Hello, this is Simon Corder, welcoming you to today's independent travel podcast.

And you're very welcome to join me. I left you on Friday, if you were kind enough to listen to that podcast, in the beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira.

I'm now on the mainland. I flew into Lisbon, picked up a rental car,

and I'm now in the city of Stubal. Now, if you have a look on a map, you will look in vain for

somewhere that looks as though it should be spelled Stubol. It's actually spelt

from an English point of view

Setubal but the local

call it Stubal and I will try to do

just that. But this whole

peninsula which if you look to the south

of the Tegas River, the estuary really, which makes Lisbon

have such a splendid outlook.

There is a fine bridge that crosses it.

It's called the 25th of April Bridge over the revolution that in the 1970s ended the dictatorship and brought democracy, the carnation,

revolution, I believe. Anyway, it's a look-alike for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. No, forgive me,

the Golden Gate Bridge. Cricy, it looks nothing like the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

It is a very graceful suspension bridge like the Golden Gate Bridge.

And it takes you over to the Stubol Peninsula.

Now, this is ridiculously close to central Lisbon.

In fact, you can see the western suburbs of Lisbon stretching out from pretty much anywhere on the peninsula that's high up.

But it contains all kinds of minor miracles.

And I want to tell you about some of them so that perhaps if you're lucky enough to come to the

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