Being thrown of the train to Cascais, threaten with a fee and the police.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful former fishing port.

 

 

Today we decided to leave the conference hall after lunch.  We wanted to visit Cascais, a former small fishing port just 30 minutes train tour from Lisboa.

 

Hilde guided us to the train station; the train arrived at the station the same time as we did so we jumped on.  I was wondering where to by the tickets, but my friends told me we could by them on the train.

 

On the next station four controllers entered the train, demanding to see our tickets.  The first one applied me asking for the ticked, and I knew I was in big trouble. 

 

I answered him in VERY bad English and asked him if I could by a ticked from him.

 

 

He told me I should have bought the ticked on the station before entering the train.  I answered him in half Norwegian half English.  He didn`t like my answer and threatened me with a fee and that the police would pick me up on the next station.

 

My friends understood what he was telling me, but I played the fool.  Telling my friends in Norwegian what he told me and adding that we had to play the game as “non speaking English, we are so dumb and blond”. 

 

At this time my friends started to speak Norwegian, shaking their heads looking concerned.  But none of them spoke a word English.

 

The controllers lost their patience and with their gesture told us to leave the train. 

 

Arriving the station we all went wear of the police station next to the station.

  The controllers looked confused,  and I think they were feed up with the stupid blond Norwegian. 

 

I know they say" Blondes have more fun", but I`m not so sure this is true.  But I learned to day that "Blondes can get away with almost everything" if they are smiling and acting as if they are stupid.  This can bee useful in the future.

 

Oh my, oh my, if they only know that we had been following the Intensive Care Medicine Congress and that English was the language all of us used when we followed the discussions.

 

But it`s ok for me to look like a stupid blond to avoid both a fee and the police.

 

We found a ticket machine at the station, bought tickets and got on the next train.

 

Cascais is a coastal town 30 kilometers west of Lisbon, with about 35,000 residents in the town.

It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal.

 

The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal's royal family in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

 

Nowadays it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists. Cascais is also a municipality with over 180,000 inhabitants. It is located in the Estoril Coast, in Greater Lisbon sub region ".

 

Today there is a large yacht harbor and several small sand beaches in and around town. Cascais is easily reached from Lisbon by car, (A5 Lisboa-Cascais highway), or by frequent inexpensive commuter trains.

 

It has the ruins of a castle, an art and sea museum as well as parks and the charming cobbled streets of the historic centre. The town has many hotels and tourist apartments as well as many good restaurants of varying cost.

 

It is a fine base to use for those visiting Lisbon and its environs that prefer to stay outside of the city yet in an equally urban and sophisticated environment.

 

Cascais is surrounded by popular beaches such as Guincho Beach to the west, and the lush Sintra Mountains to the north. Some of its shoreline is cliffy, attracting tourists for its seascapes and other natural sights such as Boca do Inferno.

 

It is also becoming a popular golf destination, with over 10 golf courses nearby. Surfing, sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing are also popular in the region around Cascais due to favorable weather, wind and sea conditions.

 

Arriving Cascais, walking down the small alley, we all feel in love. The town with the beautiful houses, beaches and the harbor is breath taking.

 

Hope you will enjoy my photos.