Lisbon, Portugal -- October 28 to November 1, 2015

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Lisbon is our starting point for a cruise along the west coast of Africa. We arrived 3 days early so that we would have the opportunity to enjoy some of the sites in and around Lisbon. Our hotel was the Lapa Palace Hotel, it is truly a 5 star hotel and if you ever have the opportunity to stay there, take advantage of it. On day two the city called and so we were off to try to take in some of the sites. Our travels included Belem, a historic suburb and sampling some traditional Portuguese pastries. Next on our list was a visit to the Castle of St George which provides an excellent overview of the city. No visit to Portugal would possible without some Port Wine tasting and a Portuguese dinner at a Fado restaurant. Day three saw us outside of the city with a visit to Sintra,a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural site. The highlight of the city is the Royal Palace. one noteworthy item of this Palace besides the colossal 14th century chimneys is that the occupants had to be in fairly good shape since there were stairs everywhere. Onward to the Seteais Palace now a luxury hotel for coffee and pastries, a stop at Cabo da Roca, an elevated lookpout with a view of the surrounding national park and the Atlantic Ocean, and the resort town of Cascais with its beaches, shops and winding lanes.

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Photos

Portuguese Exporers
The Portuguese were some of Europe's greatest explorers, but with the exception of Brazil never reaped the full benefits