Cascais - Portuguese Language Summer Program
Winter Program in Salvador, Bahia
UPDATE: I am including this link to Clarice's Winter 2008 Cultural program in Northeast Brazil. This program will spend a week in the fabulous city of Salvador, a United Nations World Heritage city known for its Baroque architecture, historical sites, museums, as well as music, dance and arts, and a week on the equally fabulous tropical island of Tinharé (at the villages of Gurapua and Morro de Sao Paulo), known for its crystal beaches, natural beauty and for being an ecological sanctuary.
This year I had the pleasure of spending about a week with the ASU (Arizona State University) 2006 Summer Portuguese language course in Portugal, with Prof. Clarice and her students. This is an intensive four-week language program focusing on the Portuguese language and the cultures of Brazil and Portugal. I only stayed about a week, but that was enough. It was an interesting experience, and very educational.
Cascais is a resort town with a split personality. On one hand you have the rich and famous of Europe who have made Cascais their home away from home for 70 years. Even before World War II, many European nobles moved to Cascais either in exile or to escape the perils of war. With the end of the Salazar area and the integration of Portugal into Europe, a tourist and development boom began that continues today. The cafes and sidewalks of Cascais are filled with tourists from all over the world. At the same time, life among the town people continues as it has for centuries. Fishermen prepare nets and boats go out to sea to fish. Old ladies walk the street on their way to buy bread. Children run to schools and dogs wonder the streets. Cascais is a mixture of the new and the old. Of course I am talking about the historic center with its narrow cobblestone streets and fabulous Portuguese tiles, with buildings hundreds of years old. On the hill overlooking the Fishermen's Beach, between the lighthouse (farol) and main church, an enormous fortress protects the city.
I have put some of the pictures from the trip on this page. They are numbered and referenced between parenthesis ( ) with any relevant comments that refer to the photograph. Also I have this habit of taking several pictures and mending them into one large, long panoramic view. Enjoy.
Where is Cascais?
Let me first say that if you are going to the Lisbon area of Portugal, then as far as I am concerned the little village of Cascais is the place to stay.
Cascais is small, quiet, historic, scenic and well localized - and only a 30 minute (18 miles) train ride away from downtown Lisboa, the Capital of Portugal (1). It is really at the very mouth of the Tangus River, so much that it is protected and its beaches do not get the main force of the Atlantic Ocean. Cascais is just beyond the Estoril area, known for its Casino and hotels. In fact it is only a 15 minute walk from Cascais to Estoril along the beach walkway. I have included here a few images showing the location of Cascais and a detailed aerial picture of some of the main points mentioned in this article (2).
The Historic Village
I have never seen so many small narrow streets, and that includes Rome and other colonial cities. The historic center of Cascais is actually small, about 500 meters long by 250 wide, extending from the Fortress (Cidadela) past the main square with the Town Hall (7) along three beaches (6) southward to the train station. Please take note of this panoramic picture (6); it shows the three main beaches and I am proud of it.
Picture (2) above shows an aerial view of the historic center. In modern times the town has grown tremendously and now extends many miles in all directions, with commercial enterprises, shopping districts and of course many upscale residential areas. The economic base of the community is tourism and resort living. There are many fine summer homes, golf courses and luxurious hotels in the northern sector, along the coast going up to Guincho Beach.
We rented a car at the airport and drove to Cascais. It is a simple fast trip using the A-5 highway. The problem started when we tried to find the hotel: the streets were too narrow and confusing, and the roads were all one way, the wrong way. In Arizona, we have sidewalks that are wider than the streets of Cascais. Also, it is a fact that people in Cascais park anywhere there is space to park, or even if there is not enough space. The traffic is at times as bad as that of Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. Because of the narrow spaces more often than not one must squeeze through a tight street, make a sudden turn and maneuver a car around different obstacles with 2 inches on each side (8). It was there that I decided that small cars rule (9) like this Smartcar by Mercedes (70 miles to the gallon).
Beaches
Cascais and Portugal have some nice beaches. No, they are not Waikiki or Rio de Janeiro, but they are nice enough. As I mentioned, the beaches along the historic center are small and calm (6). You have to go a little north beyond the lighthouse to Praia do Guincho to find a beach that directly faces the Atlantic Ocean (1). Yes, Guincho is a nice beach, less crowded, and even has sand dunes.
The Praia da Ribeira, or Praia dos Pescadores (Fishermen's beach) is the main beach located directly in front of the town hall and center of the town. It is the beach used by the fishing community and is considered somewhat polluted and should be avoided if bathing. The nicest beach in town is the Queen's beach, or Praia das Rainha. This is a small, protected cove near the train station and is a local favorite for families, old folks soaking up the sun and even topless women. There are a few cafes overlooking this beach where you can eat sardines or bacalhau (cod), listen to live music and enjoy the scenery.
The third beach is the Praia da Conceição. This is just south of the Queens beach and on the way to Estoril. It is the largest of the three and seems to cater to the youth crowd. If you continue along the walkway (called Paredão, I think) you will pass by one or two more beaches and salt water pools before reaching Estoril. This probably is where the greatest concentration of bathers and activities can be found. The beaches of Cascais are really too small for outdoor concerts and large numbers of people.
Oh yes, there is actually a small beach called Santa Marta under the Old Stone Bridge near the Santa Martha lighthouse (15) just beyond the fort (16). It is small, scenic and not much used because of the tides (17). At one time it was a private beach for the mansions above it.
Unfortunately the old fort is closed to the public. The city government of Cascais is in the process of an international bid competition to transform this old structure into some kind of tourist hub. Just a sort way up the coast beyond the stone bridge is the Boca do Inferno (19) or the "Mouth of Hell". This is a point in the rocky clift where the ocean waves have created a natural bridge under which the waves break violently. This jagged, rocky shoreline extends about 2 miles up the coast and is about 50 feet high on average.
The Hotel - Solar Dom Carlos
There are few options when it comes to places to stay in the center of Cascais, and even fewer when it comes to affordable ones. There are about 3 main hotels and a couple of upscale bed and breakfast places and even a few cheap hard-to-find hostels. The options are really very limited.
In fact there is only one nice affordable place to stay, and it is the most interesting of all. Only a short distance from the town hall, the main church, the fort and lighthouse there is a large house built about 400 years ago to be the seaside residence of the King of Portugal. That is the short version of the history of what is now known as the Residencia Solar Dom Carlos (21). Perhaps the three most interesting features of the hotel are the old chapel built for the king (22), the Royal music room (24) and the garden. Very few houses in Cascais have any green area at all, but the Solar has a nice big garden (31) which Clarice used as an outdoor classroom. I have included a few pictures of the Solar Dom Carlos Inn and its main features. You can also see the location of the hotel in reference to other points of interest in the picture above (2) showing the historic center of Cascais.
I would also like to say a word of gratitude to Dona Ines (25), Sr Joao, Sr Jose, Pedro, Manuel and all the staff at the hotel for their wonderful help and kind service. They were simply great. It would also be proper to add a word of thanks to Sarah, a guest staying at the hotel, for her help and good humor, as well as the wonderful stories about her experiences in Portugal (including the best explanation of Portuguese bull-fighting I have heard) and the idea for the nice barbeque in the garden. Here is a link to the Solar Dom Carlos website: 
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Now a few tips for the traveler: Electricity is 220 volts, so take an adapter. Cascais is windy because of the location and coastline. Take a coat because it can still be chilly in May. June is also nice, but still take a light jacket. About clothes: don't overdo it - people dress very informally. Good walking shoes are a must. You don't need to rent a car, since public transportation is good and plentiful. Taxis are also very reasonable. Food: Great - lots of it, of all kinds and tastes, but not cheap. A simple meal will cost about 7-10 euros. Night life: slow up til May but improves in June and gets even better in July and August - so they tell me. Beaches: Nice (I give them a grade B) but can be crowded. Safety: No problema. In fact, I never saw anything that would indicate a crime problem. People walk the streets at all hours of the day and night. Oh yes, the City of Cascais loans bicycles (free, in front of the fort) so grab one and take a ride up the coast over the stone bridge, past the lighthouse, past the Boca do Inferno up to Guincho Beach. It is a great morning ride - and it will burn about 1 pound of fat. That's it for the tips!
Portuguese Language Classes
Clarice gave classes everywhere, including the breakfast room (the former royal music chamber room), on the beaches, in restaurants (35), in classrooms in Lisbon, on excursions, and even on the bus (38) and in the subway. This makes sense because learning Portuguese is about speaking Portuguese as much as possible.
The main classroom in Cascais was the garden of the hotel (31)(32), which was also used for barbeques (churrascos) (34) and picnics (33). Clarice uses music to teach Portuguese, so almost every class had a theme song to teach grammar, vocabulary or aspects of culture. Oh yes, Clarice's email is: 
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Lisbon
The ancient capital of Lusitania (Portugal) is an interesting city. It is old and modern, calm and chaotic, clean and dirty, nice and ugly. There is a little of everything in Lisboa - but all things considered, I liked the city. Most of all I liked the people and the historic places. I liked the streetcars, the old buildings, the public squares, the beautiful Portuguese tiles, the small quaint shops, the food and the music. I didn't like the traffic and the grafitti. I really wish I had more time to explore this city.
The "new" part Lisbon, built after the 1750 earthquake, is now the commercial center. Located near the Cais de Sodre subway and train terminal, it is the heart of Lisbon by the Tejo River (Tangus). There is a picture of Clarice and some of her students (51) standing in front of the Victory Arch (Arco da Vitoria) in Commerce Square (Praca do Commercio). Notice the bondes (streetcars) in the background. I have also included one of my famous panoramic photographs (52), made up of 5 or 6 pictures mended together. It was taken from the top of a hotel on Avenida da Liberdade.
Notice the old fortress on the hill in the distance - that is Saint George's Castle (Castelo de Sao Jorge). Picture (53) was taken in the Chiado district, an area quite run down and plagued by graffiti. Notice the old woman in a black dress (53) - a very typical part of the old Portugal that is rapidly disappearing. I walked across the Aqueducto das Aguas Livres, an old stone aqueduct that survived the big earthquake. It is a mighty fine piece of engineering. The guide spent about 10 minutes telling us about Lisbon's version of "Jack the Ripper" known as "Jack the Pusher". Actually I don't remember the guy's name, but 200 years ago or so there was a criminal that would stalk people using the aqueduct as a path between parts of Lisbon. The guy would surprise his victim(s), rob them and then throw the victims off the bridge into the valley and river below to be washed out to sea. It is believed he killed dozens before his conscience got to him. By the end of the talk, I was looking suspiciously at the people standing behind and near me. It is a long way down from the top. Oh yes, Lisbon has great museums and fabulous old churches. I took some pictures of them (inside) but they didn't turn out too well. Sorry! This (56) is a picture of the traditional market in front of the Cais de Sodre station in the center of Lisbon.
Other trips
Clarice and her group took several excursions. The one I liked best (of the few I went on) was the one to Sintra. It is a UN World heritage site and it is truly a wonderful little place. The National Palace in the scenic heart of Sintra is an exceptional work of art and history. Also very interesting is the La Pena Palace (61) built on a hill above the town (It reminds of the castle in Disneyland). This is where Portuguese royalty lived until the end of the 19th century and everything is pretty much as they left it when fleeing to exile. The nobles lived pretty well, I think. We also visited Moor's Castle (Castelo dos Mouros - 7th Century) and climbed up to the top. I took this (63) series of pictures showing some of the walls and steps (the town of Sintra can be seen below). Warning: steps and more steps, stairs and more stairs. I have never seen so many things that require one to walk up. Do not go to Castelo dos Mouros or even La Pena unless you are in shape! And take water!
Clarice and her gang (I mean 'students') went to other places but I was not able to stay in Europe. I had to return to Arizona because after a week the dog was getting really hungry. Clarice's class joined a wonderful youth group called "Rota" and went to Evora for a weekend. Rota is a cultural organization that promotes the exchange of ideas and people not only in Portugal but all across Europe. It has a full program of youth activities that include parties, music, sports, day trips, international excursions, art, literature, history, photography, citizenship, environmental issues, and so on. It is a great organization. Back to Evora: This is a an old Roman town and features many attractions, among them being the ruins of the Roman temple to the goddess Diana (65) and the Chapel of the Bones (66), made of 6,000 skeletons - a very morbid and eerie place. Strangely, of three cameras taken by Clarice and two students, none took good pictures and one even showed a 'bad battery' warning in the chapel but worked fine later the same day. Strange! Oh yes, the Capela dos Ossos has a sign above the door that roughly translates into "our bones are here, we are waiting for yours..." Now that is a really cheerful message! Before I forget I want to include this external page link to Rota Jovem's Internet site. The last picture (68) is Clarice at Cabo das Rocas, the most western point of Continental Europe.
More Pictures...
One of the students gave me a disk with about 400 photos in it. Here are about 25 of them. I have added a few words to some of them explaining the location or activity in each picture. Notice the ones taken in Chapel of the Bones in Evora. There is a close-up of two bodies hanging on the wall. I was told that they are cadavers of father and son and that they have been hanging there together for a few hundred years. This is not really a good decoration idea, so don't try this at home. Notice also the last two pictures taken from Castelo dos Moros and the National Palace in Sintra, one looking up at the castle walls and the other looking down at the village below.
Other times, long ago...
I love antique and historic maps, so I thought I would try to find an old map of Cascais. A search on the Internet and Ebay gave me this "General Plan" from 1956 by the Tourism Department. The center area of Cascais has not changed much in 50 years. Many buildings have been remodeled, but the most significant changes are the marina and the building of the Hotel Baia in the main square. The oldest part of Cascaes is the area above and north of the main square, between the main church (Igreja Matriz, or Nossa Senhora de Assuncao) and the N. S. dos Navegantes church, up to where the Solar Dom Carlos is located. At one time it was a walled village, I guess. Here is an engraving of "Cascale Lusitania" from Civitates Orbis Terrarumin printed in 1572. By chance this item came up for bid on Ebay this week. I will try to get it, but it may not be possible - lets see for how much it goes. Added later: It went for $225 - cheap. A steal! It went up $100 in the last minute or so.
Here are some old, antique and historic postcards of Cascaes (Old Spelling!):
Last month I purchased three old photos of Cascais on Ebay from an antique dealer in Lisbon. Two of them - each 14 inches long (36 cm) - formed a wide-angle panoramic view of the ocean front, from the lighthouse to the Queens Beach. These pictures are undated, but are probably from the 1930s. I am putting these photos here showing most of the historic city. This will be the definitive high resolution antique picture of Cascaes in Portugal on the Internet. It is 8100 (wide) x 600 (high) pixels - that is big! Note: There were a few folds and bends in one of the pictures, as seen on the left side of the panoramic view.
Another boring day in Cascais, in 1793
I always try to find something interesting about places I like, particularly obscure historical facts. I check bookstores and online auctions. I have even bought a few things on ebay. Here is a book I would love to have. It is called "Narrativa da arribada das Princezas Africanas ao porto desta capital de Lisboa, seu desembarque para terra, alojamento no Palacio das Necessidades, hida para Queluz, seu embarque, e volta para Tangere" by Joao de Sousa (Narrative of the Arrival of the African Princesses to the port of this Capital of Lisboa, their landing, stay at the Palace of Necessities, trip to Queluz, boarding and return to Tangiers).
Here is the book description: Lisbon, Academia Real das Sciencias, 1793. Dedication printed in facing pages of Arabic and Portuguese. Contemporary plain pale blue wrappers. A fine copy. First and only edition of this eyewitness description of the visit of Moroccan princesses to Portugal. In April 1793, as he was preparing to go to war with the future Suleiman II (1795-1822) against another brother who had claimed the throne, Molei Abdessalam, son of Mahomet XVI, sent his wives, concubines, and children on a ship bound for Salz, with instructions that if they could not reach that city they were to go to Portugal. Due to contrary winds and illness on board, the ship put into the bay of Cascaes, where Joao de Sousa (a native of Damascus, and a fluent speaker of Arabic) was sent to meet them. The wives were entertained royally, introduced to the king at Queluz, and given tours of the surrounding area. They embarked for Morocco in early August. At the end of this account is a list of those aboard the ship, including their guide, Arraes, a Jew who had converted to Islam, a eunuch, 17 musicians, 30 male servants, 109 slaves, a woman from Georgia, and the daughter of a renegade Irishman.
That is some story. Unfortunately, I don't have a few thousand dollars to buy the book from the antique dealer in Lisboa (Livraria Avelar Machado) and learn the details. It must have been an exciting day in old Cascaes. I would say that the Portuguese treated the Muslims very nicely, thank you very much.
Summer Program in Portugal. Here is the page from early in the year announcing the 2006 ASU Portuguese language program.
Page updated: September 2006
Cascais is small, quiet, historic, scenic and well localized - and only a 30 minute (18 miles) train ride away from downtown Lisboa, the Capital of Portugal (1). It is really at the very mouth of the Tangus River, so much that it is protected and its beaches do not get the main force of the Atlantic Ocean. Cascais is just beyond the Estoril area, known for its Casino and hotels. In fact it is only a 15 minute walk from Cascais to Estoril along the beach walkway. I have included here a few images showing the location of Cascais and a detailed aerial picture of some of the main points mentioned in this article (2).
I love antique and historic maps, so I thought I would try to find an old map of Cascais. A search on the Internet and Ebay gave me this "General Plan" from 1956 by the Tourism Department. The center area of Cascais has not changed much in 50 years. Many buildings have been remodeled, but the most significant changes are the marina and the building of the Hotel Baia in the main square. The oldest part of Cascaes is the area above and north of the main square, between the main church (Igreja Matriz, or Nossa Senhora de Assuncao) and the N. S. dos Navegantes church, up to where the Solar Dom Carlos is located. At one time it was a walled village, I guess. Here is an engraving of "Cascale Lusitania" from Civitates Orbis Terrarumin printed in 1572. By chance this item came up for bid on Ebay this week. I will try to get it, but it may not be possible - lets see for how much it goes. Added later: It went for $225 - cheap. A steal! It went up $100 in the last minute or so. 
