After arriving and getting a glimpse of Lisbon, I have to go back and qualify that what I thought were hills in Lagos were just little mounds compared to the seven hills of Lisbon. This is a city where you are either going straight up or straight down. (And I have the sore calves to prove it but I must admit – less sore each day).
Lisbon is a beautiful city on the River Tagus and the Atlantic Ocean. We chose to stay right on the border between the Alfama, Lisbons oldest neighbourhood and the Baixa, the most central and lively neighbourhood. Our airbnb is lovely. It’s in an old apartment block that has been refurbished but has kept the character of the old building. I have become a true fan of airbnbs for travellers on a budget. This is one of our most expensive places. Lisbon is a big city with lots of tourists and prices have been higher here than the rest of Portugal. Even at more expensive this apartment was $117 a night. It has a washer, dryer, full kitchen, nice living area and 1 1/2 bathrooms in the beautiful safe historic centre of town.
After settling in, we went for some fruit and groceries, walked the neighborhood and called it a night. Tomorrow we have booked an all day tour to two small neighbouring communities- Sintra, and Caiscais.
Day 1. We are off to Sintra by train to meet our wonderful guide, Helena. Had we known the magic of this place, we might have booked an Airbnb in Sintra and toured Lisbon from here. Sintra is known for its palaces and we toured three of the best…the National Palace, in the centre of town surrounded by tiny streets and quaint shops and cafes. We also had our first taste of Ginja here – the Portuguese national drink – a cherry liqueur. Served in a choc cup!
Next, the Pena Palace which stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains. The palace is a Unesco World Heritage Site and CNN reported it as one of the Worlds most beautiful castles. It resembles a fairytale castle built in 1849 over an old monastery. It is one of the few castles where all of the furniture, artwork and dishes are still intact. History tells us that the royalty fled for their lives and left everything behind.
Lastly my favourite of the day, the Quinta de Regalaria, located at the end of the historical centre of the town. It is a 19th-century gothic mansion and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful gardens of Sintra. Along with attractive fountains, stunning underground tunnels, and a series of hidden passages and caves; this eccentrically decorated palace is one of the most mysterious, intriguing places I have ever visited.
At the Quinta da Regaleira, one of its most fascinating features is a well spiralling 27 metres below land and accessed by a spiral staircase. The well was never used as an ordinary well; it was not built to serve as a water resource at all. It was actually built for secret ceremonial purposes and has many tunnels that connect it to other monuments and caves around the park.The theory is that it represents the initiation rite of the Free Masons. We climbed down into the dark, damp, depths and then meandered through a tunnel out to a waterfall and garden.
Quinta da Regaleira is a breathtaking place to visit. The palace looks just as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside with its gothic style split over five floors.Its architecture hides shapes and symbols that relate to the alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar and the Rosicrucians. Another one of its main attractions is the enchanting gardens. The Regaleira gardens are styled to represent the ancient secret order, with hidden tunnels and concealed symbolism. It is full of exotic plants and flowers along with several pathways that will lead you to mysterious places.
We had a beautiful lunch in Sintra (first time eating Octopus salad and drinking green wine – I’m not sure why the weird face – it was very good and tender – tasted a bit like lobster. We drove some beautiful streets and ventured over to Caiscais, a wealthy little Portuguese beach town – they call it the Malibu of Portugal because many famous people own summer mansions there.
It was a great first Lisbon area day. Helena dropped us off at the Caiscais train station and we hopped on a train for home. 1/2 hour later, we were home, some fruit for supper and to bed!