Sintra and a rainy day

Monday, March 21, 2016

Part II

I have finally gotten around to finishing my adventures in Lisbon. It has been a bit of a road back to normalcy after the trip. I realize as I get older it takes me longer to process all the things I have seen and done. It could be age, but there it is. So, where were we...?

Ah yes, I was starting with my afternoon tour with Adapted & Seniors tours. Sergio is the owner and he was at my hotel exactly on time. He was equipped with a lift in the van and a smile on his face.

We were off to Sintra. I was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day. Not the nicest for touring. It was quite cold as well and since Sintra is in an area where there is a lot of cloud and fog, we may have to change what we see as we go. It is absolutely a beautiful place and another on the list to go back to. One could easily spend a whole day discovering this place. As it was, I would only be able to see Monserrate and hopefully a little of the town. I had hoped to see the Moorish castle, but that would be a bit more of a challenge and would take too much time. I would have to call in advance to put in place some assistance with seeing the castle.

We arrived in the parking lot at Monserrate. The staff was very helpful and they have a wheelchair friendly cart that could take us to the palace. If it was a nice day I would have loved to stroll around the huge garden. It was spectacular. Alas, it was rainy and wet. We even had a bout of hail just before leaving the downtown. We were just about to get out to look around the town before coming to Monserrate, but just as we were about to get out, it started. 

So, change of plans it was. This was a spectacular place. On our way back out I got a glimpse of the Moorish castle perched high on the hill. We also made a quick pit stop at a patisserie to have some of the local pastries especially made in Sintra. I didn’t take photos, but they were called queijadas and travesseiros.  Delicious! Much better than the ones I had in Albufeira. You can find pictures online by searching "traditional pastry of Sintra".

 I really enjoyed this day. Sergio is very easy to talk to and we had lively conversation as we drove. We decided the itinerary for the next two days on my way home.  I am looking forward to it. Today left me with a better sense of where I would direct my time the next time I am in Portugal. I would really like to come back. I like the people and the lifestyle, as a tourist of course.