We had a glorious beach walk this morning at Peniche. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but after a couple of days of cloud / rain the sun was shining and the sky was blue. Our dogs were very happy to be off lead again and there was much play fighting and rolling in the sand. What a lovely start to the day.
After breakfast and completing services we used the long awaited motorhome wash. 330 seconds for 2€, complete with pre-wash, wash with detergent and rinse cycles to select during your alloyed time. Even a ladder to access the roof. We duly pressure washed and rinsed but after a couple of hours on the road the insect splat level is restored and otherwise it looks more streaky that before 🙄😂
We had a lovely drive off-toll road through multiple villages and towns. After the Northern Portugal areas which looked like they were suffering from very progressive population loss, the central Portuguese regions look a bit more lived in an communal. There were ladies airing their floor mats and talking over walls, from windows / across the street. There were cafe bars that had stood the test of time / development. Plus lots of windmills restored / derelict and miniature reproductions. However the views as we headed south were 360 degree with the Atlantic on one side and a beautiful green valley to the other. Therefore sure enough there were estates of ultra modern box houses popping up on the seaward side.
There were however plenty of old tiled Portuguese houses opening directly onto the road to make the places look authentic! We eventually came into Sintra, which we will visit tomorrow by tuk tuk. We had one navigational variation via the satnav which resulted in wing mirror being pulled in which concluded that was a good plan.
Finally we made it to Cascais late afternoon and found our shaded free carpark for the night. There are numerous other vans also marked up so it felt safe enough. We decided to head into Cascais for a late lunch.
The town looks immaculate and the citadel we passed on the way into town, so similar to that in Peniche, but maintenance so clearly much better financed. The villas were larger and we were passed by Maserati and Ferrari on the way into town, so it was no surprise to see a glittering marina and many large boats moored up. The petrol station even had a dog wash as well as a car wash 😂 It was however, nice to see a very large Ukranian flag flying.
We were pretty hungry by the time we came upon the restaurant area and subsequently fell into the nearest busy restaurant. The town was booming and we haven’t seen this many people in one place on the whole of our trip so far. Lunch was sadly a little average but we are now in the region of multiple language versions of the menu including English breakfast and Fish and Chips. However, that should not take away from what is a very pretty town.
Kevin did take the opportunity to “join them” by having an IPA in the John Bull pub nearby. As a real ale fan, I think it was nice to try on again. However, I think if Estrella Galicia was available he would have opted for that.
In for a Penney 
The parkwas busier in May than it was in late August when we were the only van there.
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