Portugal: Lisbon and Friends

In Portugal we discover the epic tale of one land's many hills and mankind's relentless quest to overcome them.

Portugal
Dates of Travel: Wednesday, May 25th (departure) – Friday, June 3rd, 2022

Portugal is a country that has always intrigued me, especially due to its maritime location, pretty blue and white tiles, and its (seemingly) Mediterranean culture.  Furthermore, Sintra especially seemed to me like a fairytale land, with its lofty castles, sweeping views, and lush gardens.  With many COVID restrictions finally behind us (we hope), Andy and I have been eager to catch up on our travelling; thus, although our PTO was somewhat limited, we figured we had time enough to finally check out Portugal and see some of what it has to offer.

Air Travel: Chicago O’Hare to Lisbon

Our departure day featured multiple tornado warnings (and sirens), so I figured our flight would absolutely be delayed.  As it turns out, we remained “On Time” throughout the day.  I guess our ~10pm departure time was late enough to put us beyond the fray.  

Andy and I were flying with TAP Portugal, leaving from O’Hare Airport.  The TSA line for our terminal, Terminal 5, was massive – truly the worst TSA line I have ever seen.  Thanks to Global Entry and, consequently, TSA Pre-check, we made it through in about 15 minutes.

The people in the regular TSA line seemed quite irate about us passing them by.  I can’t blame them.

Our flight boarded a bit too close to our scheduled departure time, and so we did not actually take off until closer to 10:30pm.  This saw us arriving in Lisbon at about 12:30pm, approximately half an hour late.

I made a quick visit to the restroom immediately after landing, since I was forewarned about the disarray and long wait times at Lisbon airport.  These warnings were well advised.

At first, all of we newly arrived passengers were stalled in a sort of “holding area” upstairs.  Once they were ready for us, they opened the flood gates and thus began the airport gauntlet.  First was a checkpoint where they asked for either proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test.  Officially, Portugal was not accepting our CDC cards as proof of vaccination, but nevertheless they accepted my CDC card in practice.  (I did have our negative test results as well, though, just to be safe.)

From here we went downstairs to wait in the legendary passport control line.  The signage and floor arrows at this point are blatant misdirection.  For instance, if you follow the arrow that says “Exit,” you will wind up “exiting” the line and going to the EU-only kiosks.  I believe the arrow we wound up following to the correct place was labelled for “Connecting Flights,” (which, confusingly, there are two separate processing gates for).  Luckily, Andy and I did not actually have a connecting flight to make, otherwise we would have been sweating it like so many other people around us.  

Once we finally made it to the border agent, he asked us about our travel plans, and inquired if we “liked queues.”  I said not so much, but sometimes that is the price of travel.  He asked how long we’d been waiting in line.  Our total time was about 1.5 hours in line (and 2 hours door to door).  He didn’t seem overly impressed with that figure, shaking his hand to say “so-so.”  In fact, days later, we heard that there was a massive strike at the airport, so those unfortunate souls had to wait 5+ hours in that line!

At this point Andy and I found our bags easily – they had been waiting for us a long while at the luggage carousel, instead of the usual routine of us waiting for them.

Ground Transportation: Uber

The airport's Uber pickup point was less easily found.  We walked out of the airport, with our bags in tow, and stood near the area marked for pickups.  I summoned the Uber, but our app showed that the pickup point was in a different location.  We ultimately had to take an outdoor escalator upstairs to a different parking lot to find our Uber driver.  I think the Uber pickup point was actually located in the area marked for dropping off passengers?

The drive from the airport to our hotel was a bit harrowing.  Our Uber driver sniffled, snorted, coughed, and sneezed non-stop throughout the whole 24-minute drive.  We were all wearing masks (as required by Uber), but this did not really help to alleviate our tension and concern.

Hotel: Be Poet Baixa

Andy and I stayed at the centrally located Be Poet Baixa hotel on Rua Augusta.  This street is pleasantly pedestrianized, and we only had to drag our luggage a short distance from the adjacent traffic-filled road.

A view of Rua Augusta in front of our hotel.

We were greeted immediately upon check-in with two glasses of port wine and two pasteis de nata.  This was the first of many pasteis we would sample throughout our trip.  My first impression was that it sort of reminded me of French toast, which I guess makes sense.  Be Poet’s iteration was not as gooey as some others, but not too dry, either.  I actually really liked it.

The Be Poet Baixa hotel has your typical tiny European elevator, which is mostly useful for getting your bags up and down the stairs.  Our room was located on the 4th floor, which was themed for the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões.  The room was rather tiny, and especially the bathroom, and especially for what we paid.  We are used to these tiny rooms, and don’t really mind them, but definitely you are paying for the location and not the space.

Our 9-Day Portugal Itinerary

Day 1 (Arrival Day): Baixa and Carmo Convent

The roofless Carmo Convent.

Since this was our first day in Portugal, and flight delays and jet lag seemed likely/inevitable, we did not plan for much aside from casually wandering about.  Our first port of call was the nearby Oakberry for some acai smoothie energy.  Thus revitalized, we took to the streets and sights of the Baixa.  Highlights of the area included the Santa Justa elevator (practically around the corner from our hotel), Rossio train station, the Praca do Comercia, and the Tagus River.  Andy and I even made it a bit beyond the Baixa, as far as Carmo Convent.  We enjoyed a leisurely stroll within the convent ruins, and furthermore blissfully lingered in the square just outside.

The jacaranda trees were vibrantly in bloom throughout Lisbon.  They served as graceful purple accents everywhere we went.

One of my priorities on this trip was to try authentic Portuguese piri piri chicken (or “peri peri” chicken, as we say at home).  Thus, we went to Bonjardim for dinner, as they are supposed to offer some of the best.  Right away I learned that peri peri sauce in Portugal is a bit different than what I am used to.  When I have peri peri sauce at home it is more opaque and quite a bit thicker - almost like a saucy chili puree.  On the contrary, in Portugal it seems that it is essentially a bit of blended chili added to olive oil.  Still pretty tasty either way.

For dessert we sought out the renowned Santini gelato.  Andy got the limone, which was excellent, and I got the passionfruit, which was perhaps just as good.  Andy maintains that Santini offered the best gelato of the trip, but I think we are lucky enough that there were a few close contenders. 😉

One of many great views.

We concluded our evening by sitting near the Tagus River, soaking in the distant views of the 25th of April Bridge and the Christ the King Monument.  Ending our days (and even beginning them) here by the waterside became somewhat of a daily ritual for us while in Lisbon.

Day 2: Lisbon City Tour with Bike My Side and Belem

We are just hardcore enough to take this staged photograph.

Andy and I began the next morning with our daily pastel and an assortment of other goodies at our hotel’s breakfast buffet.

Partly to orient ourselves, and partly for the thrill, we had booked a 10am tour of Lisbon with Bike My Side.  This is a tour by motorbike with sidecar.   For the most part, I sat behind our tour guide, Jorge, who actually drove the motorcycle, and Andy rode in the sidecar (he didn’t much care for his brief stint behind the driver’s seat).  This tour was a fun opportunity to hit up many far-flung quarters of the city, and especially convenient for catching views from the numerous lofty miradouros (viewpoints).  I will say that, while we learned some good info about Lisbon at the various stops throughout the tour, it was often too loud to hear any of the tour information while actually zooming around on the bike.  That said, I had done a lot of research in advance, so I could generally piece things together.

One of many distant views.

Our tour concluded around lunchtime and, per our request, we were dropped off in Belem.  Andy and I swiftly made our way to Pasteis de Belem – yes, for some more pasteis – but also for some much-needed lunch.  The inside of the restaurant is a lot bigger than you might expect from its exterior appearance.  Indeed, it actually spans for rooms and rooms throughout the building, and even has an outdoor courtyard.  

Andy and I took a seat in one of the restaurant’s many spacious dining rooms.  Had we eaten in the courtyard, the umbrellas there would have sprayed us with a fine mist to keep us cool.  So ironically, you would probably experience more “air conditioning” outdoors than indoors.

You've gotta have your daily (or even bi-daily or tri-daily) pasteis de nata.

As for the food, in addition to the famous pasteis we got a couple of sandwiches and drinks.  Sandwiches were good, pasteis were good, but my redcurrant drink tasted a bit too much like Red Vines (not even Twizzlers – Red Vines!).

After lunch we strolled to the nearby park, where we passed the (apparently?) famous pink McDonald’s and saw the Thai Pavilion.  It was a pleasant atmosphere, and better still when you can take shelter from the heat beneath the shade of a large jacaranda tree.

The Thai Pavilion.

Finally, we made it to one of our main points of interest in Belem, the Jerónimos Monastery.  The attached chapel is free, so we visited that first, before trying to enter the monastery itself.  We quickly learned that the tickets for the monastery were actually sold a good distance down the block, so we walked there, got our tickets from the machines, walked back, and entered, all without any line.  Lucky us!

The monastery interior, and especially the courtyard, was pleasant enough, and architecturally interesting.  That said, the addition of some signage explaining the historic/monastic functions of each room would not be remiss, in my opinion.  As it was, I entertained myself (not so sure about Andy) by inventing backstories for the various rooms we visited.

One of many large outdoor walkways.

Once we exited the monastery, we were better able to appreciate just how lucky we got with our easy entry, because now a HUGE line spanned down the block.  It’s always good to be just one step ahead of the crowd while travelling!

The nearby planetarium displayed large advertisements for some kind of Obi-Wan Kenobi event.  We walked over to find out what was going on, but in this case, it turned out we were one step behind; whatever event was being advertised had seemingly already taken place in the preceding days. 😞 Andy is by far the Star Wars fan between the two of us, but it certainly would have been fun to mingle with fellow nerds while on vacation in Lisbon.

What did we miss??

Once we were thoroughly satisfied with Belem (and thoroughly exhausted), we decided to take public transportation back to the hotel.  Any tram we had seen up to this point could not hope to hold a single additional passenger, so we were a little worried.  However, the more urban-looking tram/bus thing that arrived to pick us up had plenty of room for a comfortable ride – up until the very next stop.  From there, a large crowd of people piled into our bus, and it only got fuller, denser, and HOTTER with every subsequent stop.  One of the bus windows was cheekily labelled “Air Conditioning”; indeed, I believe this 24 minute bus ride was the hottest 24 minutes of my life.  And, if COVID wasn’t top of mind when we first got on the bus, it was certainly a prominent thought by the end of our journey.

Following a sizeable nap at the hotel, I received email notification of credit card fraud on my Chase Sapphire Preferred card… this was completely unrelated to our travels, and simply the result of a poorly timed online hacking.  This meant I had to make a long-distance call to Chase.  They graciously disabled online transactions ONLY, so I could still use the card for in-person transactions while we were travelling.  This was my only travel credit card with no foreign transaction fees, so I am very happy they were able to do that!  I recalled that “back in the day” they were able to courier you a new card pretty quickly, but I guess no longer – the replacement card would be received once we were back at home.

The famous Pink Street.

Our late afternoon and evening wanderings took us to Pink Street, sardine shops, and Time Out Market.  We only sampled ice cream at the market, because I had hoped to have dinner at Monte Mar… but with no reservation, it didn’t work out for us.  Restaurants generally seemed to be very busy on this Friday night, but we were able to find an open table at Casa do Alentejo.  This restaurant had actually been recommended to us by Jorge, our tour guide from earlier.  However, I wasn’t too happy with what I ordered – it was a special menu item, some kind of overly hard bread with an oregano spread and shredded bacalhau (cod).  Maybe the other stuff on the menu is better.

After dinner we followed the sound of live music to the nearby Hard Rock Café.  There was a concert of sorts taking place outdoors in the park.  Live music al fresco is one of the many joys of travelling to Europe.

Day 3: St. Jorge’s Castle, Alfama, Chiado, and Bairro Alto

Never was there a more peaceful scene to find a cannon.

The next morning we asked the front desk whether we should walk or take the tram to St. Jorge’s Castle.  We were told that either idea was okay, but it’s a long walk and the tram would probably be very crowded.  So, how about an even better idea?  We could instead walk over to a nearby building.  It has an elevator inside that will take us to a street further up the hillside.  From there, we can walk to a nearby supermarket, where there is another secret elevator.  Take that elevator to the top, exit to yet another street, and from there it is only a short walk to the castle.  You definitely won’t get insider directions like that from Google Maps!

After meticulously following those instructions, we arrived at the castle just a bit before 10am.  Our surroundings were indulgently peaceful at that relatively early hour.  Peacocks and even baby peacocks greeted us and provided delightful company.  Lush trees and ancient fountains adorned the scene.  City views quietly spanned out into the distance, all for us, who were the only onlookers (mostly).

Mom and baby peacock!

After hanging out with peacocks, visiting the small museum of Moorish artifacts, and being amused by the peacock souvenirs in the gift shop, we carried on to the castle walls.  You are able to walk along the top of these walls for even more great views.  From this vantage point I was able to observe a castle employee serving as a living scarecrow.  He put out feed for the peacocks, and thereafter stood guard against the swarming pigeons, shooing them away and generally hazing them.

Walking the castle walls.

One of many views.  You can see the Santa Justa Elevator and Carmo Convent.

The castle grounds did get busier as the morning wore on, but by then we had seen all of the highlights.  At that point we lingered on a shady bench, taking the opportunity to people watch and absorb the castle’s atmosphere for a while longer.  All in all, I would say St. Jorge’s Castle was one of my favorite stops on this trip.

Still a great view, even when you do have to share it.

Next, we winded through the narrow alleyways of the charming Alfama district.  Decorations adorned the streets and draped overhead, growing larger still for the upcoming Feast of Saint Anthony.  Jorge had previously explained that St. Jorge may be the patron saint of Portugal, but St. Anthony is the favorite, because he was born in Portugal.  This means that his feast is a big deal.

A quiet spot in Alfama.

A little more bustling.

Charming.

Some sort of shrine for Saint Anthony.

The decorations continue, and we could see them still constructing stands for the festival.

Our path through the Alfama eventually took us past some street art, a dog park, and back to the Santa Luzia Miradouro that we had visited the day prior.  It was Saturday now, so it was even more crowded.

Here is a picture of Santa Luzia Miradouro from the previous day, when it wasn't so crowded.

The walk back to our hotel was primarily downhill, and thus easy enough to make sans elevators.  Along the way Andy and I stopped at the popular As Bifanas do Afonso for a couple of bifanas (thin-sliced pork sandwiches).  I added some peri peri sauce to mine; I think mustard is more traditional, but I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for more peri peri.

Half a bifana.

That afternoon we visited the Lisbon Cathedral, which charges an entry fee.  When there are so many amazing churches in Europe that you can visit for free, I can feel a bit picky about the ones I pay to enter.  I feel like this is one you could skip.

We were not full enough from our earlier bifanas, so Andy and I shared a bigger lunch at da Prata 52.  This restaurant features some trendier, fusion-type tapas.  The service was good, the food was good, and even the non-alcoholic drinks we got were good (plus they didn’t taste like Red Vines).  I feel like this was honestly one of my favorite meals of the trip.  It wasn’t too fussy, while still showcasing some great flavors.

Several market stalls seemed to be permanently in place at the Praça da Figueira, near our hotel.  We decided to take a proper look at them and picked up some dried fruit in the process.  I was also able to sample some turron, which was very similar to the kind we get in Italy.

Market stalls.

Fresh sandwiches.

Turron.

That evening we made our way to the Chiado and Bairro Alto neighborhoods.  Highlights included a large bookstore and the Church of Sao Roque, which features a painted wood ceiling and a large elephant statue inside!  We had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Visconti Chiado.  My porcini and truffle spaghetti was generous and tasty, while Andy’s margherita pizza was good, if not quite Napoli good. 😉

Elephant statue in Sao Roque church.

Painted ceiling.

We stopped by the famous café, A Brasieleira do Chiado, but were still too full from dinner to even entertain dessert.  Instead, we lingered in the nearby square and enjoyed some live street music.

Day 4: Cistern, LX Factory, Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, and Fado ao Carmo

Today's main attraction is the LX Factory.

For a change of pace, Andy and I went out for warm drinks and pastries at the Copenhagen Coffee Lab.  Shortly thereafter, we took an Uber to a cistern we had driven past during our motorbike tour.  If you are looking for it on Google Maps, it is called “Reservatório da Mãe d'Água das Amoreiras.”  If you ask our Uber driver, it is called the “Mother Water.”  Whatever you call it, it sits at the edge of a quiet park, and is furthermore flanked on both sides by an aqueduct.  

Reflective view within the cistern.

Another perspective.

The cistern used to collect water that flowed forth from the mountains of Sintra.  The collected water was then disseminated to various water fountains placed throughout Lisbon.  These fountains were generally located in wealthier neighborhoods, for the convenience of those citizens.  People from poorer neighborhoods were expected to travel a bit further to get their water.

These days the cistern is kept artificially full for demonstration purposes (and pretty photographs) only, as it is no longer a source of water for the city of Lisbon.  Instead it is a tourist attraction that you can visit (for free on Sundays, as we did).  You can furthermore go up to the rooftop for a panoramic view, and potentially even hike along the aqueduct, though this was not possible during our visit.  Finally, our Uber driver mentioned that they occasionally host concerts inside the cistern, on its central platform.  The acoustics are phenomenal.

View from the rooftop.

After a relatively quick visit to the cistern, Andy and I carried on via Uber to the LX Factory.  Like many cities, Lisbon has converted an old industrial area into a trendy market of sorts, complete with shops and restaurants.  They also host a Sunday market there, featuring stalls with various artistic wares for sale.

Our first stop.

While at the LX Factory we made a point to visit Landeau for their famous chocolate cake.  The cake lived up to its tasty reputation, with powdered cocoa layered atop its fluffy mousse-like center.  It went down all too easily.  And although it was pretty warm out, Andy also ordered Landeau’s hot cocoa, which was likewise decadent.

I'm sure you wanna see the cake.

The beautiful patio from which we indulged.

Needing some nutritive sustenance, we also shared a tapas lunch at some other restaurant, but it was unremarkable.

Inside the "factory" turned shopping center.

After admiring the varied shops and the ample graffiti (which was often quite dirty – and in English) we headed back to the hotel to relax for a little while.  By the time our energy returned we noticed we still had a lot of daylight left.  We thus took the train over to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, which also offers free admission on Sundays, but only after 2pm.  

Walking through the museum garden.

This museum is comprised of a rich man’s former home, personal art collection, and garden.  The garden is free to enter, but the exhibits require tickets.  The ticketing situation was a bit confusing, because even though admission was free when we went, we still needed to get tickets (presumably to count visitors), and moreover, different exhibits needed different (free) tickets.  In the end it all worked out, and our visit here proved to be an interesting and pleasant way to wrap up our afternoon.

That evening we had reservations for dinner and a show at Fado ao Carmo.  I wore a dress and nice flats for the occasion, which made the hike up to the restaurant a bit more inconvenient than if I had worn my gym shoes (or sneakers, for you non-Chicagoans).  As it turns out, most of my fellow fado patrons were wearing the standard tourist attire, with gym shoes, sweatpants, and hoodies all represented, so I could have saved myself the trouble.

Our dinner reservation involved a prix-fixe menu, with a few options for each course.  The food was all quite good, except for the poached pear I got for dessert; it was perplexingly hard, instead of delicate and tender as one would expect.  The environment of the restaurant could affectionately be called intimate, or less affectionately called cramped – it felt a bit more of the latter, particularly in these COVID times.  This resulted in us wearing our masks between courses. 

These close quarters did facilitate conversation with the table immediately next to us.  An American mother and her son were on a fantastic European vacation, including stops in Madrid, Milan, Florence, Vienna, and Switzerland next.  While in Portugal, the mother was especially excited to be here for fado.  They didn’t have a reservation at Fado ao Carmo, but a last minute cancellation got them in the door.  Moreover, she was a big fan of the guitarist, having seen him on YouTube during lockdown.  She explained that he is the second best guitarist in Portugal.

The famous guitarist she mentioned is the one on the left.

Though I didn’t share my new acquaintance’s background knowledge of fado, I still enjoyed the show.  In between each course of our meal, the two guitarists would come out and perform with a singer, at first a woman, and then a man.  The singers then switched back and forth a few times, performing about 3 songs for each set.  It all felt very dramatic, like being in a movie.

Day 5: Coimbra and its University

On to the university town of Coimbra.

Since our visit to Portugal was overall pretty short, we decided to forgo a further-flung destination like Porto on this trip.  However, we did still want a taste of something other than Lisbon.  The university town of Coimbra was often mentioned online as a popular destination for visitors, and it wasn’t too far of a journey, so we decided to spend a couple of days there.

We travelled to Coimbra via the Alfa Pendular train.  This is where we first encountered an interesting character from South Florida, who I will call “Gil,” since he had a bit of the same energy as that character from The Simpsons.  Gil spent a good portion of the train journey complaining to his seatmate about his cell phone woes, and various details and complications with his SIM card.  (In contrast, his seatmate offered very interesting conversation: she was American at birth, but had moved to Portugal while she was still relatively young because her dad was a diplomat.  She said she hated living in Portugal at the time; it was still a dictatorship and “extremely backwards.”  She wanted to return to the US as soon as possible, but eventually things got better in Portugal and she decided to stick around.  Now, she is proud to be Portuguese.)

Once at Coimbra-B station, Gil stopped Andy and I on the platform, a bit flustered.  He was only going to be in Coimbra until the next morning before continuing on to Porto, so minutes counted.  He urgently needed to know how to find the train connecting Coimbra-B station to Coimbra-A station.  We didn’t know anything about that; we told him we planned to take an Uber straight to our hotel.  And that is what we did.  

After waiting about 15 minutes for the Uber, we soon arrived at Hotel Oslo Coimbra.  As it turns out, Gil was already there at the front desk.  Surprise!  I guess he did manage to find that connecting train, which was faster than our ride, as it turns out.  Now, he was frenetically discussing some kind of issue with the front desk; I think he needed his room in a hurry.

Enough about Gil for now.  At this point, Andy and I needed lunch, and online reviews pointed us in the direction of Coisas de Lena.  Andy got another bifana and I got the shrimp.  My shrimp was excellent, and especially the sauce!  Two French women and their two large dogs, who were also staying at our hotel, soon arrived to eat at the same restaurant as us.  I guess it really is a “small world” in Coimbra.

Time to climb to the top of this hill, towards that clocktower.

After lunch, Andy and I carried on to the star attraction of the town, Coimbra University.  The Google Map directions were comical; we knew we needed to get to the top of the hill, and there were no more secret elevators to help us with that long walk.  However, Google thought we would prefer to walk up hundreds of stairs than spend a few extra minutes walking up a gentle hill.  When we got to the foot of those stairs (search “Escadas do Quinchorro” for photographs - or click here), we could only laugh before backtracking and working our way up the relatively gentler path (follow the street called “Couraca de Lisboa”).

After catching our breath at the top, we took a moment to survey the university’s presumably fascist architecture.  There were some architectural flourishes and carvings at the front of the buildings, but otherwise they generally seemed to be big cement blocks.  Not the most attractive campus I have ever seen.  

Not so beautiful.

We repeatedly found the signage throughout Portugal to be lacking, and this trend continued here at the university.  There were maps posted, advising where to purchase tickets for the attractions of note (such as the tower, chapel, and library), but the maps weren’t oriented in such a way that you could follow them unless you were already familiar with the landmarks of the university.  We did manage to figure it out, however, because there was a picture of a large statue that we could see in the distance, so that was our figurative north star. 

Once we got our tickets, we swiftly made our way back across the campus to the Joanina Library, as our allotted entry time was fast approaching.  And here the comedy continues.  When our entry time came, they let all of us ticketholders into the building.  We entered into a white-painted, plain space with relatively low ceilings.  There was no informational signage.  There were QR codes promising additional info, but there was no cell phone reception since we appeared to be in a sort of basement. 

As we scattered about the place, we all soon found ourselves in a small room that seemed to be a jail cell.  There didn’t appear to be anywhere else to go.  Murmurs of “where is the library” filled the air.  Eventually someone went back outside to ask, and was told “Oh, I guess they didn’t open the door for you yet.  Just wait inside of that first room until they do.”

Eventually they did open the door, and the next room was still not the library from online photographs, but by then we had all wised up to the situation and knew we were still in waiting.  After about 10 or so more minutes they finally opened the real door to the real library.  Once there, we were told pictures aren’t allowed, but this rule was not heavily enforced.  I had cell phone reception now, so we were able to follow the posted QR code and learn that bats are allowed into the library to eat moths and other bugs.  They have to cover the tables overnight to protect them from bat guano.  I am glad I had cell data, otherwise we would have missed out on a lot of information.

Here's a photo of the decoy library between the dungeon and the main event.

You are allowed about 15 minutes in the library, after which point they direct everyone to the exit.  However, that is plenty of time to see what you are allowed to see.  

After the library, we made our way over to Sao Miguel Chapel and, finally, to the old royal palace, where apparently doctoral dissertations are now presented.  You also have the opportunity to walk around the outside of the old palace for a sprawling city view.

Coimbra as seen when taking the outdoor walkway around the old palace.

By now it was time for us to make a pit stop.  You have to pay to use the university's toilets, but if you are a ticketholder (as we were) you can go to the bookstore for a free bathroom voucher. 

After leaving the restrooms, we walked past the chapel once again.  This time we saw Gil, talking to someone working at the chapel door.  He didn’t have a ticket for the chapel and seemed to be pleading his case for entry, given his short time and how confusing the ticket desk was to find.

At this point I would have liked to visit the university’s botanic gardens.  However, it had been sort of a long day already, and Andy was ready for a break at the hotel.

In the late afternoon we tried to visit the riverside park (the map calls it “Parque da Cidade Manuel Braga”), but the whole thing seemed to be closed off and under construction.  So disappointing!  Indeed, there was a remarkable amount of construction and debris throughout Coimbra (and throughout Portugal, really, but especially in Coimbra).  In any case, we were able to wander around the Old Town’s touristic area, which is basically one main drag with a few emanant alleyways – many going back up the hill.

For dinner we ate on the patio of Il Tartufo, which was pleasant and peaceful enough, with decent pizza and pretty good pasta.  We furthermore made a gelato stop across the bridge at Chocogelataria Novalis.

A captivating sunset view.

While our hotel room included a tiny private balcony, we preferred to lounge on the hotel's large rooftop balcony.  It had a beautiful view, and we were treated to the setting sun’s peaceful golden glow reflecting upon the white buildings that spanned the hillside.  At the same time, the sky’s haze faded, and white wind turbines came into view atop the distant mountain.  Little did we know that we would be standing right beside those very same wind turbines tomorrow.

Day 6: Lousa Mountain Tour and Schist Villages

Into the wilderness.

After breakfast at the hotel, Andy and I met up with Alfredo, our tour guide with Veado Verde/Green Deer.  Alfredo and his off-road vehicle arrived to pick us up near Largo da Portagem.  Then we were quickly off to Lousa Mountain for our tour of natural sites, hiking paths, schist/stone villages, and elusive deer. 

While driving to the mountain we passed through several residential neighborhoods, which was interesting to see.  I was surprised to discover that many Portuguese people have grass lawns at the front of their homes, which is something I almost never saw in Italy or Greece.  I guess Portugal gets more rain.

A bit of hiking.

If we had been on safari for unicorns instead of deer, I think they would have been barely more difficult to find.  I could not anticipate just how lacking in wildlife this relatively undeveloped wilderness would be.  Alfredo explained to me that “this isn’t America,” and basically that Europeans had killed off most of their animals centuries ago.  Even the few deer that are on the mountain now come from relatively recently reintroduced animals.  Furthering this point, we barely heard birds or saw bugs during our hiking, and while I was photographing a flower, Alfredo lamented that I had just missed seeing a squirrel.  I felt like saying “I could video call anyone – ANYONE – at home right now, and say ‘show me a squirrel,’ and be asked what color squirrel I would like to see.”  This experience was definitely eye-opening.

All told, I believe we saw two roe deer and one or two of the more conventional red deer.

Aside from hiking and (attempted) wildlife viewing, we also visited the aforementioned wind turbines, and the popular mountainside swing. 

Eventually, we made it to Talasnal, one of the more famous schist villages.  The plentiful construction from Coimbra had followed us even here, where they were jackhammering away in the very tiny town square.  Without our prompting, the restaurant we visited for lunch convinced them to give it a rest while we were eating outside, which was kind.  A couple other tourists arrived for lunch alongside us, so they also benefited.

Some views of Talasnal:

While we were lunching, a cat jumped up onto our bench and “chose” Andy 😄 for pets and snuggles.  Eventually kitty curled up next to him and took a little catnap.

Kitty.

After touring the small town of Talasnal we hopped back into the car and visited a schist ghost town that had suffered a fire.  It seems that there is basically a fire season on the mountain, so stories of destructive fires were relatively common.

A schist ghost town, damaged by fire.

Finally, we visited a schist village called Gondramaz.  To me, this village felt a bit more “real” than Talasnal (which seemed to me comprised entirely of B&Bs).  It felt more like people actually lived there.  Gondramaz even had a small church.  It was also even quieter and emptier-feeling than Talasnal, although we did see a few apparent locals hanging out.

Before leaving Gondamaz I had to make a bathroom stop, which is a frequent source of inconvenience for me, but in this case it was a blessing.  We went to the Mountain Whisper hotel and ordered a few drinks to enjoy on their patio, to justify my use of the facilities.  We had the entire outdoor space to ourselves (in a town we already practically had to ourselves).  It was a beautiful scene, with the tree-lined mountainside, plants, and a quiet poolside view.  It was the perfect setting for some more laidback conversation, and an opportunity to ask our questions about Portuguese life.

After driving around the mountain a bit longer to see if we’d find more deer (we did not), we were returned to our hotel.  Deer or no deer, we loved this tour.  It was so great to get off the tourist track a little bit, get into the wilderness, see some of the smaller towns, and connect with Alfredo for the day.  It definitely improved our immersion with the Portuguese culture.  If you want to see more towns and no deer, or no towns and all deer, or go to a waterfall, or otherwise customize this tour, you can do that, so I highly recommend it.

After such an action-packed day, Andy and I did not have ambitious plans for our last evening in Coimbra.  We just walked around those touristy streets and found some gelato.  We also made better use of the hotel balcony, ordering cappuccino and tea to enjoy along with the view.

Day 7: Sintra and the Pena Palace

A rare dry moment in Sintra.

Now it was time for us to head back south to our next destination, the town of Sintra.  Our original plan was to take an Uber back to Coimbra-B station, but Ubers were a bit sparse in Coimbra and we would have run late for our train; thus, our hotel called us a taxi instead.  It arrived and dropped us off in no time at all.

Once on the train, we discovered an old lady sitting in the seat we had reserved for Andy.  He anxiously took an empty seat across the aisle while I sat down next to her.  She was very old, hard of seeing, and did not speak English.  She showed me a note someone else had written on her hand.  This clearly showed that she was sitting in the wrong car (she was supposed to be in carriage 22, not 21) but she couldn’t see well enough to tell and the language barrier prevented me from offering a useful correction.  Andy was excessively worried the entire ride that someone would come along wanting the seat he was occupying.  When a train attendant came to check our tickets near the start of the journey, we explained the situation, but he just gave a big unhelpful shrug and moved along.  In the end this situation wound up not being a real issue, thankfully.

The train got us as far as Lisbon.  At that point we and our luggage had to switch to an Uber for the ride to Sintra.  We could’ve boarded a different train to take us the rest of the way instead, but the 40-minute car ride to our hotel in Sintra only cost like €22, so well worth the cost for the convenience, IMO.

Andy and I dropped our luggage off at our accommodations, Sintra1012 Boutique Guesthouse.  The guesthouse proprietor, Karen, was a Californian and thus spoke perfect English.  She was friendly and provided helpful insights about Sintra.  She advised that we walk back towards Sintra train station and find a restaurant near there called Incomum for lunch.

The air was cold in Sintra and the sky was gray and threatening, so we grabbed our rain jackets before heading out, just in case.  Our first stop was to Casa Piriquita for some of their famous pastries.  We got two pasteis de nata and one of their fluffy pillow pastries ("Travesseiros de Sintra").  The latter was excellent, and probably even better than the pasteis (at least at this point on our trip, if nothing else for a change of pace).

When the rain first started, it was light and charming.  Pleasant enough for hiding in a covered alleyway while eating our pastries.  Hoods up, we wandered the town a bit, noting the souvenir shops and restaurants, and still the rain was charming. 

Not so bad for a stroll.

However, as we made our way towards the relatively far-flung Incomum, the sky really started to open up and walking in the rain was no longer pleasant.  In fact, it was hardly tolerable.  The roads became a shallow river.  Even with our rain attire on, we were getting thoroughly soaked from below and above, and by the time we arrived at Incomum we barely felt civilized enough to be seated for lunch.

Indeed, the host asked us if we had a reservation, which we did not.  We feared our fraught journey would be for nothing, either for lack of reservation or just because of our feral appearance.  However, they were mercifully able to seat us in spite of it all.  The food was good, but a shorter journey for lunch would have probably worked out better for us, given the circumstances.

After returning to our hotel we changed clothes and tried to dry off our saturated jeans and shoes with the blow dryer – at least a little bit.  I then placed my still soaking jeans on a hanger to dry, but despite my best efforts to rotate and rearrange them, they were still noticeably damp even 3 days later.

Andy and I had relatively little time to waste, so once things relaxed a bit outside, we began our journey to Pena Palace.  We wanted to visit the Moorish Castle first, and then Pena Palace later in the afternoon, to avoid crowding.  However, it was already later in the afternoon by the time the rain had stopped, and so we had to skip the Moorish Castle.  

We decided to hire a tuk tuk from the Sintra Welcome Center to bring us up the mountain and to the palace.  The person working at the welcome center was very pleasant and gracious.  I think her name might have been Joana.

Rita was our driver for the journey up, and she was a character.  She shared jokes and fun facts along our route.  She also noted that she has been drier in the shower than she was in all that rain from earlier…

We arrived at the gates of Pena Palace just after 3pm.  Crowds were not a concern thanks to the bad weather, if not the relatively late hour, and there wasn’t really a line.  I had our digital tickets in tow, in any case.

Not exactly the view you hope to see when you arrive.

Andy and I decided to visit the Pena Gardens before the palace itself.  After spending so much time poking around photos on Google Maps, I was very excited to see them.  In the end, I have to say the gardens did not impress me as much in person.  During our drive up the mountain, Rita had noted that Sintra’s wet, rainforest-like climate means the plants throughout Sintra pretty much raise themselves.  That sentiment seemed apparent throughout Pena Garden, as the overall atmosphere exhibited a sort of unkempt mystique… with a bit too much emphasis on the “unkempt” part, in my opinion.  Or maybe “charmingly decayed” is a better descriptor… again, leaning a bit too much toward the latter.

Here are some of the more relatively photogenic views:

Portugal’s lax attitude towards effective signage was once again on full display here at the garden, and it created considerable challenge.  As you walk along the garden trails, you are making a commitment of both time and physical effort, since all of the trails basically lead downhill, and subsequently uphill once again.  If you try to follow the signs to more efficiently visit points of interest, this is what follows: a cluster of signs shows that attractions a, b, c, and d are to the left.  So, you go to the left, and eventually you encounter another fork in the road… but no sign saying what is to the left or what is to the right.  Indeed, there is no sign whatsoever.  So, you have a 50/50 chance that the hill you are now randomly trekking down will lead to attraction c, if that is what you were hoping for.  And it goes on and on that way until you are deeper and deeper within the garden.

At the bottom off all (?) paths is a duck pond, and the duck houses there are replicas of Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle.  This was pretty cute.

Maybe this sort of haphazard meandering can be enjoyable without a time crunch (and if you needed your exercise), but in our case, we had a 5pm reservation to visit the palace interior.  So we were only able to visit the ducks for a little while before needing to trek back up the hill towards the palace.

A moment of temporary visibility.

Andy and I had just a moment of blue sky when we first arrived at the palace, but before long all the world was consumed by chilly white clouds.  If I had ever wondered how an airplane felt flying through the clouds at high altitude, now I knew. 

There was no view possible; indeed, it was a bit eerie how all visibility ceased to exist around the palace, as though we were floating in an utter void. 

It is easy to lament the lack of sweeping vistas, but at the same time it was sort of otherworldly to experience this total lack of an outside world, at least this one time. 

A very moody palace.

Remarkably, for just an instant, we saw the Moorish Castle emerge from the clouds, like the island of Avalon emerging from mists, before being swallowed back up once again.

Peek-a-boo!

Andy and I shared drinks and pastries from the palace café, but they were unmemorable.  The views from the terrace might have been nice, had they existed.  The wind frequently threatened to blow the contents of our table entirely away.

We were able to visit the palace interior without the infamous lines.  Indeed, if we had any problems during our visit to Pena Palace, crowds were far from being one of them.  That said, I would agree that the palace interior could be skipped in favor of other attractions in Sintra, if you were short on time, and/or if you had your fill of palaces elsewhere.

One of the rooms inside the palace.  It gives the impression of being engraved, but it is actually painted on.

The Sintra Welcome Center had advised us to install WhatsApp on our cell phone so we could, without an international calling plan, let them know when we were ready to come back down the mountain.  Very convenient!  This time they assigned David to be our driver, and I would recommend him just as much as Rita.

We followed a local recommendation to have dinner at Romaria de Baco.  It was okay.  It’s very well-reviewed, so I don’t know what else to say.  Maybe the drinks here are really good or something.

A favorite stroll.

The evening weather was dry and pleasant.  We decided to seize the moment and take a quiet stroll along the atmospheric street circling the sunken gardens.  I think our driver called this street the “Shower Road”?  It looks like the Portuguese name for it is Volta do Duche.  In any case, it was very pleasant, with plants, statues, benches, and a Moorish fountain lining the path.  It was such a nice walk that we made a point to repeat this promenade the next evening as well.

Day 8: Quinta de La Regaleira, Monserrate, and Cascais

After Pena Palace, the Quinta de La Regaleira is probably the next most visited Sintra attraction.

We began this day with sunny, blue skies and a simple breakfast at the guesthouse.  Thus fortified, we struck out on foot to the Quinta de La Regaleira.  This is basically an eccentric rich man’s house and gardens.  He was big into freemasonry, and so his Quinta is especially famous for its Initiation Well, which is laden with masonic symbolism.  

Things are looking down.

The Initiation Well is basically an inverted tower of sorts.  You enter from the top and take its spiraling staircase deeper underground, before eventually exiting at the bottom.

Things are looking up.

In order to avoid a giant line for the Initiation Well, Andy and I made sure to arrive at the Quinta gates just before opening time.  Once inside, we booked it straight for the well.  Our thoughtful planning paid off because we were basically the only visitors in the well, and thus able to make our way slowly and pensively down its spiraling steps.  I had read online that, when exiting the bottom of the well, one might have the opportunity to cross the water via stepping stones.  In our case, that exit was closed off, and so we had to take an alternative path through the caverns back out into the garden.

Emerging back into the world.

The Quinta gardens were a bit tighter and tidier than those at Pena, though they, too, leaned a touch rugged compared to other formal gardens.  There are a couple of small towers to climb for panoramic views of the garden, though the spiral stairs could be a bit tight while visitors travelled up and down at the same time.

Entry to the palace itself is included with admission, and on that basis it was worth a peek inside.

Andy and I took an Uber straight from the Quinta to our next destination, the Palace of Monserrate.  Now this place had a very different feeling.  It seemed tucked away in its own liminal space, as though in a place both time and humanity had forgotten.  

At first it feels normal enough.  You show your tickets at the gate, and begin your journey down one of two hills.  We chose the path that leads past a meek waterfall.  

One thing we noticed right away is that this place felt much emptier than the others, which probably lent to its sense of otherworldliness.  That said, we did find signs of human life at the café at the bottom of the hill.  We stopped here for some pastries and drinks, to keep our energy up and simply to soak in the general vibe.  We then continued on to the palace itself.  There were even more people here, but again, not too many.  

I really like this architectural style, with its intricate and graceful geometric patterns evoking the sense of being in a stone garden.  The actual living plants that immediately surrounded the palace were also pleasant, with flowers and such thoughtfully arranged to accent the building.

As we journeyed downhill once again, further and further away from the palace, the sense of being outside of normal space and time really set in.  There were plants and small gardens here, too, but they seemed less manicured and tidy, as though tended to only occasionally by some very laidback fae folk.  Gnarled tree branches arced overhead.  Unfamiliar birds cried out.  Moss interwove the stone path beneath our feet, while clover and wildflowers dotted the sprawling green grass.  An unforecasted light drizzle started to fall.  In all the wide expanse that surrounded us, there was absolutely no one around.

After some time, we arrived at the signposted rose garden.  There were a few other people visiting, so we were decidedly back at a tourist attraction, and not in some kind of pocket dimension.  We noticed that the rose garden seemed to be a bit neglected (and neglected by humans, I reckon – not capricious fae folk).  Altogether this scene brought us smoothly back to reality.

After such an adventuresome morning, we now needed to return to our hotel for a much-needed break.  We also had to take care of our COVID testing requirement before our flight back home tomorrow.  The Uber ride back to the hotel was rather circuitous; I think the driver was confused, and the ride wound up costing us a bit more because of that.  In any case, we made it back eventually.  This was a good time for a break, because it started raining heavily during the drive back, although the forecast did not mention it.  The persistent heavy rains made sure we never got to use our hotel room’s private terrace, which was always soaked.

I had received like 6 free COVID tests (free with insurance) from the pharmacy back home, which were packed away in our suitcase.  The tests would be proctored by video call.  We had booked a timeslot with the e-testing company Azova, and although our hotel break was a good bit earlier than the time I had booked, Azova was still able to see us when we logged in.  Andy and I were both able to perform our tests on the same video call, and luckily (after a tense 15 minutes) we both tested negative.  Karen was able to print our negative test results for us (just in case they were needed), and we received them from her at breakfast the next morning.  Hopefully this COVID testing info will not be important information going forward!

Once we’d recovered enough it was time for another Uber ride.  This time it was a 15-20 minute drive to Cascais.  I had tried to make a lunch/early dinner reservation online at Mar do Inferno, but I wasn’t sure if it went through.  As it turns out, it did not, but they were still able to seat us in the big dining room with a view.  I think it must have been about 3pm on a Thursday, so not a very popular meal time. 

Andy and I shared a spectacular seafood platter with sea bass, sea bream, mussels, and potatoes.  A side of vegetables and two lemonades rounded out our meal.  Altogether, I believe this fantastic meal with its fantastic view cost us $42 US DOLLARS.  I will not tire of bragging about this.

Our legendary meal.

What a stunning difference a 15-minute drive away from the mountain makes.  While it was still overcast and drizzly in Sintra, here in Cascais it was hot, sunny, and blue skies all the way.  A few friendly white cotton candy clouds floated blissfully overhead, and from here in sunny Cascais we could see them distantly collide in a sort of gray traffic jam upon reaching the mountain that is Sintra.  Incredible.

Sunny blue skies and gentle ocean waves in Cascais.

Andy and I lingered a while at the Boca do Inferno.  It was the typical idyllic seaside scene, with many onlookers, splashing waves, rugged cliffs, and a musician lending to the beachy vibe.  Of course, there were seagulls, and even baby seagulls!  We had never seen baby seagulls in the wild before.

Enhance.

THERE are the babies!

Eventually we wandered away from this scene, passing through a covered market, and alongside the seaside coast where compelling views continued.  Before long we arrived at Parque Marechal Carmona.  This was a fun place to see a variety of birds and to rest a while.  While relaxing on a bench, a group of chickens began to swarm us, assuming humans on a bench = food.  They were sadly mistaken.  

Random seaside view in Cascais.

There is also a little ice cream stand in the middle of the park, but Andy and I had bigger plans for our ice cream indulgence.  We continued on our way, at first along the water, but eventually entering into the bustling din of Cascais’ touristic Centro Historico.  At last, we found our destination: the much-renowned Santini, that we had loved so much on our first day in Lisbon.  We are told that Cascais is its real home.

Back in Sintra, during another peaceful evening stroll, we were able to see the monuments lit up.  The Moorish Castle was among them, which we still hoped to visit, if it was the last thing we did (in Portugal).

The historic center of Sintra (where we were staying) seemed to close down pretty early, since it mainly catered to day-tripping tourists.  I was told it used to be even more dead at night, years ago, but at least now there are a few restaurants that stay open late.  This did make it a bit difficult for me to get my evening tea, however.  I had to get it before 8:30pm-9pm or not at all.

Day 9: Moorish Castle and Departure

Just guess what kind of view we had...

After breakfast Andy and I headed back up the mountain, this time via Uber instead of tuk tuk.  Our Uber driver played cool jungle, Donkey Kong-like, tunes, courtesy of Radio Oxygenio 102.6 FM.  

To make it to the Moorish Castle, you first walk a gentle path that rounds the edge of the mountain.  Our walk along this path began pleasantly enough, and I enjoyed the peaceful mountain scenery with draping greenery and sweeping Sintra views.  However, our theme of being rain-soaked in Sintra continued, and so it soon became rainy and foggy.  

We came prepared with our rain attire, but having the views completely washed out by fog – again – had completely lost its novelty by this point.  Out of stubbornness, and lack of future opportunity, I walked up the many steps to the castle walls, though there was not much to see from above.  I felt mocked by a sign explaining that I was standing at King Ferdinand II’s favorite viewpoint of Pena Palace, as I could see only white and even more empty whiteness beyond.  In fact, I could hardly see even the castle on which I stood, let alone Pena Palace.

Our flight home was leaving late enough that we had time for one more lunch in Sintra.  We came upon Villa 6, which was very tasty, and served the typically large Portuguese portions of food.  Maybe this is the ‘one last meal in Portugal’ talking, but I think this was one of the best restaurants we tried on the trip, right alongside da Prata 52.  Restaurants with a number in the name have seemed to have a good track record.

That said, Villa 6 was not actually the last place we ate, because we stopped back into Casa Piriquita once again, not only to get ourselves a little something, but also to bring some pastries back home. 

Pastries and luggage in tow, Andy and I summoned one last Uber, and headed to the airport.

We had heard many horror stories about Lisbon airport, whether arriving or departing, so we made sure to show up three hours early.  I can’t say we needed every minute of that.  We were able to check in our bags very quickly, and without difficulty.  No one ever asked to weigh our carry-on (a backpack), and I am not sure I ever even saw a scale to do so, other than maybe at the luggage check-in counter.  

Although the e-passport kiosks were not available to American citizens upon arrival, they were available for departure, so Andy and I went into that empty line.  Andy’s passport scanned easily, but mine had trouble, so I was afraid I would have to get into the longer line when he had already made it through.  After trying about ten more times, my passport finally scanned, and I made it through.  That said, if I had to get into the normal, human-manned line, it was not nearly the monstrosity that the arrival line had been.

We had trouble finding our gate at first.  It took a while for it to even be assigned on the flight board.  Once a number was finally assigned, it was still difficult to find.  As it turns out, this is because our gate, and only our gate, had a special wall set up around it.  Since the US was one of the only countries still requiring COVID return testing, they had us line up to show our test results, and then corralled us into this makeshift wall around our gate.  Once inside, we were not allowed to leave, not to use the bathroom, not for anything.  A cop was present to enforce this.  I did not put those restrictions to the test, and just stayed put once we were inside.

I heard someone comment that she was surprised so many people were able to test negative, with so many people coughing and sneezing throughout Lisbon (I also noticed this)…  That said, I found our flight to be a little empty.  Maybe it just wasn’t a very popular route, or maybe not everyone who had planned to fly, did test negative after all.

Hints, Tips, and Stray Thoughts

God, give me a sign!
I mentioned this more than once already, but directional signage could stand to be improved.  So many times we were either blatantly misled or else simply left without adequate direction.

Under Construction
There was a shocking amount of construction and renovation taking place throughout Portugal.  In fact, some buildings were closed off as though preparing to undergo renovations, but really they appeared to be in total disrepair.  I saw someone else describe Portugal as a country that had a revolution and forgot to clean up afterwards, and I’d have to say those words certainly rang true at times.

Hills
At some point early on in our trip planning, my parents had entertained the idea of going with us to Portugal.  I described our itinerary, and mentioned the hiking, since they wouldn’t be too keen on anything very strenuous.  As it turns out, the scheduled hike was a breeze.  It was routine walks everywhere else they should have really been worried about.  I have been to some famously hilly places, but Portugal by far takes the cake!  No wonder they built so many secret elevators throughout Lisbon.

Secret Shortcuts
In case you missed it during the trip report, throughout Lisbon there are secret elevators that serve as shortcuts to all kinds of places.  Google Maps will not show these.  The occasional online trip report, along with our hotel’s front desk, was our only insight into the existence of these building-contained shortcuts.  One more example: you can enter H&M from Rue Aurea and take its 4th floor exit out onto Rue do Carmo.

Public Transportation, Travel Cards, and Uber
Near the start of the trip we each purchased a “zapping” Via Viagem card.  This card allows for tap and go travel via train, bus, ferry, tram, and elevator throughout Lisbon.  Andy and I each put €15 on our respective cards.  I thought we would get so much use out of them, but as it turns out, we actually used them shockingly little.  Many attractions we could simply reach on foot.  The trams were never empty enough to use.  We did use the bus once, and the train twice (for a round trip).  Otherwise, Uber was impressively cheap and saved so much time in comparison to public transportation, that it never seemed like a better idea to use the cards.  Be forewarned that there are no refunds for unused travel card balance.

eSIM
Usually while travelling abroad I just leave my phone in Airplane Mode and rely on free WiFi and downloaded maps.  As it turns out, my Pixel 3a is dual-SIM capable, and it is also able to take an eSIM.  Using an eSIM is sort of like downloading a virtual SIM card to your phone.  You don’t need to mess with your physical SIM card at all, other than to adjust some settings while you are travelling.  

I got my eSIM from Airalo.  The one I purchased gave me 1 GB of data to use over the course of 7 days.  I used it for maps, Uber, looking up reviews, and just about everything other than watching movies.  I did not come close to using all of my data, but you can also top up, if needed.  With a referral code, my eSIM only cost me $4.  Do note that the eSIM is for cellular data only, and not for making phone calls.  In a pinch (like when I had to call Chase), I had to rely on AT&T’s International Day Plan, which cost me $10 for that day.

Pastel/Pasteis de Nata
Pastel/pasteis de nata is Portugal’s famous egg custard tart.  Pastel is for the singular, and pasteis is for the plural.  Andy and I definitely had pasteis, having tried multiple varieties from: our hotel; Pasteis de Belem; Fábrica da Nata; Manteigaria (along with some medicinal-tasting ginjinha); Casa Piriquita; and almost certainly some others.  

The great debate is, which is the best of the bunch?  It’s hard to say.  I think each version has its place.  Our hotel’s version was a bit firmer than the average, but I could appreciate that.  The one from Manteigaria was probably the goopiest.  A fellow tourist mentioned that it was goopier the day we went than any other day that week (he ate there all seven days), so there is not even consistency from the same bakery.  In any case, I think every pastel we tried was pretty good.  I don’t think you can go wrong doing your own first-hand research, though.

Abundant Drug Dealers (or perhaps “Drug Dealers”)
One of the features of staying in central Lisbon is being stopped repeatedly by supposed drug dealers.  Andy was feeling particularly singled out, since he could not turn any corner without being asked “Hashish?  Cocaine?”  I was rarely bothered; maybe men are more likely to be propositioned.

No time for tea
For some reason I had a hard time finding quality evening tea on this trip.  Places that had interesting tea options on their menu often would not give it to me (out of stock, or who knows why).  I felt like saying to Andy “tell that ‘drug dealer’ that we could seriously use some tea leaves right about now!’”

People in Lisbon are sick
I mentioned this before, but there definitely seemed to be some kind of respiratory illness circulating around Lisbon during our visit.  Wherever we went we heard people sneezing and coughing.  It was fairly unsettling.  This is not just COVID paranoia talking, because we recently travelled to Paris and Universal Studios Orlando and did not notice such a phenomenon.  I am very glad we tested negative; it was very tense testing for our return flight home!

Food portions tend to be huge
Very similar to American-sized restaurant portions.  Too much for me!  It could be practical to split some meals.

Funny story
While on this trip I received a filtered Facebook Message containing photos that were “blurred for my safety.”  I was wary at first, because it did seem strange that some random guy I didn’t know was sending me photos.  I took the risk, and as it turns out, it was Jorge sending me the photos from our tour with him!

Closing Thoughts

I was originally drawn to Portugal by its beautiful architecture and the expectation that it would be, in some essential ways, similar to Mediterranean countries we have visited previously.  In the end, the pleasing architecture did prove to be plentiful (though I think Spain still excels for me in that department - whereas Portugal excels when it comes to food).  As for the culture, though, it was not as Mediterranean as I had expected.  I think Portuguese culture actually had some surprising similarities to British culture (more reserved), which perhaps makes a degree of sense given their long and historic affinity.  That said, all three areas we visited (Lisbon, Coimbra, and Sintra) felt distinguished from one another, so if we had gone to Porto or the Algarve or any other place, they probably would have felt different, too, and some perhaps closer to what I had anticipated.

I liked Lisbon a lot.  It was a beautiful and vibrant city.  I think the number of days we spent there is appropriate; it is not filled to the brim with tourist attractions like Rome or Paris, where one can fill a week or weeks with activities.  But it has a very nice vibe, and is pleasant and interesting.  Of all its popular attractions, I would say St. Jorge’s Castle was my favorite.  The sidecar tour was also a Lisbon experience that I will fondly remember.

Coimbra we did not like so much.  Its star attraction is the university, and I have enjoyed other university campuses much more.  School was out during our visit, so the town may have lost some of its usual buzz, but to us it felt a little too sleepy and subdued.  The Lousa Mountain tour was fantastic, but Coimbra only lent its proximity to that.

I really liked Sintra, but the weather obviously was not rooting for us.  All the same, it felt like we were poking around a fairytale wonderland, and it certainly had a character all its own.  I can’t say the style of gardens on display were my most favorite, but they definitely had an atmosphere that struck a chord at times.  

Although we only spent a short time in Cascais, for that short time it was delightful.  I am not sure how well it would hold up to a longer stay, but it made for a great afternoon visit.

Finally, I found the people of Portugal to generally be kind and courteous.  Our interpersonal interactions certainly contributed to us having a positive experience on this trip overall.