Portugal Travels – Adventures 4 and 5

If you missed Adventures 1, 2, and 3, check them out in my previous post.

After lunch in Lisbon, we took the train to Sintra where we wheeled our luggage over the cobblestone streets to our next hotel (Sintra Marmoris Camella). Here, we had three rooms that occupied an entire floor of the hotel. It took us some time to decide who got which room, and it was like musical chairs at one point. We revisited discussions that we had during the preplanning stages of Dave sharing a room with Carolyn, but, in the end, I believe she was happy with the room she got without Dave.

The rooms were beautiful, and they came with complimentary port.

Once checked in and settled, we walked up to the sister hotel for complimentary happy hour.

There was another couple there by themselves sitting quietly and contemplatively. Matt suggested they were perhaps assessing their relationship and their lives. We asked them to take our picture.

After Matt called the restaurant to delay our dinner reservations so we could take our time enjoying the complimentary charcuterie, we walked to dinner at Incommum where some of us partook in their tasting menu: Avocado and Cucumber Gazpacho, Marinated Salmon with Dill and Avocado, Scallops with Passion Fruit Risotto, and Duck Magret with Carrot Puree. Along with wine pairings. I giggle at the memory. This is where I told the authentically nice waitress she was very pretty.

Sintra Adventure #4

After a complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we headed out on Adventure #4. This is when the cobblestones, steep inclines, and never ending stairs of Portugal really hit us for the first time. Portugal is not for the faint of heart. Especially when you are trying to make a timed entrance into a historic site that is a little tricky to find. At one point, I thought Matt was trying to rush me as I was about to pass out, but he was signaling for me to take in the view as we kept moving.

Our first stop was Quinta da Regaleiras where we hiked up some more steep inclines in order to climb down the stairs of Initiatic Well. Once out of the well, we explored some caves, stood at the bottom of a waterfall, walked through beautiful gardens, and viewed examples of an “eclectic-revivalist architectural ensemble” (as described on the web site.)

At this point, there was some confusion and concern as to how we were going to get from Quinta da Regaleiras to our second stop on Adventure 4, Biester Palace. In his itinerary, Matt had noted “There appear to be paths to it, but nothing I can figure from here.” During preplanning stages, Dave picked up on this note and spent quite a bit of time researching a viable path, but couldn’t come up with one either. I think Megan lost some sleep the night before Adventures 4 and 5 worrying about this. While at Regaleiras, we asked Matt several times how we were going to get to Biester. His answer never changed. “I don’t know.”

We walked down the hill, and the entrance was on the right.

There we walked more hills, saw more gardens, toured the palace, and napped.

Adventure 4 was suppose to end with lunch at a Talia-recommended restaurant, but a cute and authentically nice hostess at the restaurant across from it smiled at Matt, so we ate there. I enjoyed the gazpacho (served in a glass with a straw) and the cod pastries (fritters).

Sintra Adventure #5

From lunch, it was on to Pena Palace – or Penne Palace as Dave called it. (The few Portuguese words he spoke, he spoke with an Italian accent.) This is where the crowds really picked up, and we quickly got out of the line going into the castle. (We have no patience with crowds and lines.)

Here, we saw additional indications Portugal has a more laissez-faire approach to personal safety than the US does. In Portugal, there were no barriers preventing you from tumbling into the Tagus or over a parapet. Occasionally, there was a yellow caution sign with a stick figure falling to his death. When we walked the palace walls, we feared for our lives and worried that someone in the crowd would accidentally push us over.

From Pena Palace, we had a view of our intended next stop – the Moorish Castle. Instead, we headed back to the hotel, and I took a nap.

We followed up Adventure 5 with another complimentary happy hour up at the hotel with another postponed dinner reservation – this time at Como. The items we shared included tuna ceviche and a sea coast fish and shellfish rice stew.

The next day was our travel day up to Porto. Dave and I took the train, and since the antihistamines from the Unisom I took the night before were still in high gear, I slept the whole ride. (It sounds like I slept a lot, but I only slept during the day.)

Instead of the train, Matt, Megan, and Carolyn drove so they could make stops along the way. Since their trip was more interesting than mine, Matt will be the guest blogger of the next post, and he will describe their side adventure up to Porto.