Cascias Portugal- Where the Beer Flows Like Wine

Cascais

Due to the fact I was enticed by the lovely little Irish pub located in the pinkish building below, I didn't get to see as much of Cascais as I had intended to. While drinking the day away at a beachside pub was fun, I was a little disappointed that I was not able to see anything destroyed by the deadly earthquake of 1755, which scientists now believe was touched off by the financial crisis of 2008.

The swirling ocean waters within Cascais Marina can often leave some amazing natural sand formations when the tide recedes. 

Did you actually believe these were natural formation left by tidal waters? If so, you're stupid. In reality, they are pieces of sand art painstakingly created by people with too much time on their hands who's parents never took them to the beach as a child. This one below depicts a small village surrounded by massive piles of dog poo signifying the artists vision of what could happen if people stopped cleaning up after their pets. A poignant and necessary message for the age of shit in which we now live. 

While Cascais is nice, its desire to cater to Americans is a little too blatant for my taste. This pub is a good example. It is named Duke, an obvious tribute to America's greatest college basketball program, and it's exterior is painted the same color as the current US president. 

Tapas- An inexpensive way to get fat in Spain

The Tapa

Europe has provided us with many amazing cultural traits. Hairy legged women, topless beaches, and wine with breakfast are just a few of the many beautiful customs this continent has shared with the world. But, in my opinion, the best of these European traditions comes from Spain in the form of a side dish that is served with the majority of alcoholic drinks one orders, the Tapa.

My first tapa in Madrid. A $2 beer served with a mini sandwich. I immediately fell in love with the country.

Mini baked potatoes covered in a mixture of olive oil, garlic, red powder of some sort and lots of TLC. So good, even Dr. Atkins would approve.

Stuffed shellfish. If you enjoy mud wrapped in rubber and cover in olive oil, then these are for you!

This is a type of Spanish stuffing made of bread, olive oil, sausage and various spices, popular during the Spanish version of Thanksgiving. Which they celebrate in the Spring. And call Easter.

The Pepita de Mesterio, a surprise in every bite. This one happened to be fish. I think.

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that some bars dole out these potent sardines as tapas because they know you will have to buy another 3 beers just to get the taste out of your mouth.

A Spanish egg roll. Ham and cheese stuffed in a pepper, battered and fried. I imagine the something like this could be found at state fairs across the US.

A Spanish delicacy, chips de patata. Good luck finding these in the USA.

Some tapas, like the one below, have the ability to clog your arteries by just looking at them.

Potato and octopus salad. If you are tired of the animals you eat only having 2-4 legs and enjoy chewing on things that have the consistency of one of those bouncy balls sold out of gum ball machines, then I suggest octopus.

One of the perks of the Spanish health care system is that you can enjoy a plate full of chopped bacon with your beer and then head directly from the bar to the hospital for a free angioplasty. Had Obamacare contained the same benefit, it may have been more popular with rural Americans.

Sintra- Castle of the Moors

Castle of the Moor's

Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis* are used to the little historical insights and travel stories I include with the pics. But, with this entry, I have decided to refrain from adding extra dialogue into the below photos. People** may ask why I am doing this, as my comments tend to be both informative and thought provoking. But, a picture paints a thousand words so I have decided to let them do all the talking this blog post.

For this reason, you will not see comments about the beautiful views of the colorful Pena Palace that can be seen from the castle walls and how if one looks closely, they can see the palace guards gaily skipping hand in hand along the walls of the palace, only taking a break from their protective duty for what from a distance, looks to be occasional games of leap frog.

I will not tell you how the Castle of the Moors was partially destroyed in the earthquake of 1755, caused by plate tectonics***, only to be rebuilt after the Portuguese King decided it was less expensive to construct a real citadel rather than continue to buy the sets of Lego castles he enjoyed building as a hobby.

You will not get to hear my pensive musings on being in a country famed for spewing seamen all over the world that led to the thoughts I had while standing on the walls of the castle, which gaze out to the vast Atlantic ocean, about how just across that ocean is the United States, and just across that country is the Pacific ocean, and how from that ocean, America's most famous sailors, Gilligan and the Skipper, set sail on a fateful three hour tour.

Nope, none of those longwinded, run-on sentences with an abundance of commas that typically accompany my pics will be included in this blog post. But, I hope you enjoy it anyway.

*My mom
**Also, my mom
*** Duh!