Sintra is a town about an hour train ride outside of Lisbon. On our last full day there we decided to head out there and check it out. It was already part of the plan but after a local told us it’s magical in the fall we knew we’d made the right choice. A lot of people drive around or take a bus that shuttles throughout the area but we decided to set out on foot and explore until we were tired. Once we headed out of town we took a path into a forested area. It felt like we were both in the jungle and on the set of Jurassic Park.
We wandered around a bit and slowly made our way to the path that leads up to the Castle of the Moors. It was pretty steep at times and very much like a hike vs a walk but so worth it when we got there. The Castle is pretty high up and all along the perimeter there are view points with the most incredible views. The castle itself wasn’t bad to look at either. We spent a little while there exploring and taking photos. We had considered heading up farther to the Pena National Palace but decided we wouldn’t enjoy it as much because we were tired and still had a bit of a hike back. Instead we had lunch before hiking back to the town to catch our train back to Lisbon. It was kind of perfect the way it worked out because just as were were heading out it started to rain. Phew!
Category Archives: walker
An Overnight Train to Lisbon
November 19, 2015
We left France in the morning and spent all day on a few different trains heading all the way to the south of France and just into Spain where we boarded our overnight train. I really like train travel as I’ve mentioned but I’m super excited by overnight trains. Last year I took the train with my dad from Chicago back to Seattle. Luckily train travel in Europe is a bit more reliable. We settled into our cozy little cabin and I talked Walker into keeping the door open for a while because it was kind of like being in the dorms at college. Not that anyone really stopped to chat but I liked the possibility of it. We had our dinner and explored the train before heading to our room for the night. We played a few games and watched part of a super dorky movie and then eventually went to bed to the slow rocking of the train. The best part was that we gained an hour heading into Portugal so yeah for extra sleep.
We arrived pretty early in the morning and found our way to our airbnb to drop off bags. Check in wasn’t until the afternoon so we were on our own for a few hours in the city. It was kind of nice not really having an agenda. Luckily we were right near a little square with a coffee shop and breakfast snacks. As we were sitting there I was thinking hmm I feel a bit off but I don’t know why. Finally it dawned on me that I was feeling funny because we had been in motion pretty much the entire previous day on the train and now I was still. Phew! It was good to know I wasn’t getting sick or something. After refueling we mostly wandered around. I had made a list of places I wanted to see and visit but I had left it in my bag. Somehow though we ended up just stumbling upon a few of the places. One of those places was Sol e Pesca where we had lunch. It was fun ordering some cheap local beer and trying a few of the canned fish options. Later that night we decided to check out the bars since it was the first good opportunity we had to do so. It wasn’t quite my scene but it was fun getting a bit tipsy and then ordering pizza in the square near our place.
On our second day in Lisbon it was super rainy all day long. Not the best for exploring but since we only had a few days there we headed out. We spent the morning at Sao Jorge Castle. It was pretty cool but I was still a bit preoccupied with my pants and shoes being all wet. I was longing for my hunter rain boots all the way back in Seattle. Sigh. In the afternoon the rain cleared up a bit which was good timing since we were wandering the Alfama and getting lost as all the guide books say to do. We found a tasty lunch at a local restaurant and explored a vintage shop. We took a break in the evening and got ready for our fancy dinner at 100 Maneiras. I had heard about it from watching Anthony Bourdain’s show and another blogger mentioned the fabulous dinner they had there so I thought on our honeymoon it would be super fun. I was right. We ordered the wine pairing to share which turned out to be plenty and they were so good. The dishes were incredible also. Some of them were almost too pretty to eat. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours and it seemed to float by. We were surprised and delighted the entire time and maybe the best part was not having to make a single decision. Oh what bliss! I enjoyed our time in Lisbon but I can’t wait to tell you more about Portugal!
^(I love this picture so much! Walker took it the day we were exploring the Alfama and I discovered it while I was editing photos. I love the one red rain coat!)
Amboise, France-Part 2
November 18, 2015
On our third day in Amboise we got up pretty early so we could rent bikes and ride around the countryside. We chose a path that was 40 km (about 25 miles) that went to Chenonceaux and then back. I was a little unsure because that’s more miles than I ever do in a typical way but I knew it was fairly flat and we had all day. As soon as we exited the city and were biking in the countryside I was so happy we were doing it. It was even more beautiful than I imagined and so peaceful. We passed a few bikers early on but for the most part we were on our own and it was glorious. It felt like the whole countryside was ours. Just how I like it.
Around noon we saw a great little spot along the river to stop and have lunch. We pulled out our picnic supplies and soaked in the scenery. After a nice break we rode along the river some more and through a couple of small towns. Just outside of Blere we were biking near the river when Walker said did you see that? I was like huh, what? When I realized what he must have meant I said you mean the camels? We just began laughing because we were not expecting that at all. After seeing a sign for a circus in town it all made much more sense. A bit farther down almost directly on the path we encountered another camel, a lama, a horse, a miniature horse, and a longhorn (hookem!). It was the most surprising moment of the ride.
We finally made it to Chenonceaux but chose not to visit the castle (perhaps we are regretting it now-pretty much everyone we met later that day went on about how beautiful it was). It really did make the most sense at the time and I honestly don’t regret it. It gave us the time to really enjoy the ride which was what we were wanting. I keep hearing people talk about slowing down and not jamming everything in and I think if we would have toured around we would have felt rushed the rest of the day. On the way back we stopped a few times for wine tasting and ended up with about 6 bottles of wine added to our bags (they were just so cheap!). Unfortunately both of our right knees started to hurt so the ride back was a bit painful. When we got back to town we picked up the rest of our stuff and biked a few miles out of town to our next airbnb-The Troglodyte Cave! They were super warm and welcoming and the room was quite romantic. And seriously after that day of biking a soak in the tub was just about the best thing next to sleep.
On our last day in Amboise it was a bit rainy and overcast but it sort of worked perfectly because we were still tired from our ambitious bike ride from the day before. We had breakfast served to us by our hosts and then we took a walk nearby to a viewpoint and vineyards. Originally we had planned to bike around again but our knees were still hurting and I really didn’t mind the slower pace and not really having a plan. After our walk we went out in search of a grocery store and laughed pretty hard when we realized I had taken us to a food distribution center. Google maps wasn’t working quite like I’m used to. Our mishap did lead us to finding a double decker bus serving pizza in the middle of an industrial area. It was bizarre to say the least but we did end up eating here 2 times mostly because it was cheap and easy. We had an early night since we’d be traveling the next day and enjoyed our last night in the cave. The overnight train and Lisbon is up next!
