Day 3: Sintra, Portugal

Let’s talk jet lag. I think day 1 and day 3 are the worst. I spent day 1 sitting in an airport so by the time I arrived at my hotel it was super late and went right to sleep. Today is day 3. I woke at 330am but was able to go back to sleep off and on until 8am when I had to wake up to meet my tour guide for the day.  I was in a bit of a hurry this morning so just had the starter.  I needed to be outside at 815 and breakfast started at 8 . . . they were not ready for me when I showed up at 755.  I love European breakfast. So simple yet so good.  I am pretty sure I said this yesterday too.

Hanging with the rooster outside my hotel room . . . he better be glad he didn't wake me up!

Today, I have a guided day tour to Sintra.  I am very excited about this tour since it is just me and Paulo, the guide.  My friend tells me I am crazy to spend the day with a stranger but not a big deal to me.  And if you are wondering, a private guide for the entire day was 150€.  I think this is a steal to have someone drive me to each location and pick me up.  We planned where I wanted to go before I arrived, and he purchased timed entry tickets.

First Stop:  Moorish Castle

I had heard about European water bottles having the lid attached.  I did not understand why it was a big deal . . . until now . . . it is so nice to always have the lid attached because I am always dropping it!

Next Stop:  Pena National Palace

It was super crowded.  It was about a mile walk from the entry gate to the palace entry.  .  This inside was like a being herded since you have a timed entry and follow a path.  The inside is ornate and a lot of renovations so not sure it was worth the wait to go inside but did enjoy walking the outside grounds.

Then took the scenic path back down to find Paulo.  The weather was fantastic!

Relaxing in:  Sintra town center for a quick lunch . . . 

. . . and enjoying the amazing views and weather.  The city center was bustling with tourist.

I was amazed at how crowded it was for November.  Tourism is alive and well in Portugal.  It has been 20 years since I lived in Germany. Back then cash was what you had to use as most places did not take credit cards. I am finding it very hard to use cash unless it is the exact amount requiring no change.

On to:  Quinta da Regaleria

The main reason I wanted to come here was to see the Initiation Well.  It was almost impossible to take a photo with all the people and being yelled at to keep moving.

Driving to:  Santorini of Portugal  

I had checked all the blocks of my must sees so we detoured to drive on to the coast with a stop to enjoy the views.  It was very windy and cold!

I am liking this private guided tour of just seeing scenery.  We detoured off the main road and were driving in a wooded area.  I thought to myself, is this where I am going to die?  Not even a minute later Paulo told me he was guiding an American couple on this stop and the lady asked him if this was where he was going to murder them?  We laughed and I told him I was so thinking the same thing.  He said we Americans are too bad thinking the worst.  

Last stop:  Boca do Inferno (Hell's Mouth)

As we were leaving I commented on the roasting chestnuts.  I have never tasted them so Paulo bought a bag to share.

I know that's a lot of photos of chestnuts but they are not common in Texas.  They were not too bad . . . I liked them.  The day was long and now dropped off at the hotel to sleep.