MOUNTAINS AND MANTRAS

Sintra, Portugal was OUR place.  We found paradise, rocky coastline hikes, private beaches and walls to climb.  Tucked away in the quiet, lush community of Ulgueira, we were perfectly positioned to explore the Moorish Castles in the city of Sintra, the coastline of Praia de Macas or hike the scenic coastline from our airbnb to Cabos de Rocas ( The Point of Rocks).   The Moorish Castle/fortress history was intriguing as we tried to imagine the life back in the 8th and 9th century.  Imagine our surprise, when we happened upon a small sport climbing area with plenty of bolts on granite slabs while hiking through the castle area.  We were pretty sure the Moors had nothing to do with this.  The approach was easy and we spent an enjoyable couple of hours exploring the wall.

The hiking in Sintra was always up and down and we appreciated the aerobic push.  Our favorite hike (Praia de Ursa) was from our cottage to a coastline overlook and down down a narrow rocky path to a wild and rugged secluded section of the coastline.  The hike back up took us to a stunning, and very windy view at the Point (Cabos do Rocas).  The exploration and hiking possibilities just around our casa were never ending.

While we loved the secluded beach areas, we also enjoyed the energy of the bigger beach towns of Cascais and Praia de Macas.  There was food, Sangria, big waves and LOTS of sun bathing Portuguese.  On our way to Cascais, we discovered what must be a mecca for hungry, speed chasing kite surfers.  The wind is so strong and consistent in this area, that beautiful golden dunes form in the sand and the surfers are spinning and racing through the waves at lighting speeds.  Like a drug, they chase their addiction to speed and challenge for hours at a time….and there are lots of them out there seemingly stacked so close together they could tangle at any moment.

Food in Portugal was always interesting and a bit of an adventure for us.  Will tasted lots of different fish and, once, we had the Sardines, we were hooked (no pun intended).  We ate everywhere from VERY traditional cafes to our favorite food truck in Sintra.  The food truck was operated by a petite French woman with BIG ambitions and LOTS of positive energy. We quickly became loyal fans of her nouveau cuisine food truck and might admit it was our favorite food.  Yummy salads, pizza and other intriguing offerings held our attention.

Sintra was special.  While we loved exploring many areas of Portugal, this was our favorite.  Anyone who plans to visit should contact us for details and recommendations.  Tchau Portugal!!

     The four hour drive to the Douro region of Northern Portugal was not scenic, but once we arrived we understood why this area is so highly recommended. What made our stay so nice was:  our charming casa (Casa Agricola de Levada), the historical and beautiful Mateus gardens/castle and, the stunning views of the surrounding countryside.  We were based in the town of Vila Real, high above the Douro River Valley and it’s rich vineyards that produce port wine.  Our introduction to Port wine came from our lovely Casa hosts Innes and Ricardo.  We were soon to become Port enthusiasts and will not forget our evening chats with Innes over a couple or more glasses of the house Port.  We loved the grounds surrounding our cottage. The property had once been a prosperous farm and Innes had remodeled the old buildings and gardens to make a luxurious hotel. Easy accessibility to fabulous hikes, the city proper, the Duoro river and valley made this hotel one of our favorites and not soon to be forgotten.  The Casa provided us with maps for excellent hikes including a secret waterfall, an awesome river walk and a long, hot walk through a natural park above Vila Real.

            On the second day of our visit in the region we drove narrow, windy roads down to the banks of the Douro river. From the town of Pinhao, we hopped on a traditional wooden boat. Our Douro river tour was both interesting and informative as we motored along a dramatic panorama of vineyards and grand estates.  The Mateus Gardens and Castle were a highlight due to our knowledgeable and charming private guide.  What we soon realized as we were on tour here, is that our Casa hostess (Innes) was a descendant of the rich history of this place AND a member of one of the oldest families in this region of Portugal AND our beautiful countryside cottage was was one of the original buildings/farms of the Vila Real District.  The house will celebrate it’s 100th birthday in 2022.  Thanks to Will’s research, we found this glorious off the grid castle and spent three memorable days and nights here.  We highly recommend a visit to The Douro and a stay at the Casa Agricola de Levada.  We gave up our day to visit Porto (second biggest city in Portugal) to get more time in this paradise and we have not regretted that decision yet.  We said a heartfelt goodbye to our hosts, but were consoled by the fact that we can drink Port forever and drown ourselves in the memories of this special place.  We will be listening to Ricardo (husband of Innes and a musician) and the popular Portaguese Fado music of Antonio Zambuto (check it out on iTunes) .  Portugal, you have not disappointed.

Thank you Lisbon for being so colorful, energetic, inviting and culturally stimulating without overwhelming us in the first 24 hours.  We stayed in The Alfama District and loved the people, food and the colorful neighbor ‘hood’.  Families living together amongst graffiti covered walls, fascinating personalities, great history and well preserved traditions gave this place charm.  It was rough and tough and jovial and inviting.  We were so pleased that we chose this area to stay in and our charming airbnb was perfect.  We became accustomed to coffee and pasteis de nata (custard in a crust) and happily gave up our eggs, cereal, yogurt, and bacon to  gorge ourselves with this sweet stuff every morning.  We walked for miles up and down skinny cobble stone streets and found each district of Lisbon to be unique and hip.  In Belem, we loved the world heritage site at St Jeromes Monastery.  The castle of Sao Jorge in Alfama was worth the hike UP to get the incredible views of the city.  We took a city bus tour in the heat of the day, sat on the top deck hooked into our earplugs and thoroughly enjoyed the historical and informative dialogue.  20 years ago, we would have walked the 30 mile tour and guessed at the history.  We have loved the Lisbon vibe, but are ready to leave for the northern country side and take up residence in a family run guesthouse on a private farm and vineyard.  Obrigado, Lisbon!

Lessons, continued:

Lesson 10:  We brought too many clothes.  Even if you are packing for a year, keep your clothes to a minimum.  We find we are wearing the few same things over and over and haven’t even worn some of our stuff yet.  If you are traveling in the summer, know what your weather might be like and plan accordingly.  I will try to send clothes home with my daughter and her friends when I see them in a week.  Wish I had a few more dresses because they are cool in the heat.  

Lesson 11:  We are beginners at the Airbnb site, so we have had some glitches.  What we have learned is that the price for a place that see you on the web site is the base price.  When you put in the dates you are requesting, be sure to watch the price adjust for certain times of the year.  We learned this the hard way, but now we know.  And, we actually are preferring booking.com right now for accommodations.

Things we did right continued……

4.  When the groceries are cheap and you have a kitchen, cook  your own meals.  We have been cooking the last few nights and love sitting at a table in our room and working on our computers or enjoying the sun sets.