In Lisbon we hopped on a train to Lagos in the Algarve of Portugal. It’s where all the beautiful beaches are and we knew we couldn’t take a trip to Portugal without heading here especially considering my love of water. And oh boy did we get lucky! The weather was perfectly warm and the sun was shining. When we arrived in Lagos we lugged our bags along the boardwalk just itching to lose our bag, get into our sandals, and start exploring. Since we had to wait to check in we found the beach in town so we could enjoy and also eat lunch. Once it was time to check in we headed to the place and were greeted by the sweetest lady ever-our lovely host Benta. She hugged us and ushered us around the corner. We were confused at first because we were walking away from the place we thought we were staying. She didn’t speak much English so we just went along. We met up with her son and they explained that they wanted to surprise us since we were on our honeymoon. They upgraded us to a private apartment and gifted us with flowers and champagne. How sweet is that! We were so touched.
Benta’s son had given us a rundown of the city and mentioned that we were inside the old walled city of Lagos. He also provided us with a map and showed us a walking trail to the beaches. We changed as fast as we could and headed out to see these beautiful beaches that we came so far to see. They did not disappoint. I saw many pictures before coming but truly it was so much better in person. Being able to walk the trail from above gives such impressive views of the rock outcroppings and the beaches as you come upon them. Most of the beaches have stairs that you can take down but it’s quite a bit of work going down and back up. Well worth it I’d say. That first day we mostly took pictures and walked the trail but the next day we spent more time enjoying the beaches and watching the waves crash into the shore.
On our last night in Lagos we ate at a place called Casinha do Petisco. Our host said it was one of his favorite places to eat so we knew we had to try it. We wanted the fish cataplana and it has to be ordered the day before so luckily we planned it just right. Our dish of cataplana was huge and it was full of fish and potatoes and topped with fresh shrimp and clams. We got a bottle of red wine to go with it and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. With such good food and wine in a beautiful country how could we go wrong?
On our last day in the Algarve we took the train to Faro and spent the night there so we could take a direct train to Porto the next day. It was the only place we didn’t stay at an airbnb. Instead I booked us a cheap room at a guesthouse. It was surprising lovely. The room had a balcony that overlooked the street. It’s funny how much a balcony can really sway me toward liking a place. Just before sunset we decided to take a little harbor cruise. It was pretty silly but it was fun being out on the water on such a lovely night. In the evening we did a bit of grocery shopping for the train the next day and headed in for an early night. Have I mentioned how exhausting travel can be? Ha!
Sintra
November 20, 2015
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!
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!)
