Toby and Allan in Paris, Porto and Lisbon

Friday October 20 was warm and a mix of sun and cloud, with only a few drops of rain.  High was 21C.  It was the last full day of our trip. After breakfast, we stopped at Café A Brasileira for a coffee at the bar. The art deco interior is wonderful.  When it opened in 1905, it only served coffee from Brazil, hence its name. Last coffee at the bar of Café A Brasileira Our destination was Belém, the district to the west of central Lisbon, which contains a number of architectural and historic sights.  It is located on the Tagus River and was once a major maritime port.  It was about a 90 minute walk from our apartment.  We walked along the river.   More street art Tiled fountains New art Inside a University building- beautiful tiles We walked past the amazing Ponte 25 de Abril bridge. April 25 bridge- commemorating the date of the 1974 revolution We finally got to Belém and passed by the official residence ...

Thursday October 19 was cloudy with a bit of sun and a high of 19C.  We got up early as we were taking the Sandeman's Tour of Sintra.  In addition to their free city tours, Sandeman's had a paid day tour to Sintra, the resort town in the foothills of the Sintra Mountains, about 25km from Lisbon.  A longtime royal sanctuary, Sintra has a micro climate that makes it cooler than Lisbon and often foggy.  It is known for its many 19th-century Romantic villas, castles and royal retreats and estates.  There are many forested areas and it is very lush.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We met Pascal, our guide at the same spot we had met for our Free Tour, a five minute walk from our apartment.   We had a large group of about 20 people.  We  walked to the Rossi Train Station, about a 10 minutes from the meeting spot and not far from where we are staying. En route to the station- beautiful flowering trees that we had noticed before The Ros...