The McLains on the Camino literally fell asleep on the 45-minute train ride from Lisbon to Sintra on Monday afternoon. We had so little sleep on the plane, we dragged through much of our first day in Portugal. Our first night in Sintra was pretty quiet filled with cards, some drinks, and some appetizers before our first dinner scouted by Alastair. It was a little early for EU standards for dinner, 6pm, but we couldn’t stay out any later. Dinner was delicious with steaks, duck, risotto, and a dessert sampler which was delicious. It was early to bed for all of us as we were exhausted.
This morning David and I were up VERY early, but still pretty well rested. We took an early walk through town to find the only coffee shop open at 6:30am. Yummy cappuccino for me and Americano for Dave, always. By 8:30 we had the kids up and out for more coffee and pasteries before our big day of touring.
Can you spot the McLains on the Camino sticker??
We walked all the way through city center toward Sintra’s Pena Palace. Adelaide scouted these sites for us two years ago when she studied abroad in Spain and she had us all excited for our long day of hiking in the Sintra mountains. We hiked for an hour and a half almost straight up to the palace. We all loved all the lush green plants, koi ponds, amazing flowers, and moss-covered stone walls. It got our hearts pumping, and it was truly beautiful. Pena Palace is the oldest surviving royal palace in Portugal and dates all the way back to the Moorish period. A bright red and yellow royal residence complete with towers and ornate tilework. We walked all around the inside and outside of the palace. It is located on a hilltop in the Sintra Mountains and we could view a medieval fortress, the Castle of the Moors, from one side.
We hiked across a little valley to view a stone cross you could see from the palace walls. A highlight for me was sitting on the ground and enjoying a simple picnic we packed for the day. We had our morning pastry shop prepare ham and cheese sandwiches for us. We purchased some fruit from a local market and we had two chocolate bars to share. It was easy and perfect. We needed the food because we had thousands of steps to go for the rest of our day.
We walked all the way back down the mountain and back through town and up another mountain to see the Quinta da Regaleira and the Initiation Well. Alastair requested this stop weeks ago so we had to oblige. The well is a spiraling tower-like well that descends underground. The surrounding estate is impressive, with architecture inspired by influences including the Knights Templar. Was the well used for water or rituals like in the DaVinci Code? Hard to say.
By late afternoon we were exhausted! We found a beautiful roof-top deck for drinks, cards, and snacks followed by dinner number two at Alastair’s recommendation. Truly a “hole in the wall” with only about 10 tables. More yummy offerings with really delicious roasted vegetables. Alastair ordered the octopus, Ad and I had the duck, Magnolia pork cheeks, and Dave and D had steak with a fried egg on top. We all enjoyed it and our 8 huge bottles of water. We were exhausted and it was a really great day. So pleased we can make these amazing memories together. Tomorrow we will enjoy a lazy morning before our train ride back to Lisbon and onto Porto for some more adventures.
Jll
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