You'd think that, since the Castelo de São Jorge is the highest point in the city, that the rest of my day touristing around was pleasantly downhill, but no such luck - Lisbon has seven hills. RossioRead more
I made my way back to Lisbon by way of the Museu do Oriente, an Asian art museum. It was a little disappointing, with more decorative furniture and Chinese opera and less porcelain and painting than IRead more
After the monastery, I visited the Torre de Belém, built in the 16th century as both fortification and celebration of the expedition to India of Vasco da Gama. I ate pastéis de Belém, little eggRead more
I loved the Jeronimos Monastery - the courtyards and all the carving and the church were all amazing. Uplifting church, peaceful cloisters, and disturbing stone carvings - what's not to like?Read more
Cabo da Roca, west of Sintra, is the westernmost part of continental Europe, and it is extremely windy. Very, very windy with dramatic cliffs. The lighthouse here started operation in 1772. Then IRead more
It seems like every town in Portugal has its own pastry specialty - in Sintra, it's the travesseiro. I had one of the flaky, almond-cream filled pastries at Piriquita, the bakery which invented them.Read more
Sintra is in the mountains outside Lisbon - it's been inhabited since the paleolithic era and became a popular summer resort for Portuguese nobility due to its cool, green hillsides. Apparently it'sRead more