After getting a ride to the Coimbra B station from Marcus’s parents, we sat on the platform and waited for the 9:20 train. Finally, two hours later, we made it to Lisbon where we discovered that we got off the train one stop early (Lisbon Oriente) which meant we had to ride the Lisbon Metro train system longer then we otherwise would have. Our ride to Sintra (via a Lisbon commuter line) was about 40 minutes long and took us through some interesting neighborhoods with graffiti on the buildings and stations. Finally, we pulled into Sintra, where the station was nice and there was an information booth in the station proper. We asked for a map and then asked the location of the B&B where we would be staying; we were told it was a 15 minute walk, however, the agent advised it was a steep climb to get there so we should catch a cab with our luggage. We looked at each other and decided to walk. So armed with a map and dragging our luggage we set off up the hill. We are not going to lie and say it was the easiest walk up the hill, especially while dragging 22 kgs of luggage or so each, plus our carryon bags, but we did it.
We finally arrived at the Quinta das Murtas, which was a charming bed and breakfast. As it turned out, the property owners are bird collectors, and there is a lovely aviary outside, with parrots, cockatoos, peacocks, and other b
irds you can feed and put on your shoulder if you so dare (like Marcus!) The hotel was also situated in a great neighborhood, it was a short walk downtown to the “main” tourist area with shops and restaurants, a walk to the train station (uphill or downhill on whichever way you were walking) and the town commerce center, and a short walk straight uphill to the trail leading up to the Moorish castle, which connected up to the Pena castle. Sintra was made famous by the ruling Portuguese royalty who decided to use Sintra as an escape from the Lisbon summer heat, 
where they built fine castles. As the location became popular, more of the Portuguese society also built lovely homes there. Consequently, the area is now an UNESCO world heritage site, with good reason. There were numerous castles you could visit, including the two most famous, La Pena and the Moorish Castle, the National Palace, museums galore, lovely forest trails, gardens and everything possible. We arrived in the late afternoon, and were pleased to find our way around the town quite easily. It was a sincere pleasure to walk around, shopping and seeing the gorgeous architecture.The next morning we slept in, which was a treat, and had a late breakfast at 8:30am, which was the earliest the B&B opened breakfast. We decided to work out after breakfast and take the “strenuous hike” up to the Moorish castle. We are pretty sure it was Rick Steves (in our outdated 2003 “best of Portugal and Spain”) who said it was hard hike, and that you could also avoid the entry fees to the Moorish Castle if you went up the hiking way through the village and in via the forest trail. Well, Rick, you let the cat out of the bag on that one! Sure enough, too many people must have read it, as there was a sentry and small ticket office by our hiking path. Since we had to check out of our B&B at 12pm, and it was 10:30am, we did not bother with paying the 6 euro fee, and continued the pleasant walk to the La Pena Palace, which was about a 15 minute walk away. We had read some reviews about it being an all day “hike,” it was more like a walk in reality.
Lisbon, Portugal
On our RTW trip, we always have the best times with locals, who take the time to show you their city favorites, and can explain the local culture, people and foods. In Lisbon, we had plans to stay with friends we met several years earlier, Mariana and Ika. That evening, we went to a very famous fado restaurant called, “Guitarras de Lisboa.” Fado is an old Portuguese tradition, a type of sad folk music, with roots deep in the seafaring mariner tradition. The lyrics were characteristic of longing and missing, and could be sung by both men and women. Eventually, some songs also became happy. Apparently, the restaurant we went to had the best selection of singers, and we agree! The restaurant was located in the Alfama neighborhood, known for its fado tradition. The neighborhood was jumping, and there was quite a few fairground stands set up, with vendors setting up restaurant and band shells in preparation for upcoming religious festivals. At the restaurant, the servers quickly brought us breads, cheeses, chorizo and olives, and fish salad dips. In Portugal, this is normal routine, and you will be charged if you taste them. If not, just don’t eat them! We ordered traditional foods, including calamari, veal and codfish, and Ika ordered wine from a region close to where his vineyards grew, along with an Oporto wine. Marcus had the bacalao, which they sell dried, salted – and flat – in the stores. After cooking it, it fluffs back up to the huge steak size portion! Before dinner started, however, the lights dimmed, and the first singer began her set. She was passionate, sizzling and full of emotion! We were seated right next to the two guitar players (one of whom had a traditional Portuguese guitar with 12 strings and a different shape), and very close to the singer. After the first set, w
e received our food, and the second set began. We almost felt guilty eating during the performance! People at the restaurant were very polite, and there was no noise or cell phone usage. In Portugal, fado is revered as an art, which is a change of pace from what you might experience at a performance elsewhere in the world. After the shows, Mariana asked for a photo with all the singers and the musicians, and they happily obliged. We thought it would be a great photo for the blog! After getting home at 2am, we ended up sleeping in the next day….after a delicious breakfast together we were ready to hit the town. Ika drove to the area of town known as Chiado, and parked underground. The Chiado area is gorgeou
s, and includes a massive plaza, hilly cobblestoned streets with fantastic cafes and shops, and small pathways up to the top of the legendary 7 hills of Lisbon. We climbed up to the top of one hill, where the Castle of Sao Jorge is located. We ended up walking along the top of the hill, and had drinks at a small café overlooking the city. We eventually found our way back to the city and had lunch at a small biologic café called Quinoa, owned by one of Mariana’s friends. We had an excellent meal – the girls had a mini burge
r trio and the guys had steak sandwiches – with papaya kiwi juices. For dessert we had coffees and chocolate fudge balls. We felt like rolling back to the car! You would think that that in itself was a full day…. But the day had only just begun! We carried onto the Expo section of the city, which had been redone years ago in 1998 for the World Expo. There was a lovely pedestrian area where you could walk next to the river, and we passed by many cool looking cervecerias (beer houses), bars (one had a very famous gin and tonic), clubs and wonderful smelling restaurants. It was one place where we could have spent the day or evening.After refreshing at the house for a few minutes, we carried on to the town of Santa Cruz, a small beach town to the west of Lisbon. The drive took us through a very hilly section of the country, which was dotted with many massive power generation windmills, which towered over the small traditional ones. Before arriving in Santa Cruz, Ika drove us past an old monastery, which was destroyed by a tsunami in the 1700’s. It was later rebuilt at the top of the hill and marked with a large cross, which still stands today. We saw the beach, and it was everything we expected and more – windswept, empty, huge cliffs and crashing surf. The air was fresh and clean, and the dark clouds gave the weather an ominous cool vibe. Mariana’s parents owned a small townhouse in town where we stayed. That evening
, we were in Santa Cruz to hang out with Mariana and Ika’s friends, and celebrate the arrival of their long-time friends who had been in France. Their local friends had a flat right across the street from Mariana’s house and they welcomed us with open arms. We had a wonderful evening, starting with a toast of white port. Their friend Nuno cooked dinner that evening, and it was amazing! He made two massive meatloafs, which had to have at least three pounds of meat each, including beef, pork and chorizo. These meat beauties were then cooked with wine, carrots, leeks, onions, red peppers --- one was even rolled with ham and cheese. This was only topped by a massive three liter bottle of wine that Ika had brought for us, a vintage from a few years back. We were wowed by the food and drink! We had dessert at 12am, which was a fresh strawberry gelatin/fruit creation…. Mmmmmmm……The next night, Christy offered to cook a vegetarian dinner for Ika and Mariana; they really wanted to show us the local Santa Cruz market where we could obtain the best produce. After picking up the fixings, we all reluctantly headed back to the city. Ika and Mariana had to work the next day, and we had to carry on, so it was all a bit sad. That evening we celebrated our last night together with a brilliant fresh pasta – Christy made rigatoni with an olive oil (the olive oil was from Ika’s property), fresh tomato, red and green pepper, garlic, olive and onion sauce, accented by cayenne and paprika, tossed with fresh goat cheese. It was a food coma part II as we all filled up on the fresh food, bread and more of Ika’s wine. We carried the conversation long into the evening, over port wine and a local drink called “firewater” which was 40 proof delicious liquor that tasted like a sweet bourbon, but made with wine grapes instead.
We had a lovely time in Portugal, and really enjoyed our stay there. In Sintra, we found the people to be really hospitable and welcoming to tourists, and also found the transportation on our own within Portugal/Lisbon very easy to use. It seemed everyone spoke a little English, and was willing to use it if needed. In Lisbon, we were welcomed with wide open arms to Mariana and Ika’s home, and equally welcomed by their friends. It was a sad parting as we had so much fun with them! It was a delightful experience, and we genuinely wished we had more time to explore the country. We had heard that the west coast between the more popular south and Lisbon was gorgeous and had dramatic scenery. We hope to return there one day to see it!
Merida, Spain
There was no quick way to get from Lisbon to Madrid, where we would be flying out of, so we needed a stopover. We decided to catch a bus from Lisbon to Merida, and had arranged for the first row of seats, which guaranteed us a good view. We stopped once for 30 minutes, another time for 25 minutes in Badajoz, and arrived on
time as scheduled in Merida. The location of our hotel was great – we could walk to the Roman ruins and museum in a matter of minutes, we were across the street from the good grocery store, and adjacent to an upscale apartment/shopping area, which had great looking restaurants. We were pretty pleased.Merida itself is a relatively compact city, and is located on both sides of the river. The older side of the city contained the roman ruins and the pedestrian shopping venue. There were many opportunities to see local ruins, which included the Roman bridges, old aqueducts near the train tracks, amphitheatres and other neat structures. The pedestrian streets were lined with shops, and we’re not sure how people afford to shop so much – everyone had shopping bags all the time! There were quite a few numbers of restaurants and cafes – some were obviously targeted at the tourists near the ruins, and others were placed circling the town squares and fountains. The town also featured a lovely park on the river banks, had lovely gravel paths, and huge amounts of greenery, plantings and flowerbeds. You could access the park from the old roman bridge, or from a number of small footbridges connecting them to the mainland.
The next morning we slept in until 8:30am, and went walking by mid-morning, trying to make the most of the day before siesta! Christy also shopped for a bit. That afternoon, we struggled to find something to eat; we ended up checking out a doner kebab restaurant. Hands down, it was the worst meal we have had since the fried Thai satay chicken and we did not eat it. Fatty chicken “hunks” mixed on a hamburger bun with yogurt-mayo sauce and ketchup?!?!?!
That afternoon, we passed a hair salon, and Christy asked how much it cost for highlights. At this point, she had not had her hair cut and colored since December…. things were getting a little desperate. She had not wanted to get her hair done by women/men in Asia who had never colored her type of hair before. She had her hair done – finally – while Marcus checked out the old roman ruins. The ruins consisted of two stadiums- one where the Romans used to watch the gladiators, where they could be killed or spared with the pointing up or down of the emperors’ thumb. The stadium was in disrepair; however, you could walk through a number of tunnels. The second stadium was a theatre where the Romans would watch plays and other f
orms of entertainment, which was really well preserved and easier to imagine what it would have been like. There were even pillars, about 4 stories high, and intact statues. Outside this theater there were the remains of Augustus Ceasar’s palace where you could still see the tiled floor. It was really amazing when you think of the age of these ruins.We ended up our time in Merida by eating another grocery meal in the hotel for dinner, over a movie. We have had a harder time finding affordable “different” food in Spain. While the tapas are really good, they are not the healthiest and there are no veggies or lettuce salads to be found. We also really dislike the fact that many people here smoke, and there are seemingly no restaurant/cafe anti-smoking laws yet….. However, we have enjoyed our tortilla espanolas, cheese, breads and inexpensive wines … and it is time to retire some of that for some healthy food now!
Next Up: Madrid and London!
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