After a wonderful and adventurous day in Lisbon, I was a bit ramped up and had a really hard time going to sleep. That and the jet lag had me sleeping in until around noon. But hey, hubby and I still got a lot in!.
We started our day with a bus trip. We wanted to be able to drive during this trip so we rented a car. Most cars are manual transmissions in this country and my husband and I do not drive stick-shift. I am so glad we researched this fact before we got here. In fact, if you rent an automatic it can cost you double. I found a place that rented automatic cars but it was on the outskirts of Lisbon in a city called Leira. That is about an hour and a half away from the main city but it was a beautiful drive. Lots of wonderful rolling hills, small towns, and pastures of goats. LOL yes, goats.
Our bus ride cost €24 for both of us. Not a bad price for a comfy scenic ride. Once we got there we were cutting it close! Our bus got us to the station but we still had to us BOLT (uber/lift) to get to the car rental place. Most businesses close early on Saturday so we got there with 10 minutes to spare then had a HUGE scare! The door was locked! Imagine the panic we went through when we could not get anyone to answer the phone. But BEHOLD the rep came around the corner and we were taken care of immediately. We are rolling a BMW 3 series and guess what, it was SOOOOO new it had about 5 miles on it and still smelled good.
Now that we have wheels we are rolling, rolling, rolling, on the river (ok sing it like Tina Turner) We thought it would be a good idea to "sample" a few little cities to see which ones we would have to go spend more time in. We visited Leira, Nazare, Caldash Le Reihna, Torrace Vedres, and
The first stop on this appetizer day was Leiria. We know we will be revisiting this area but we thought we would drive-thru and grab a bit. We stopped at this little place called Beira Rio Cervejaria. It was a lovely day and we chose to eat outside to enjoy the breeze and sunshine. We ordered wings, an omelet and a beef dish, but the waiter just called it “cow” LOL. The beef dish was a bit too salty but we enjoyed the wings and omelet. It was such a joy to sit and enjoy my husband’s company, that is a much cherished time.
We decided to take a nice walk. The area was just calling us to do so. We were by a stream and a tree-lined walking path so we listened to the call. Along the way we watch a mama duck and her baby ducks play in the water, fish swimming in the stream, and listen to all the new bird calls we have never heard before. This walk fit the bill. I am determined to get in at least 10,000 to 15,000 steps in a day to keep my workout goals in check. It was not much else to see since things were closed. I really like the fact that weekends seem to be for relaxation here.
We had a bit of an adventure when we went to pick up the car. Our BMW was a bit on the large side and we had to back up several times in order to line up and get out of the parking lot. Sidenote: make sure you know where to pay before parking. I had to go on a hunt to find the hotel that would take our parking payment.
Next stop: Vieira de Leiria! We took the backroads to get to this beach destination and along the way, we saw sheep, goats lots of pastures. Such a peaceful drive. Once there we found an area that had shops and wonderful views of the ocean. Maybe we were not in the heart of the area but it was pretty sleepy. I am not complaining, it’s so nice to be away from the everyday hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. The warm winds do something for my soul. We grabbed our beloved cafe com leite and hit the road to or next sampling of Nazaré
Nazaré is a very interesting place. It is a fishing town and for years it was dying out until a surfer went on a hunt for the epic wave. His team came, found the pot of gold and BOOM, the town is thriving and has become a popular tourist destination. The six part documentary is called “100 Foot Wave” and you can find it on HBO or YouTube. It is worth the wait. Nazaré has a beautiful beach and the wave are glorious. There is a massive cliff that stand in all its’ majestic glory and is worth the view all on it’s own. It was pretty busy and was hard to maneuver around the people so we walked for a little while and decided this place is worth coming back to visit during the weekday.
Next stop: Caldas da Rainha - Oh my goodness what a fun history this place has. We watched a wonderful video on YouTube that took you on walking tour and gives great history so we knew this has to be a stop on our journey. Only catch, we got there too late. We found out most shops close at 7pm on Saturday and during the week they stay open until 10pm. There was an advantage to the empty streets. We were able to see some things in peace and quiet. Calas da Rainha is known for its wonderful pottery. You will find most of their cabbage pottery all across the world, but the most unusual thing in this town is it’s fascination with things phallic! Yep, you read that right! Pottery, household items, and tasty treats all praising the penis. Why? Nobody really knows but here is what I found when researching this fact:
“Nobody really knows why Caldas da Rainha makes penis-shaped pottery, even the people that paint them every day, but there are a few theories. The most common theory is that Dom Luís I of Portugal, who was king from 1861 to 1889, was visiting Caldas da Rainha and asked local potters to make him something different.
Bordalo Pinheiro, who founded the Fábrica de Faianças das Caldas da Rainha and invented the famous ceramic cabbage soup bowls, grabbed some clay and made a male member. The king liked it, and the town has continued making them to this day.”
You can bet I will be having a bit of fun with then when we roll back through with this town next week. How can you not have a penis pop? Just saying!
We were really hoping to eat in Calas da Rainha but luck was not on our side and LaLa was getting HANGRY! You gotta feed a sister who has been walking all day and on 3 hours of sleep!
Our final destination of the day was Torres Vedras . It was pretty late so we were lucky to find a place to eat. We ended up at a pretty little sushi place called Nishi. It did not disappoint. The sushi was fresh, the atmosphere was quaint and our bellies were happy. We had a poke bowl and calamari. Great-sized portions and a couple of glasses of wine for about €45 ($47.63) That was one of our more pricey dinners but we allowed for a few of those in our budget. Also, it was just about the only place open at that time.
What a beautiful day! It was time to head back to Lisbon to get rest and reflect on our awesome journey. Believe it or not, we found a great parking spot about a block from our Airbnb which was a relief. If you are renting a car please make sure you have parking with your hotel or Airbnb, it is important.
Hope you enjoyed this day with us, make sure you follow this series and most of all follow your dreams. You get one life, make it a hell of a ride.
Let Your Little Light Shine
Enjoy the video and if you likey-likey this post, please consider buying me a cafe con leite!
Source for Caldas da Rainha: https://www.portugalist.com/caldas-da-rainha-penis-pottery/