Cascais Portugal

Why we chose to land here?

I wrote previously about how we chose Portugal. Today we’ll focus on why we choose Cascais. When we first started thinking about moving to Portugal we thought we might head to Lisbon. We were both raised in or near major US cities and had been in the “burbs” too long.

That isn’t the Golden Gate Bridge, rather the view from Lisbon.

Onix

But as we thought more about it, we considered Onix. A dog that was raised on desert streets and lived in a home with a doggie door and an accessible backyard. Yes, we walked for 45 minutes or so each morning … but the rest of the day she was on her own. So a big part of our decision to focus on Cascais was a backyard.

As it turns out, our dog is not only special but very adaptable. We didn’t find a home with a backyard and she doesn’t mind apartment life. She has settled into a routine of going out, with our assistance, four times a day. And we have settled into the routine, though at times inconvenient, as well.

The Portuguese Riviera

As we did more research, we quickly settled on The Portuguese Riviera … Cascais, Estoril, and Sintra. We focused on areas that:

1. Were close to the coast;

2. Had golf courses;

3. Did not require a car; and

4. Provided easy access to Lisbon.

Oddly enough we met a couple in the airport that put us off Sintra. They suggested it had its own micro-climate, and while it might be warm and sunny in Estoril or Cascais, it could be cold and foggy in Sintra. This was confirmed by others we spoke to. So while Sintra looks like a fairy tale town, particularly after our first winter in Portugal, we sought warmer environs.

We were told by another couple that Estoril was “old money” and Cascais was for the nouveau rich. While I certainly don’t think of us as rich, I definitely don’t come from “old money”. I think of myself as nouveau comfortable.

Why Cascais

As we looked for places to escape our first accommodations we found ourselves more and more drawn to Cascais. It felt more like a city, than Estoril. It had lots of small, winding, pedestrian streets to get lost in. It has many more restaurants. It had more museums (5), and two golf courses rather than one. We were also drawn to the 10km walking and bike path that extended all the way to Guincho Beach.

Since we moved here, we have learned that there are unique benefits to living in Cascais. MobiCascais, a free bus service, is one such benefit. And while this is not official, it seems to me that the streets and sidewalks are cleaner here. Yes, there is still the sidewalk danger … but I observe human street sweepers every day and the main square being power washed about once a week.

Happy, for Now

So far, we are pleased with our decision. We love our apartment and our daily walks. We have joined a golf course which is among the Top 100 in the World. The Lisboa Viva card provides us public transportation over an area of 100 square kilometers. It takes only 30-40 minutes to take the train to downtown Lisbon.

Of course, we have only seen a very, small part of Portugal. We have friends in California that love Porto. And we have met another couple, through this blog, that have purchased a home in the Algarve. As we haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit other parts of Portugal I can’t be sure we will be here throughout our Portuguese journey. [Since we rented a furnished apartment (something I had never done before) we have the option to move to another area in Portugal after we have spent a year or two in this place.] But for now…we are very happy in Cascais.