April 2023

I do not have a travel bucket list, per se. There are many places I want to see, but choosing a destination sometimes largely depends on what I fancy to see and do at a given time. Almost two years ago, I took a different approach. I searched online for accommodations first, somewhere in Europe, and it brought up endless list of all sorts of accommodation. What piqued my interest was this set of apartment units— a restored palace in the capital city of Lisbon. I bookmarked it and wound up researching Portugal more for the next few days. I was planning to travel alone. I have not travelled out of the country since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world and brought it to its knees, so I have been having this feeling of being ‘trapped’ — cabin fever, so to speak, and somehow feeling ungrounded. Interesting, that thought or feeling, but that is how I felt. Traveling affords me the head space to keep things in perspective; it opens my mind to see opportunities for self growth; to enjoy myself immersing in new experiences, and to connect with fellow travelers — all in pursuit of keeping me grounded and connected to humanity.

That serendipitous night, while researching and making a list of all the places I wanted to see in Portugal and thinking that I would book my flights and accommodation soon, I got a phone call from a dear friend. I hesitated to accept the call as I was in the middle of an important research, but I felt compelled and answered the phone. So my dear friend, after the usual cordial how are you’s, etc., told me that she wanted to travel somewhere abroad for her upcoming milestone birthday. She named a few European cities she would like to visit, but I already made up my mind about my destination. So, I fessed up and told her that I was already planning to go to Portugal and that she was welcome to join me. Within a couple of hours that night on the phone, we booked the flights and the accommodation and discussed the excursions and activities we would like to do. It is well and good to take time planning for things, but sometimes you just have to go for it and enjoy the ride, so to speak — and go for it we did!

April 23rd

Portugal is in the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe — the westernmost point in continental Europe. Its capital is Lisbon (Lisboa), a hilly city — the full impact of which did not dawn on me until we arrived. My travel buddy and I landed in Lisbon late afternoon via a layover at Charles de Gaulle Airport. I booked an Uber ride immediately after our arrival as I did not want to be late meeting our host. On the way to the accommodation, my friend and I admired the capital city built upon hills, not realizing that we were about to hike the inclines as we explore the place. As soon as we were alighted in the general area where our accommodation was located, a message pinged on my phone saying that the host, Rute, was on her way, but that she may be delayed because of heavy traffic. Rute suggested that we could wait at the park near the accommodation. I looked around and was puzzled because there was no park in sight. For a few seconds there, I thought that we may have been dropped off at the wrong address. Then I caught sight of a young couple canoodling on a bench sitting on a scant square-yards of triangular median that split the road where it forks. I thought to myself, “Hmm, this must be where Rute wanted us to wait.” I noticed that we were probably halfway up the hill and I half-jokingly told my friend that if the apartment was located higher up from where we were, I’d advise her that we need to hold on tightly to our roll-on luggages. Otherwise, if we slacken our grip and let go of them, we would have to pick them up all the way down the bottom of the hill!

Sam, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Rute was great! She confessed that she was not the host, but was tasked to meet and greet us and hand us the keys to the apartment. She showed us around pointing out and explaining where and how things work in and around the apartment. I know I would not do justice describing Rute, but she gave the vibe of a boho chic, upbeat, witty, and quirky person. She gave us tons of tips for places to see and things to do. She brought us a map and pointed out places of interest, etc. And whenever she pointed out a spot on the map that was uphill from where we were, she sang a song about going up the hill — as the terrain’s elevation rose, so would her singing rise to a crescendo, hahaha.

Rute left us with plenty to think about for our next day’s itinerary. In the meantime, it was getting late and we were famished. We pulled up the Maps app on our cell phones to find restaurants nearby. We headed out to a restaurant closest to the apartment, but realized a few minutes on the way, that we were winded and not so prepared for the uphill battle ahead of us. Personally, I blamed jet lag for that! So, our sensible selves chose to scout for some grub…downhill.

Dinner was lovely. We were introduced to salted pork and cod cakes. Portuguese cuisine, as I started noticing, is high in salt, carbs, and olive oil. However, seafood abounds such as octopus, sardines, cod, mussels, as well as meat like the Iberian pork, etc.

It usually takes me time to wind down after a long day. Thus, upon our return to the apartment, I sat out on the balcony and had a close look at our surroundings. Some of the apartment units are privately owned while others, like ours, are rentals. I attempted to visualize what it was like four centuries ago when the place used to be a palace. The columns on the apartment units across from ours were the original palace columns. Another original feature was the chapel in which, even though it was gutted out during a renovation, the owner maintained a small altar there where people can pray and pay respect. Later on, I wondered what part of the old palace our apartment unit originally was and whether it was the servants’ quarters. Yep! Sometimes my imagination goes sideways. The apartment is spacious and clean with tasteful decor. It had everything we could ever need for our week-long stay. The kitchen was also well equipped with modern amenities.

April 24th

The following morning, we headed out to Plaça Dom Pedro IV in Rossio, Lisbon and walked around the square looking for somewhere to break our fast and to people watch. April is a good month to visit Portugal. It was not too hot during the day and, although it cools down at night, it was mild and only requires a light jacket. We had breakfast al fresco and took our time to just soak in the vibrant atmosphere. There were throngs of tourists, but I read somewhere that May to August are the popular and busiest months for tourism. We had three activities booked on this day. The first of which was to take the double decker bus tour. We opted for it to see all the sights and decide later on which ones we wanted to explore in the following days.

Alighting at the last bus stop, we took an Uber to Casa Dos Ovos Moles in Lisboa to learn how to make the national pastry - the Pastel da Nata. I was very excited about this. I am aware that I still have a lot to learn about baking and thought that it would be a treat to learn how to make these lovely, flaky, creamy pastry.

My travel buddy looking at the delicacies offered at Dos Ovos Moles

We found Filipa to be a friendly, patient, but firm teacher. The workshop was interactive. It was very informative, hands on, and fun. From what I could recall, there were eight or ten of us who partook. We were a diverse group which made for interesting interaction. One guy confessed that he left all the cooking at home to his wife, so this was the first time he was learning to bake something from scratch and it was hilarious watching him as his fists pound on the dough. There were a couple who were making jokes as Filipa guided us step by step on how to make the dough. The dough for this pastry demanded a ‘light touch”. We all took turns working on the dough at different stages. At some point after the delicate dough has rested, it was my turn rolling it out. When I finished, Filipa commented, “Perfect!” and my friend, who sometimes has no filters, let the cat out of the bag and blurted out to the group that I love to bake. Someone said, “Ahh that makes sense," and another facetiously said, “that’s cheating”. We all wound up laughing. Like any other skill, in baking, practice makes perfect — even as I continue to make baking blunders, I continue to learn from them. It also helps to listen closely and pay attention to the pastry chef’s instructions and demo. There were a lot of hilarious banter in the group, and we learned a little about each other as the workshop went on because Filipa intermittently interjected topics of casual conversation.

The pastries we made and a hot cup of herbal tea were our rewards for participating in the workshop. Unfortunately, as much as we would have liked to stay behind and mingle with the group longer, my friend and I said our goodbyes and thanked everyone because we had to dash and head on to our next booked excursion.

Since this day was my dear friend’s milestone birthday, I booked us a sunset sail experience as her birthday present. The meeting point was at Doca do Mom Successo Gate 3. My friend and I arrived there after running around like headless chickens trying to locate the dock gate as we were cutting it too close to the meeting time. We were not sure if we found the exact spot we had to be. We saw a guy who appeared to be waiting as well. I asked him if he was also waiting, to which he replied, “Yes” quickly adding, “but you are not part of our group because ours is privately hired.” I was unsure if his English was not up to par, but part of me thought, “What a proper tos***!”. First of all, I would not necessarily know who would be part of our group as it was an open group sailboat tour, and I was not presumptuous enough to consider any one at the dock belongs to our group. I just wanted to know if the spot where we were waiting was the right one. Secondly, what made him think that we wanted to join him! He could have just said he was waiting because his family hired a boat. Semantics. I know. Anyhow, forget that tos*** hahaha.

It turned out that we were at the right waiting spot after all. As we left the dock, sailing out to Tagus River, it was breezy and the waves were choppy, so the captain warned everyone to hang on to something sturdy as the sailboat banked from side to side. Refreshments were served and was tricky, to say the least, to keep one’s balance while sitting on a swaying boat with a glass of wine in one hand and pastry in the other! Ours was a small group. Hugo, our captain, was from a family of boatmen and was very accommodating in responding to any questions thrown at him as we sailed away. Hugo spoke about the historic monuments and brought our attention to numerous iconic structures as we went up the river to the center of Lisbon. In the middle of the sail, Hugo claimed that Lisbon has the most beautiful sunset in the world, and so he took the boat by the Ponte 25 de Abril (25 de Abril Bridge) to see the sunset. It was undeniably beautiful, but at the same time, I caught myself saying without forethought, “I would not be so sure about your claim. I am from Florida, you know, the Sunshine State.” Me and my big mouth!

April 25th - Sintra

Sintra is a town located on the Portuguese Riviera. It is popular for its 19th century Romantic architecture, palaces, picturesque landscapes, beaches, and natural parks. The meeting place for our day trip was at Praça dos Restauradores. Our guide, who we will call Mr. D, suggested that if we would like to have breakfast before we head out to Sintra, we might want to check out Padaria Portuguese or Fábrica da Nata. We opted for the latter.

As we approached the town of Sintra, having exited the major highways, it was an uphill ride and the roads became narrow and winding.

Our first stop was Palácio da Seteais, a Neo-classical palace built around the late 1780’s, and then converted to a luxury hotel in 1955. We did not stay here long, but we managed to see part of the garden and grounds. We could also see the Palácio da Pena higher up the hills.

Palácio da Regaleira was our second stop. The Quinta Regaleira manor and estate is a Unesco World Heritage site. The ownership changed hands several times throughout the years. The Viscountess of Regaleira used to own the manor, followed by a millionaire, then sold to a Japanese corporation up until the late 1990s when the Sintra Town Council took over. We explored the parts of the palace and part of the grounds open to public.

Poço Iniciático (Initiation Well)

The Initiation Well was one of the places that enticed me to visit this palace when researching places to visit in Sintra. It is an inverted tower and mysteries and myths abound regarding its purpose and use back in the day, alluding to activities connected to the KnightsTemplar and the Freemasons among other things. It has nine flights of stairs, which according to Wikipedia, could be associated with the nine founders of the Knights Templar or it could have stood for the nine Hells in Dantes’ Inferno.

Fuel for the soul

Capela (Chapel) — the chapel at Palacio de Regaleira is a Roman Catholic Chapel with ornate stuccoes, stained glass windows, and beautifully decorated interior.

Fuel for Quinze

On our way to get lunch, our guide announced that we were making a short stop. The van pulled up on the side of the road and he turned off the engine. There was nothing really spectacular to see around us, but I noticed a high wall on the other side of the road. All of a sudden, without warning and at the top of his voice, Mr. D started making a “hee-haw” sound which had us all in stitches. A minute or so later, Quinze emerged behind the wall. We continued to laugh while at the same time in awe that our guide could summon Quinze, the donkey, by ‘braying’. A few of us got off the van and fed Quinze with grass that the guide obtained from somewhere. Apparently, Quinze was the last one left of his herd in this region. In the distant past, his ancestors were put to work transporting fresh produce like vegetables and fruits up and down Sintra.

Cabo da Roca

With its iconic lighthouse sitting on top of a promontory, Cabo da Roca — a cape and the westernmost point of continental Europe — offfers breathtaking views. I would not do justice describing this beautiful place. The photos simply speak for themselves.

Lovely surprises

Sintra was indeed a great place with picturesque landscapes and seascapes. Wrapping up this third day left me feeling energized and abundantly satisfied for having chosen this destination. As if that was not enough, our guide declared that he had a surprise in store for us. The surprise proved to be this lovely pastry filled with light creamy custard called Travesseiros, which were light as pillows as its Portuguese name suggests, and my, oh my, the pastry lives up to its name! What a delightful, sweet surprise!

The second surprise tickled me to no end. Apparently, our guide has a friend who makes wine, but he also makes this alcoholic drink on the side, for family and friends. So, after leaving Cabo da Roca, we stopped at a junction on a hill overlooking Sintra and Seteais. We all found a spot to snap more photos, as Mr. D poured the Portuguese moonshine to plastic shot cups! We gave toast to our fun-filled day outing and for being in such good company of lively and interesting people. It is always a relief when joining a group of strangers, to find everyone to be easygoing, funny, open, and has a lot of interesting life experiences to share. That is truly the gift of traveling — going to places you have never gone before and meeting people from different parts of the world.

By the way, we treaded through grassy area while enjoying our surprise drink and got ourselves mildly stung, by tiny needles. It was hilarious watching everyone helping each other pluck the tiny needles off each other’s clothing.

April 26th

The next day was reserved for a peaceful visit to Sé de Lisboa (Lisbon Cathedral), a place with eight hundred years of history.

April 27th

Our last day of exploration took us to Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. The queue to get in the church was just unbelievably long, so we quickly decided to just snap photos of the exterior and explored the surrounding area.

Around the corner, at one of the church’s wings, we happened upon the Museu de Marinha. We continued to stroll and found ourselves by the fountains at the Plaça do Imperio.

Parched, we kept walking until we found the first place to grab a cold drink. Unfortunately, for me who wanted to sit at a local café but heaven for my friend, there was only a Starbucks café! After quenching our thirst, we took another stroll and we ended up in a bookstore. I spoke to the shopkeeper and asked for a book by a respected literary author, and I was introduced to Fernando Pessoa’s The Book of Disquiet. A heady read, indeed! In search of souvenirs to take home, we made our way to the Vasco da Gama shopping center. At some point, while savoring gelato and people watching, I noticed people coming in and out of another entrance/exit, so I decided to walk out and check what was out there to see from that side of the shopping center. And this was how I discovered the Parque das Naçoes, the site of the 1998 World Expo.

Portugal is indeed a wonderful place to visit. I wish we could have stayed longer. Apart from Lisbon and Sintra, the places in the North I wanted to visit were Porto and the Douro Valley which are filled with history of Roman and Viking influences. The islands of Azores and Madeira also offer breathtaking views of the land and the sea. There is plenty to see and do in Portugal, and the people I came across were friendly and helpful. So, I will definitely find my way back to this country at some point.

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For more photos of Portugal, go to Captured Images - Portugal
Watch more videos of my travels in Portugal

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