Amy |
Jul 24th, 2001 01:06 PM |
A Little Bit of Portugal...Trip Report
Ocean crashing against the cliffs; moss covered monastery in the fog; exhilarating wind and views at the Moors' Castle; Serra cheese and olive oil and luscious ripe tomatoes with fresh bread for lunch; friendly, fun Lisboa: I loved Portugal! <BR>I spent two weeks in an apartment in old town Sintra, a 45 minute train ride to Lisbon (after an incredible flower filled 10 minute walk to the train station). I used public transportation to get around. The town has a reasonable tourist crowd by day, but at night it's peaceful, lovely, and cool. I concentrated on just the area around Sintra, going as far as the medieval town of Obidos in the north and down to Lisbon south, with a three day weekend trip to incredible Madeira thrown in for good measure. I booked Madeira after I got to Sintra; the wonderful lady at the travel agency spoke enough English to make it work, as my Portuguese is a bit limited! <BR>Highlights of the trip included a clear day at Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of Europe, with a great walk along the cliffs; the mountains of Sintra with Pena Palace, Castelho do Mouros, and San Pedro market; the Manueline extravagance of the Monasterio de Jeronimos in Lisbon, and hiking the levadas of Madeira. <BR>"Highlights" that were less concrete but very, very important include the friendliness and helpfulness of so many Portuguese people, the lack of crowds, and my kind of weather: 70's and sunny! <BR>I'll be glad to try to answer any questions. (I'm ready to go back!)
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