O Mar

I went to the sea (o mar) this weekend! The Lisbon coast is gorgeous. It was one of those places where you want to take a million pictures to try to capture how beautiful the place is. 

First we went to Cabo da Roca, which is the most western point in all of Europe. It was seriously breathtaking. Joy came with me and she really loved it. 

Then I spent some time in Cascais, a beach resort town where lots of the Lisboetas go on the weekends.

This place is called Boca do Inferno. It's in Cascais. 

I liked this man fishing. Cascais started as a fishing town, and there's still a bit of fishing industry.

More of the Cascais beach. I went in the water at what was called Praia da Rainha.

 I saw this as I was strolling through the little town. I wasn't sure what to make of it, so maybe you can tell me.

That evening I went to Colombo, the largest shopping mall in all of Iberia. I can't even begin to describe how huge or confusing it was.  

I also had a view of Estádio da Luz, one of Lisbon's main soccer stadiums. I had wanted to see a game there, but Portugal's season ended early because of some European competition. Soccer lovers probably hate me right now for not knowing whatever huge European soccer thing is going on.

Today after church, I went to the Gulbenkian museum. It is supposed to be Lisbon's best museum. It was really lovely. It is a lot smaller than many other museums, but still had some really great pieces, ranging from Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art, to Mesopotamian and Islamic art and European art, including my favorite, impressionism. Photos were discouraged, so I only have a picture of the outside, which was quite unassuming.

Then I went to this shopping center of sorts called the LX Factory. It is an old factory that has been re-purposed into boutique shops focused on design, art, music, architecture, etc. It's in the Alcantara district.

The first place I went was this Bookstore I had heard about called Ler Devagar (Read Slowly). It has a very industrial feel, but it is really interesting because it has floor to ceiling books, and it's filled with staircases and ladders so you can reach them.

Then I went to this place that only makes one type of chocolate cake. Nothing more. Apparently it's supposed to be the best ever. It was pretty delicious.

I was supposed to visit another place too, but the volatile Lisbon weather forced me to return home.