Our first full dia in Portugal, we saw everything in Lisbon. Okay, that's not completely true, but we did get all the grande sites checked off our list (Yes, there was a list. Thanks to Meghann, there's always a list. Even lists of "foods to eat".) So, the next day we drove up to the hilltop town of Sintra, just outside of Lisbon. After parking the Mini, we caught a bus to the very top to explore the Castelo dos Mouros, an 8th-century Moorish castle.
The views were incredible. We could see the ocean, into the main square of Sintra, across Portugal, and our next stop.
On an adjacent hill is the Palacio Nacional de Pena, a mid-19th century castle that is an eclectic combination of bright colores, dramatic turrets, tile work, and various architectural styles.
We had big plans to see mas of Sintra, but ended up getting stuck on the hill, thanks to a religious procession that interfered with the bus route. After waiting for a while, we were rescued by a young Portuguese couple that offered to drive us back down to the center of Sintra. They were from Lisbon, so we asked for suggestions of what we should do on our last noche. Their suggestion confirmed what we had been thinking about - a Fado show! Fado is a traditional form of Portuguese music that combines classical guitar, mandolin, and vocals.
Graham booked a dinner reservation and while enjoying our traditional Portuguese food, various singers performed. Even though we couldn't understand the lyrics, the emotion ranged from lively to longing, but always lovely.
Here is a sample. The video quality is a little grainy, because of the dim rojo lighting, but it's really about the music anyway.
The next morning we drove back up to Sintra again, to walk around the town a bit more, take a few more pictures, and have some lunch.
Then our long weekend was over and it was time to head back to Puerto. Chloe is such a backseat driver.
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