Cabo Da Roca

Exactly one week ago I was standing on the cliff top at Cabo da Roca in Portugal – the most westerly point of continental Europe.

I gazed out across the seemingly endless Atlantic, knowing that somewhere beyond all that blue sea was America.  And I reflected that, despite the apparent vastness of the ocean, the world is – these days – a very small place. 

I can hop on a plane and be in the States in a few hours.  I know 'cause I’ve done it.  Lots of times.  What’s more, I can pick up the phone; or tap a text into my mobile; or click a mouse on my Skype page; or send an e-mail; or tweet a few brief words; and, in seconds, can be communicating directly with someone all those miles away.

How phenomenally – astonishingly – brave were those explorers who set out in wooden boats with no idea of what was at the other side.  Or even – more to the point – whether there actually was another side. 

That’s the kind of courage – or recklessness – I can’t begin to fathom.

Sintra

To escape the blistering heat of Lisbon last Sunday, we travelled to Sintra.

At a higher altitude and with its own special microclimate, it’s a town of holiday homes – a summer get-away for city dwellers and a tourist magnet.

It bore an extraordinary resemblance to Shimla – the Indian town in the foothills of the Himalayas that we visited last November.  It, too, evolved as a summer retreat and, like Sintra, clings to the side of a mountain.  Even the names sound similar….

More of Lisbon…

Lisbon is a city of mosaic pavements and tiled facades; of wrought iron balustrades and saturated colour. 

We watched the sunset over the Atlantic and idled the days away in street cafes.  We rode the trams and visited the pastry shops.

Mostly we wandered.  Until late at night.  Revelling in the cool of the evening….

Lisbon

Just spent the weekend in swelteringly hot Lisbon.

More pictures coming soon. For now, the city in the glow of a dying sun...

Images of Summer (5)