Cascais

This day did not go as I expected. I had planned a trip to Cascais along the coast with the aim of seeing the royal palace there, another house built for an ancestor (well sharing surname) of Eoin, and for Luka's benefit, going for a swim.

First problem was Eoin didn't want to get out of bed in the morning, so I just said Luka and I would go on and he could meet us for, or after, lunch.

Second issue was the Royal Palace. Last time I was in Lisbon I couldn't visit it because it was not open on the day we came to Cascais. Same problem here. "Could you come back tomorrow?" the receptionist asked. Well, no. I was given a leaflet with a number to ring as apparently you really need to confirm same day whether or not they will be open. Grump. 

So were were left just to wander around the fortress. Which has some big outdoor artworks. Including what looks like a dusty SEAT car in the moat.

And this is the cove that I thought Luka would like, and he seemed very enthusiastic. So I suggested we return after lunch, with Eoin, go to the house opposite it and finish with a swim. You have to admit it loos lovely and inviting.

So, Luka and I had a substantial lunch. The seafood paella was excellent. I stayed put while he collected Eoin from the Mac Donalds outside Cascais station.  

When all together we headed for the park in which the house sits. Well we saw these chickens. But were then sent out of the park because the trees were infested with huge hornets that had already sent a group of small children to hospital with stings.

We did mosey into an adjacent building which housed a small but rather nice art collection. We were seized upon by the attendant who was clearly extremely bored as we were the only ones there. She was desperate to show off the collection to us.

We did at least get into the eccentric house

Note the shamrocks on the ceiling from the original owner, an O'Neill

A beautiful dining room, or "dinning room" according to the information board

So then I anticipated us hitting the sea on a sunny day. But the beaches didn't have bars, certainly the lovely cove didn't, and Eoin didn't want to go into the sea. So we ended up in an Irish bar, where Luka could show off his pool skills. He so loves playing pool. We did a similar thing in Barcelona. Meanwhile, as he wasn't keen on pool, Eoin concentrated on hitting the bottle. So that was pretty much the end of the day.

Sorry Luka but those cool baggy denim shorts do look like a naff skirt in this shot