Portugal in Summary, part 1

Hello, Readers!  I'll try to do my best to catch you up on our trip's Portugal highlights.  If it gets too long, I'll divide it into parts.  Let me start where I left off -- Sunday.

One of the New Year's Eve restaurant patrons told us (in Spanish) that 'nothing says Portugal like Sintra.' And he was right.  Last Sunday we boarded the train and traveled northwest of Lisbon to see the Palacio de Pena and Moorish Castle in the barely awake little village of Sintra.  There's a special tourist bus, it's a good thing, because everything is up, up, up from the train station.  In fact, that day we invented a new word -- 'uppyness' -- you can't get anywhere without climbing stairs and hiking steep, steep hills.  Lucky, we were up to the task.

Palacio de Pena boasts breathtaking views and many azulejos - tiled walls, mostly blue in color.  See for yourself in the following photos:  http://www.google.es/images?um=1&hl=es&biw=719&bih=405&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=palacio+de+pena+portugal&btnG=Buscar&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

We spent hours exploring the rooms, where one placard in one royal room indicated that the royal family regarded empty space as a 'horror.'  So, you can imagine the hoarding that went on in this place.  So much to see, so little time, and every object is cataloged and on display.

After lunch (bland), down we went on the bus only to go up again to the Moorish Castle.  These are mostly ruins,  but maintain steps you can climb - really high up.  All four of us hiked into the woods, up the steps and went all the way to the top.  So, not only is it a total leg workout, it gives pause to anyone with fear of heights.  There is no such thing as a railing in these places and it's obvious that Portugal is not a very letigious country.  See for yourself:  http://www.google.es/images?um=1&hl=es&biw=719&bih=405&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=moorish+castle+sintra&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

I had a wildly funny moment as we were hiking in through the damp, foggy woods to get to the castle.  In the middle of a deserted and mostly unmarked path, I remarked to Rachel, "A diet Coke would be great about now."  Around the bend and there was a woman with drinks in a cooler.  Price?  1 Euro.  After my prediction, how could I pass up the opportunity to have a soda at the Moorish Castle?

After the train home to Lisbon, we wandered the streets looking for a place to have dinner, and learned that Lisbon really can roll up the sidewalks on Sunday night.  Nevertheless, we found a very traditional Portuguese food restaurant and were among the first customers at 7:30 p.m.  By the time we left, there was a line outside spilling into the street.  The food was great and we enjoyed some good Port wine for dessert.  I finally got what I was looking for as dinner - grilled cuttlefish.  I love this dish, reminiscent of my year and a half in Spain when I was in my twenties.

You'd think with all that climbing that there would be moans and groans the next day, but all four of us felt great - no Advil or Aleve required.

Too long to go further!  Watch for part 2!