Mr. Brownie in Portugal

While I may not have known anything about Portugal or it's capital, which is Lisbon by the way, I left this beautiful country feeling wiser and relaxed. Right when I landed with 4 other girls we had arranged a food and wine tour. We decided to stay in a guest house out in a beach town called Cascais, so we literally backpacked our way through this tour. Our smart ass tour guide kept complaining about how slowly we moved. I should have asked if he wanted to take my bag. He introduced us to the delicacies of Portugal. We started with a lemon pastry and a pastry actually made from beans. He really should have waited till after we ate to say the beans part, because it was really delicious. Then we had our first shot of Espresso. He ranted about how Americans get addicted to caffeine and how the Portuguese drink 5 shots of espresso a day because it's their culture. I told him they were all addicted. Then he complained about how Americans take coffee to go in gross cups and don't sit and enjoy. I did't say anything, but I almost said there is a reason we are more well known than Portugal and that's because we don't sip espresso all day, but i refrained. After a beautiful tour learning about all the different types of people living in Portugal and seeing the city we ventured to Cascais, where we were hoping for beautiful weather, but of course it rained almost the whole time . Cascais seemed like the Destin of Portugal. Bright colored buildings, restaurants on the water, and small fun shops everywhere. We stayed at an adorable guest house run by a single mom. It was out of a an ikea/ pottery barn magazine. It was the first time i showered during a weekend trip. The funniest part is that this women had a cat named Mr. Brownie who got into everything. It wasn't even senor brownies. Hearing this Portuguese women yell "Mr. Brownie off da counter" was always funny. We ate "piri piri " aka grilled chicken with a weird spicy sauce. The food was nothing to rave about.  The best part was going to Sintra. Maryann and i now judge everything by the schlep factor. Sintra rated at about a 7 because it required 3 different types of transportation.  It was worth it to see the city and the awesome Penna castle.  Then we hurried back to soak up as much sun as possible the last day. It was a relaxing trip to a place I never thought I would go!

Besos

Mica