloudy but cleared up just in time for the ceremony and everything - including Alex's speech - went perfectly! Alex and I got to catch up with friends and enjoyed a night of dancing while celebrating an amazing couple.

Not our ride for the wedding!

Beautiful couple; beautiful day.

Congrats Todd and Shannon!

Someone's looking a little lighter...goodbye "beard!"

We woke up early on Saturday in order to drive to Montauk, the site of our wedding, to celebrate our one year anniversary for a couple of days. While the weather didn't exactly cooperate for spending time at the beach, we were able to revisit our favorite places and catch a pretty spectacular sunset on Sunday night. To top it all off, our wedding cake baker even made us a special free anniversary cake!

Saying goodbye to Todd...they didn't even plan the matching outfits!

One of our favorite beaches in Montauk.

Back to Montauk Yacht Club: site of our wedding last year!

Sunsets at Navy Beach are almost always incredible.

Sky on fire.

One more in front of the sunset.

Mussels - a new favorite for us! - at Dave's for a special anniversary dinner.

Monday was beautiful so we spent a few hours enjoying the beach - without weekend vacationers! - before making the drive back to NJ.

Today we head to Italy for another wedding and plan to spend our time focusing on friends, food and fun. Ciao!

London

Sarah and I took an early morning train from Paris to London on Tuesday. We were a bit surprised that we had to go through customs at Gare du Nord since we’ve traveled without any customs checkpoints throughout the rest of the EU, but apparently Britain has stricter border controls. Anyway, the train arrived in London right on time and we made our way to the luggage storage area to drop off our bags, then hopped on the tube to get to London’s financial district.

We met Sarah’s former boss Tom (from Blackstone) for lunch at Haz. Tom is now the CFO of Aviva, an insurance company based in London, so he’s lived here for the last year or so. We went into the meeting eager to begin the networking process that will be critical to our career “re-entry” soon; we left the meeting feeling great about our future options and opportunities. We still have a lot to sort out with our careers between now and August (when the adventure officially comes to an end) but we are excited for the next step in our professional lives.

After lunch, Sarah and I walked around downtown London for a few hours, taking in some of the classic tourist sights there before heading to Covent Garden to get one of her favorite treats from her time abroad here: a cookie from Ben’s Cookies.

Spotted this cool passageway on our walk to the Thames.

Tower Bridge.

We enjoyed the view at Covent Garden for a lot longer than it took to eat our delicious cookie!

By late afternoon, we headed to Russel Square to meet up with our gracious hosts for the week: Oya and Can. Oya is Sarah’s friend from her first job at Lehman Brothers and we attended her wedding to Can in Istanbul a couple years ago. We dropped our bags at their flat and headed out to their local pub, The Lamb, for a pint, then went next door to Ciao Bella for some delicious Italian food. We caught up for a couple hours over a great meal, then headed to bed to rest up after a long day.

Sarah woke up early on Wednesday and took advantage of Oya’s gym pass to get in a quick workout; I planned out our next few days here in London. Once we were both showered and caffeinated, we set out to see some of London’s most famous landmarks. The sun even came out for a few hours…which Oya and Can said is extremely rare!

One of the many quaint houses that make up the Russel Square neighborhood.

Classic London: red double-decker busses, war monuments and old buildings.

Big Ben.

Parliament.

Buckingham Palace.

After we finished strolling through St. James's Park, we got on a bus to see Sarah’s old neighborhood when she studied abroad here in 2005. Shepherd’s Bush was nothing special back then and not much has changed, but the leisurely walk back through Notting Hill was pretty nice.

A classic British pub we passed en route to Sarah’s apartment.

Found it!

When we were tired of walking, we got back on another bus to Oxford Circus to find some dinner. Sarah explored a few shops while I explored a few British pubs; we met at the one I liked best and had some classic British food for dinner. Great way to end the day.

Oxford Circus was packed with people. Most pubs were overflowing onto the street (well, more of a pedestrian walkway). Wonder what it’s like on a weekend!

On Thursday, Sarah and I went our separate ways for half the day, then synced up for dinner with our friend Mona. Sarah did some shopping – at least one of us had to go to Harrods! – and I did my best impression of an American tourist exploring London. The weather turned out beautifully today (apparently this is even more rare than yesterday!) so I had an excellent time seeing the city.

Borough Market.

The Shard.

St. Paul’s Cathedral and Millennium Bridge.

St. Paul’s up close.

In the gardens at St. Paul’s.

The skyline of London as seen from Primrose Hill.

The Regent’s Park.

In the gardens at The Regent’s Park. Not too shabby, London!

We met Mona at Dishoom, one of the best Indian places in the city. Both she and Oya / Can recommended it to us. The food was delicious and it was fun to catch up with Mona after a few years apart.

Friday revolved around a reunion with my old au pair, Jacqui, and her family in their hometown of Denmead. Before we went, however, we stopped by Burger & Lobster to try out their new breakfast menu. Sarah had been before on prior trips to London; the restaurant is known for only serving three things: a burger, a lobster roll or a lobster tail (all for the same price…so only suckers get the burger). The location in the financial district is experimenting with breakfast so we were able to get our meal at half price. I got the “burger” breakfast sandwich (which was amazing) and Sarah got the lobster scrambled eggs (which were only okay…more eggs than lobster). The train to get to Denmead took about an hour and a half and we met Jacqui and her husband Jamie at the station by mid-afternoon.

Our first stop: Jacqui and Jamie’s local pub for a drink before their kids got home from school. I was very fun to catch up with them, though Jacqui had to adjust to my scraggly beard a bit. This adjustment was not helped by the fact that a spider dropped out of my beard mid-conversation. I can only imagine that I walked into a web between their car and the pub…but it was a hilarious, well-timed mishap as we were discussing how to keep it clean, etc. at the exact moment it decided to appear!

Jacqui and Jamie’s children, Charlie and Hannah, were very excited to see us. Charlie showed us a magic trick, Hannah showed us her gymnastics moves. We had an excellent time catching up for  a few hours over a home cooked meal of delicious British food (which does exist!). We were sad to say goodbye, but hopefully we can see them all again sometime very soon!

Everyone (except Jamie, the photographer for this shot!) in the backyard.

The one disaster of our visit – an old bench in their backyard collapsed under out weight. It probably couldn’t have supported any three people, but it served as a reminder that Sarah and I need to get on a diet once we’re done traveling!

The rest of our time in London was devoted to our excellent hosts, Oya and Can. They were both off work for the weekend so we got up early on Saturday to take a train out of the city and explore the countryside on a long walk. Unfortunately, the beautiful weather we had over the past few days had gone and we were treated to a more “traditional” setting in the country: grey and rainy weather. No matter, we still had a great time and it felt good to do a long hike!

Green and grey views all day.

English humor.

One of the villages we walked through.

A creek almost at the end of our hike.

Take-away pints for the train home? Check!

Once back in London, we ate at one of Oya and Can’s favorite pubs and stopped for gelato on the way home to top it off. A very fun day, indeed!

Today is our last day in London before returning to the US. I can’t believe we’re actually flying home tomorrow! We were all a little sore from the hike yesterday so we had a relatively lazy day: a late brunch, a stroll around the hip East London neighborhood, a trip to see Oya and Can’s new flat (they just bought it and will be able to move in shortly!) and a Sunday roast to cap it all off. The perfect way to relax before our trip home tomorrow.

Our crew at the Sunday roast.

I could get used to eating something like this once a week…

Our flight is early tomorrow so we’re going to bed to get some rest. Can’t wait for the comforts of home tomorrow!

Paris

We spent Thursday getting organized in Lisbon and mapping out our game plan for Paris and London. Disappointed to learn that Brunch Café was closed for "vacation" for the next two weeks (we could really get used to the European way of life!), we headed back to our reliable restaurant marketplace, Mercado de Ribeira, for one final meal. 

Our late afternoon flight was slightly delayed so it was nearly midnight by the time we made it to Paris. While we were both pretty tired, we were excited to see a lively atmosphere at the crowded bars and clubs in Montmartre, our home for the next four days.

We woke up on Friday morning with the sun shining through our AirBNB apartment windows (tonight we will remember to pull the shades!) so we headed out early for some coffee nearby. I decided immediately that I loved the surrounding neighborhood, which was full of cute shops, cafes and restaurants and also reminded me of New York. After deux café au laits (four years of French is slowwwly coming back to us), Alex and I headed up the hill to check out the Sacré-Coeur.

Looking out down the hills and toward Paris.

Gazing up at the beautiful church (without the hordes of tourists already scurrying around the area).

We noticed that almost everyone else ended their tour after taking photographs from the front and venturing inside; we headed around back and found a beautiful little park to stop at for a rest (and as you can see, very few other tourists ventured back here!).

Time to walk down the steps through Montmartre!

Looking back up toward the basilica one more time.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the Montmartre area on foot and ended with a leisurely lunch at a cute outdoor café before heading into central Paris for the afternoon. Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe, where we purchased our Paris Museum Pass (definitely recommend buying one if you spend a few days exploring the city - the pass is good at most sites, including Versailles) and checked out the views from the top. Unfortunately the weather was a bit hazy so we decided to return once the sky cleared up (another benefit of the pass - unlimited entries!).

While it looks like I am about to be run over, I was actually standing on a median!

Completely overheated from the muggy weather, Alex and I decided to spend the afternoon in the Louvre. I had admittedly been dreading this part of the trip given my memory of the number of tourists pushing through to see the famous works of art and the current prevalence of selfie sticks. Unfortunately, it was worse than I remembered!

I know I am not a museum person but come on! This is simply not enjoyable!

This picture pretty much sums up our thoughts on seeing the Mona Lisa: selfie required, pushing mandatory, frustration inevitable.

In all seriousness, it's a shame that the museum's crowds lessen the experience so significantly; it's hard to imagine Alex or I ever going back to the Louvre in its current state. Seeking a more peaceful experience, we headed to some of the lesser-known exhibits and definitely found a slightly less hectic route through the museum.

Alex is always drawn to the ancient Egyptian / Persian artifacts.

We can never resist a great view of the surrounding landscape!

I was drawn to the beautiful blue and turquois tiles displayed throughout the Persian exhibit.

Looking back at the Louvre.

We spent the remainder of the late afternoon strolling around the parks and gardens near the Seine river and by the evening we were ready to call it a day.

Checking out the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. About half the size of the more famous Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile, we thought it also looked similar to Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Definitely a few degrees cooler by the water!

Opting for a lighter dinner, we hopped into a local grocery and picked up some meats, cheeses and baguettes (but of course!) for a picnic in our apartment. While located on the sixth floor of a pre-war walk-up building, the apartment also has pretty nice views of Montmartre and we were able to enjoy the sunset at our temporary home.

We actually missed a brief thunderstorm - glad we made it back in time for the sunset!

We reserved Saturday for a day trip to Versailles but made sure to save enough time in the morning to grab a pastry to go from a shop around the corner...

Quite the display! I convinced Alex to stray from his usual pain au chocolat to try the poire et chocolat pinwheel and let me just say: it’s hard to select a bad pastry in Paris!

Even though the public transportation system in Paris will take you directly to Versailles, the journey took nearly two hours door-to-door. Once we saw the predictable masses of tourists waiting to get inside, we were thankful we thought to bring sandwiches and cold water to enjoy while we stood in line.

The interior of Versailles is certainly something to behold, but I think both Alex and I enjoyed exploring the outdoor gardens more. While the rooms inside are ornate and beautifully decorated, it all started to feel a little overwhelming given the huge number of visitors that pass through each day.

Walking into the front of the palace.

I liked this golden statue of Venus.

Checking out one of many ivy-covered archways in the gardens.

Looking out onto the gardens from the palace.

Watching the final fountain display at Neptune's Fountain. (Tip: if you go to Versailles, try to plan around the fountain shows, which only occur on select days and at select times).

This was one of my favorite views in the entire complex.

Once we got back to Paris, we got off near the Eiffel Tower to check out the views - and many brides being photographed!

It took a couple tries to get this shot - the first woman I asked actually managed to get a picture of us without any part of the tower!

It really is a beautiful sight.

Thinking of the movie Inception.

Realizing we still had a couple of hours until sunset (the sun sets at 10pm during the summertime here!), we had a casual dinner at Oscar. We figured the place would be packed, but it turned out that we had the entire restaurant to ourselves...normally when I see a restaurant with no one else in it, I decide we need to change plans (if no one else is there, it must be bad, right?). But it must have been a fluke that it was empty tonight because its 4.5 starts in TripAdvisor are very well deserved!

Afterward, we made our way back to the Arc de Triomphe and repeated the climb to the top - this time the weather cooperated and we were able to catch some amazing views.

Dusk falling on La Tour Eiffel.

Looking back toward the financial district.

We woke up a little later on Sunday and geared up for another day of sightseeing, beginning with the Musée d'Orsay. Alex and I tend to prefer Impressionist art to Renaissance styles so we really enjoyed many of the pieces on display here (not to mention the lower volume of tourists!).

Rooftop views of the Seine.

Looking out through the old clocktower.

A couple of my favorite pieces by Monet at the museum.

Alex and I both liked the bright colors in this pointillism style piece.

After we were finished at the museum, we walked along the Seine toward Notre Dame. The church was beautiful but we didn't stay long because it was mobbed with tourists and the entrance to go up to the top had just closed. We'll come back tomorrow to check out the views from the top.

The views from across the river, looking back at Notre Dame.

We walked to St. Germain to enjoy a few glasses of wine outdoors and spent a few hours chatting and people watching before dinnertime. Based on the recommendation of our friend Jill in Barcelona we headed to L'entrecote for their famous steak-frites. I was so hungry I ate everything before snapping a pic, but believe me when I say the food was amazing (it better be with lines out the door and no menu!). We went to bed full and happy, ready for one more day in Paris.

Feeling a little lethargic, we jumpstarted the day with a run through the city...and then promptly undid our efforts with some delicious crepes for lunch. While our crepes were stuffed with delicious ingredients, I still prefer an omelet / egg  or sandwich base to the dry crepe wrap and am looking forward to just that when we make it back to the States!

After lunch, we walked back to Notre Dame and only had to wait about 45 minutes before being granted access to the rooftop. Needless to say, the wait was worth it!

Alex loved all of the different gargoyles looking out onto the city.

I thought this guy was pretty creepy but the views of Paris cannot be beat.

After taking in the views at Notre Dame, we headed to the nearest Longchamp location (there are a LOT throughout the city) to buy Alex's mom a bag as a thank you gift for all the help she's been while we've been away. Who doesn't like a limited edition bag from a French designer, purchased in Paris?

New bag in hand, we made our way by metro back towards the Eiffel Tower so we could eventually watch the sunset there after dinner. As we walked to dinner at Bistrot Chez Franz we were treated to beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower, which never seems to get old.

None of the locals seemed as impressed as we were.

Our dinner experience was actually pretty memorable - some good and some bad. Chez France is run by a husband and wife team, but unfortunately the wife was completely overwhelmed and could not attend to 8 tables at once (understandably, but still a bit frustrating to wait 20 minutes for water). The food was incredible - Alex and I loved every single thing we ordered - but the surrounding company (mostly annoying American tourists) was not. To top it off, a cute elderly lady sitting next to us got sick and vomited directly on the table...depositing every bite of the meal she'd just finished right back onto the plate! Maybe give this relatively new place a few months to sort itself our before you visit?

After dinner - we left pretty quickly after the unpleasant incident above - we followed the lead of every other tourist and local around and grabbed some wine to watch the sun set behind the Eiffel Tower. The drunk college students and rowdy teenagers made the whole scene feel a little bit like a spring break party, but the view was definitely worth sticking around for.

I maintain that the giant inflatable tennis ball is an eyesore, but I am sure the advertising fees are quite high.

A man, his beard and the Eiffel Tower.

One more before bedtime.

Tomorrow we are taking a morning train to London and Alex and I are both excited to spend time with our friends and former colleagues before heading home to NYC!

Lisbon

Sarah and I woke up on Sunday to discover that Cascais had been taken over by some sort of children’s festival for the day. All the streets were shut down, there were hordes of screaming children everywhere and at least four “bouncy houses” – so we decided to head back to Lisbon early in the day rather than competing with all the kids for a spot on the beach.

We spent the afternoon strolling around Lisbon’s beautiful streets, popping into a few shops and eventually eating another delicious meal at Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. With so many choices, it’s hard to go wrong there!

Sarah loved the art deco feel of this brightly colored building.

Afternoon sun overlooking São Jorge Castle.

Panoramic views of Lisbon

Looking out on the 25th of April Bridge from one of Lisbon’s many hills.

Fortunately the city also has numerous streetcars to help pedestrians get up and down the hills - though nearly $4 for a 3-minute ride is a little "steep!"

We woke up on Monday and headed back to the train station to catch a quick train to Belem, a small historic town just outside Lisbon. Our first stop: lunch at Pão Pão Queijo Queijo. The line was out the door and the ordering process was a bit chaotic – all the locals knew the unspoken, unwritten procedures and basically no one spoke English – but the delicious sandwich I got was worth the hassle! (Sadly, Sarah’s falafel was pretty lousy…but I dutifully shared my sandwich with her.)

One we were finished with our lunch, we set out to see Belem for a few hours (with a gelato stop along the way) before the heat tired us out and we headed back to Lisbon.

Intricate handiwork on the Jerónimos Monastery.

By the marina in Belem. So similar to San Francisco! (Well, except for the giant Jesus statue in the distance.)

Belem Tower, one of several defensive towers built around Portugal in the 1500s.

Afonso de Albuquerque Square near the center of town.

Once back in Lisbon, we decided to power through the day and headed directly to Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest neighborhood, on our way up to São Jorge Castle. The sun was beginning to set so the heat died down a bit and once we got up higher above the city the wind was pretty strong. Lisbon seems to have the widest range of temperatures during the day – we were hot in Belem, then practically freezing for sunset at São Jorge!

We stopped a few times on our walk up to São Jorge, once at a small garden and once at an outdoor café, to break up the walk and take in the views. By the time we made it to the top the sun was just about to set over the mountains – it was a tiring walk after a full day in Belem, but we’re so happy that we did it!

Sarah posing for picture in the garden we stopped at on the way up.

The National Pantheon.

This bird paused to take in the views too.

Taking in the sunset over Lisbon.

Sunset in Lisbon. Definitely worth the walk!

One of the best things about Lisbon is that there are many great destinations close by that are easily accessible by train. Sintra had been recommended to us as a day trip by multiple friends so we blocked off all of Tuesday to explore the area. After an easy train ride, we figured out the bus schedule – there is a bus that specifically runs to take tourists from the train station to the main attractions in town – and grabbed a bite to eat. Our first stop was the Castle of the Moors, which sits high above town and served as an important military stronghold for Portugal during Medieval times. It was so high and the walls so low (at some points) that we passed many tourists having minor panic attacks along the way.

Looking out to the Atlantic Ocean from the Castle of the Moors.

Sintra looks like a tiny town from up here!

The extremely windy conditions probably contributed to some of the other tourists’ anxiety up there.

After we explored the castle for an hour or so, we walked a little further uphill to Pena National Palace. Now the Palace is a museum and UNESCO classified it as a World Heritage Site, but prior to the Portuguese Revolution in 1910, the royal family resided here (and clearly lived quite well!). We were both blown away by the colors that decorate the outside of the Palace – each part is styled in bright, bold colors, giving it the effect of something you might see in a Disney movie.

Pena National Palace.

The parts that aren’t painted bright yellow, red or blue are tiled beautifully.

You can see how much higher we are here – that’s the castle down to the right.

Had to clear a few tour groups out of the way for this shot, but definitely worth it!

One more shot of the Palace.

We took the bus back down to the center of Sintra and headed over to Quinta da Regaleira, another recommendation from our friends but a little more off the beaten path (few group-tour itineraries include a stop here). We wandered through the lush gardens and explored the old buildings scattered throughout for a couple hours before heading back to the train station.

Sintra looks a little different from down here!

The palace at Quinta da Regaleira.

The Terrace of the Celestial Worlds.

There are a few wells throughout the Quinta da Regaleira grounds which we were able to climb down. Sarah opted to wait safely outside but I headed down the Initiation Well to snap a few pictures.

One more looking up out of the well.

The view from the observation deck of the palace.

The trip back to Lisbon didn’t take long but we were both starving by the time we arrived. We headed to Taberna Anti-Dantas for a truly local dining experience. The small restaurant was run by one guy, there were only a few tables and basically no English was spoken. But we understood enough to order some delicious food off the menu…and Sarah was even bold enough to try the grilled octopus!

Not something she would typically order, but she loved it!

Having seen most of the major sights in and around Lisbon, we decided to head back to the beach for a relaxing day on Wednesday. Carcavelos is closer to Lisbon than Cascais but still had a great beach to sprawl out on for a few hours. Once we were tired of the sun (and all the teenagers who clearly just got out of school here!) we took the train back to Lisbon and had one final dining experience at Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. Seriously, go here if you visit Lisbon!

Tomorrow we fly to Paris to resume the last part of our originally planned France itinerary. Hopefully we don't have any more run-ins with thieves there!

Cascais

After enjoying a relaxing few days on Portugal’s southern coast, we decided to change things up by heading north…for some additional beach time! Cascais was recommended to us by many other travelers given its proximity to Lisbon (40 minutes by train) and charming, small beach-town vibe.

Friday was a long day of traveling – nearly five hours on a bus to Lisbon, then connecting to the train via metro, then finally the train to Cascais – but we were thrilled when we finally arrived in a beautiful small town, full of outdoor cafes and more cobblestone streets (one of the many things we are starting to love about Portugal). We had to wait about a half hour to check into our guest house for the next two nights, but we passed the time by sipping beer outside from a nearby bodega and taking in the views!

The street on which our guest house was located - so pretty!

Right in front of our guesthouse - no dark alleyways here.

After checking in, we freshened up and then headed out to explore the town, which was easily doable by foot. The small town harbor was packed with colorful little fishing boats just as the restaurants were packed with other tourists – mostly local Portuguese visitors.

One of our favorite places to walk past.

Boats in the bay.

Once the sun went down, we sought immediate refuge from the wind and colder temperatures and luckily found it right around the corner from our guesthouse at 5 Sentidos. Well, sort of…we had to sit outside since the place was packed but the restaurant was prepared and handed each of us big, warm blankets to fight off the wind! In addition to the blankets and bottle of wine we ordered, we were also warmed up by the biggest plate of seafood paella I have ever seen in my life.

Seriously, this could have easily fed a table of six!

Alex and I definitely overdid it with the paella (it was just SO good) so we rolled ourselves home and off to bed to rest up for a big day of – you guessed it – doing a whole lot of nothing while relaxing at the beach.

We woke up to perfect weather on Saturday – we have yet to have a cloudy day in Portugal, where it is sunny approximately 300 days out of the year! – and started by walking along the boardwalk from Cascais to nearby Estoril.

Looking back on Cascais.

One of the many beautiful homes we passed by.

Praia Tamariz in Estoril.

Crystal clear - and cold! - water in every direction.

Lots of bright yellow buildings throughout Portugal.

There weren't too many sailboats around but this big one caught our eye.

The walk between the two towns reminded us of the Bondi Beach walk we did in Sydney, though we haven’t seen too many places that can compete with the scenery of the Australian coast! We picked a spot on the beach near Estoril and pretty much camped out for the day, alternating between reading, laying out and cooling off with a dip in the ocean. Once we’d had enough sun, we headed back to Cascais and ended the day with a deliciously simple dinner of mussels and gin at the aptly named Moules & Gin. Alex and I hadn’t been big shellfish eaters prior to this trip (well he has always “claimed” he was allergic to shrimp and scallops), but we will both definitely be incorporating mussels into our future meals!

Quiet streets on the way back to Cascais.

Pre-dinner stroll along the water.

A lot of broth fell into that beard.

We started Sunday with another coastal walk, this time to Boca de Inferno, and enjoyed the much quieter feel of this less-traveled part of town.

Lighthouse near Cascais Marina.

Alex posing near Boca de Inferno.

The cliffs at Boca de Inferno.

While the day was beautiful, we decided that instead of sticking around in Cascais we would head back to Lisbon, agreeing to spend one of our four remaining days in Lisbon at a closer beach town. The past week of surf, sun, sand, siestas (and shellfish!) has been the perfect way to recover from our horrible incident in Marseille and we are looking forward to four more days in sunny Portugal.