A Reset Moment: The Sea Reveals All

Resets. They're needed sometimes. Resets can restore the soul. Yesterday was a reset day, and what a day it was.

Francie had a routine doctor’s appointment at CUF Tejo in the early afternoon. It was done and over quickly. The question became what to do next. Initially we thought we’d take the bus to downtown, so we jumped on board. But the sun was out and the air was warm. As we arrived in Cais do Sodre we decided the heck with downtown let’s take the CP train to Cascais. Goofing around at the beach sounded like fun.

As the train approached Estoril the weather looked gorgeous. We decided to get off at one of the Estoril stops and walk along the promenade the rest of the way into Cascais. Ah what a walk it was. All the things that tell you the world is still nature first and human folly second were at work.

There were several points along the walk that we had to move to the inside part of the promenade. This was because the waves hit the bulkhead and were flying 2+ meters into the air. You could tell these spots in advance because the sidewalk had standing puddles on it. Watching the waves hit the shore and blast up felt cathartic.

As they have done since before recorded history, people cast their lines out into the surf. Seeing men in duck-billed hats with long rods casting their lines out over the rocks into the sea just beyond the breaking waves took me back to my days in Ocean City. Back then there were night fishermen up and down the strand with small aluminum chairs and Styrofoam coolers working the sea for fun mostly.

There were still a few cafes open during this off-season.  One made me laugh. The café had placed seat cushions on the sea wall and had some wire contraptions on the sea wall. You could dangle your legs over the sand and enjoy chips and cervejas as the day ebbed away. Me, I would worry about having too many cervejas and then falling off the wall onto the sand some distance below. But hey this is Portugal and you are on your own for your safety.

At one point along the sea wall there was a phalanx of geezer sun worshippers. By the time we reached them the sun had dropped a bit toward the horizon but the day was warm. I am sure the stones they sat on were toasty. There in all their shirtless ragged glory they took in the gold the sun offered them on this warm November day. I could have joined them. I really could have. But I wasn’t alone.

As we reached downtown Cascais the vendors were setting up the Christmas fair. The merry go round was in place, the Ferris wheel was erected and the weird conical Christmas tree was decked in lights. But we had to dodge a semi that was backing onto the square with another ride which I don’t remember the name of. 

To cap off the day before leaving on the train back to Lisboa we had a beer, a bifana and a muffin. Still feeling puckish when we got back to Lisboa we stopped at O’Gilins for a draft Guinness and a split plate of fish and chips. Oh my, their fish and chips are so tasty, especially when you wash them down with dark brown Guinness.

The afternoon reminded me of an old Van Morrison song, “Coney Island." Moments of joy in the warm autumn sun along the water. Nothing in the world mattered yesterday but nature’s cycles. It was a reset. It gave my spirit wings.