29 Dec 2013
Cascais is a seaside city by Lisbon. It's coated with beaches and beautiful cliffs.
This guy, Kabecao Rodrigues, was playing the handpan (an instrument invented in Switzerland).
His soothing music surrounded the street. You can hear a sample
here.
This reminded me of the harbor by North End, Boston.
A glimpse of the Santa Marta Lighthouse Museum
We met a lady who was feeding these wild cats by the lighthouse. She says she comes by everyday and leaves cat food for them to eat.
She talked to us for a while, and then said she had to go. When she left, some of the cats followed her which I thought was cute.
Inside the Santa Marta Lighthouse Museum
Jon being a hipster.
The view from the museum patio.
A five-star museum right next to the lighthouse. Super posh.
A bike trail right by the sea.
A glimpse of the lighthouse on our way to Boca do Inferno.
A house by the sea that I thought was cool.
Boca do Inferno, the mouth of hell.
While I was sitting along the wall, a guy walked up to me and asked if I could hand his bag to him after he jumped over the fence to take a photo closer to the coastline. A man working in a store close by told him he couldn't jump over because the waves were so strong that day. So we ended up just talking instead. I learned that he was an artist from Berlin who moved to Lisbon to work on his art. He was wearing Raybans and a simple trench coat and slacks.
"What kind of art do you do?"
"I don't describe my work." He pauses, and sees that I'd like an explanation. "It's like you describing your friend and then me meeting her and thinking she is completely different."
"So when you make art, you expect everyone to see your pieces differently from you?"
"Of course. Everyone sees art differently. Art in itself is so contrasting."
"Contradictory?"
"Ah, yes, contradictory."
"So why Lisbon?"
"Everyone goes to London, Berlin, New York. I want to do something big and different in Lisbon. Lisbon is the secret. I like nature. Maybe you'll read about me someday."
"What's your name then?"
He smiles. "Duje. D-u-j-e."
He also mentioned Cabo do Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe.
"Seeing the sunset from Cabo do Roca compared to this [from where we were standing] is like night and day. Like I said, life is fleeting and short. Take the risk and go."
We chatted a bit more, and then he says, "I don't know what I should do now. Maybe take a walk further or go back to the city." He looks at the sea for a while. "Ok, I'm going to take a swim now. Nice meeting you. Take care." With one last smile, he was gone.
A Portuguese sunset
On our way back to the train station, we saw this sandcastle. There were people on the top who would see if they could throw down change into the bucket.
Cascais was so worth the trip!
That night, we finally got to go to the first Fado bar from two nights ago:
Tasca do Chico in the Bairro Alto neighborhood.
We went around 8:30pm, and the place was already packed! People were spilling outside the doors and peaking in through the windows. We squeezed our way in and managed to grab a small spot by the bar, but there was no where to sit by then.
But the music was so worth it. Fado is melancholy and accompanied with guitar and
Portuguese guitar (seen on the left).
The atmosphere here was so warm and lively. There were still a lot of tourists, but everyone enjoyed the Fado together. The waitresses at the bar would sing along with the fadista sometimes.
