Arrived!

It’s been a rough two weeks, and I wasn’t sure that I should go, but the class is all set and I do love Lisbon. But it took me a long time to get here, that’s for sure. Many hours in O’Hare, and then I missed my connection in Heathrow. I had a seven hour wait for the next available flight to Lisbon. Luckily, I had lounge access and was able to find a sofa in a corner for a couple of hours, but it was not a lot of fun.

To add to the fun, I went to the hotel where I had stayed last year (as per my instructions), only to find out that there was no reservation for me. The guy at the desk spent some time calling all the other hotels in the same chain to see if maybe I was booked in one of those. No luck. I was about to just check in and figure it out later, but then I had the idea to call the hotel where I had been two years ago. Sure enough, they had my reservation.

Not surprisingly, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow a little after midnight. I woke up this morning at 7, had a very good breakfast and
by eight I was in an Uber. It’s my only day to walk.

I was dropped off at about 8:45 at the Cabo da Roca, pulled up my Wikiloc tracks and off I went. What a beautiful day, probably my best day hike from Lisbon. The first couple of kilometers were really hard — several very stony descents, followed of course by steep ascents. But always with gorgeous views of the coast.

When I got away from the coast, I was in the Sintra Hills. First little detour was to a 4000 year- old anta/burial chamber. It was amazing. From there up to a little sanctuary, Peninha,
and then through the hills to several of my favorite Sintra sites. The paths were great— a mixture of sand, dirt, and gravel, with lots of pine needles as an extra cushion. First the Convento dos Capuchos, a tiny 16th century monastery. All the doors, some of the benches, and even some of the ceilings were lined with cork. I remembered this from years ago and was so glad to go back and have it pretty much all to myself.

Next step was the Monserrate mansion, built by Brits in the 19th century. Then I passed a few more of these magnificent Quintas on my way to my last stop for the day, the Moorish Castle. Great views.

https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/cabo-da-r…

I took the bus down to the historic center of Sintra, and even though it was about 530 on a Sunday afternoon, the streets were mobbed with tourist going up and down a tiny streets lined with souvenir shops. I did get a travesseiro in Piriquita, and they were just as good as I remembered them. But then, all pastries in Portugal are delicious.

It was hard to get an Uber because of traffic restrictions, but one finally made it to me. There are plenty of good little restaurants in this neighborhood, but none are open on Sunday night, so I’ll get a salad downstairs in the Hotel bar. Classes tomorrow!Read more