Day 5 Cascais to Sintra

Day 5 ~ Cascais to Sintra 

Late start today because Dominick broke his glasses and can't see without them. Fortunately there is an Optical Shop across the street from our hotel but doesn't open until 0930. Breakfast was at 0730 and by another stroke of luck, a Lavandaria is also just up the street and opened at 0800.

 It's a potentially short day today depending on our route. A long day if we follow the shoreline to Cabo da Roca (the original plan) or a short day if we cut through the town and head straight north. Tough decision... weather is very chilly and windy with the sun yet to make an appearance. Clothes are in the dryer at the moment so we can take a little longer to decide. I need a super strong, double espresso to make an accurate decision and get my legs moving. While the clothes were in the washer we walked to the Boca da Inferno (Hell's Mouth) and saw some beautiful castles just in case we decide to take the warmer, shorter route.... 

I met Dom at the Optical Shop where a sweet, lovely lady named Ceu fixed and cleaned his glasses .... no charge. Fantastic Service.

With clean laundry and clear vision we packed up our gear and discussed the pros and cons of the 2 route choices. Still no sign of the sun, quite chilly and half the day already spent had us leaning towards the shorter city route. This proved to be both a major fail and a major win. Google is a big fat liar. The map led us out of Cascais on a busy city street, up a hill and was not so easy on the eyes.

 It all turned to shit when we ended up at a highway on ramp. We created a detour through some serious industrial areas and happened upon a pedestrian pass over the highway that involved what felt like a million stairs. 

We had some easy conversation and eventually ended up on a local patio where Dominick finally gave in to the call of the almighty coffee bean. A double espresso for him and a meia de leite para me.

We kept on walking through a small town but again ended up at an on ramp to the main highway. We were getting discouraged but found a path that led under a bridge and directly into an enormous mall. Yes a shopping mall. 

So imagine 2 pilgrims in hiking gear, carrying giant backpacks,  looking worn out and out of place walking through the food court. We passed all the nice smelling portuguese fashionistas and it felt somewhat surreal. 

We exited at the other end of the mall and found a taxi stand. 

A lovely older Portuguese taxi driver carried us past the highway obstacle and delivered us directly to our beautiful home for the night for 15€. He thoroughly enjoyed my limited Portuguese. Not sure if he was laughing at me or with me.

Proof though that the Universe rights the wrongs if you trust and believe.  

The reason I say this fiasco was a blessing in disguise is because we arrived in Sintra at 2pm and had several hours and the required energy to explore this very hilly and very scenic town. 

First we dropped our bags at our new home, Chalet Saudade, and became friends with the very welcoming and chatty receptionist named Filippa. Like most Portuguese people, her English was excellent,  we shared many laughs and of course a tour of the beautiful B&B. The interior is antique but very well cared for, has plenty of character and the exterior is surrounded by fountains and gardens. 

There is complimentary Port Wine in the lounge which I plan to dabble in before bed. 

We were eager to climb the hills to visit Quinta da Regaleira and we felt so free exploring without our heavy packs. We walked about 20 minutes on a road that meandered uphill gently through lush jungle like gardens. 

There were parks, a church, cafés, restaurants, gift shops and artists all lining the main street that headed up into the green hills. 

Just before reaching the entrance, there were 2 police officers (one was exceptionally handsome) walking towards us. Dom had his camera out and captured an image of them. As we walked on I joked about them being gorgeous and said I hope you got a good one.

Then to our surprise the cute cop came up behind us and asked Dom if he took a photo of them. We both thought "oh shit", we kind of panicked and probably looked confused. We thought "are we in trouble?" As it turns out they just wanted to know if they looked good. Hahaha. Then I posed with them and the cute cop gave Dom his email to send him the photo. Again a light and surreal moment. 

The tickets were 10€ to enter  Quinta de Regaleira and well worth the visit. The highlight for me of course was the Initiation Well. 

We walked over 19kms today and I guarantee half at least were just exploring Sintra.

After many photo ops, we wrapped things up quickly because I was starving. We've been having a light breakfast, a midday coffee and one big meal for lunch/dinner. Seems to be keeping us nourished and energized but not feeling sluggish. We found a restaurant called Bristol in Sintra and escaped the cold afternoon for an early dinner. We were greeted by Paulo at the door who welcomed us in and made us feel right at home. We ordered soup to start followed by Portuguese steak and egg dinner. 

The soup was excellent, tasted just like my grandmother made, carrot and potato based with cabbage (this time no noodles). Neither of us left so much as a morsel of food on our plates. The portions were generous for both food and wine.... and yes the vinho tinto was excellent. Full bodied and smooth. Simply a perfect meal. Highly recommended if you visit Sintra but you must say hello to Paulo.

We had a most enjoyable conversation with him.

 It is the people like Paulo and Ceu and Fillipa that you meet on a journey like this that make this adventure memorable and heartwarming.

There is more Sintra to explore in the morning!

Until then...

Boa Noite and Beijos xx