Today was all about our excursion to Sintra, a town roughly half an hour outside Lisbon. Why here? There were a series of picturesque mansions and palaces that always rank highly on things to do in Portugal, and we weren’t about to miss it. Getting outside of the urban sprawl of the capital was also a bonus, so we were looking forward to it. However, as it was a wet day, our expectations were tempered even though we came into the trip knowing full well what Sintra had to offer was contingent on the weather.

We walked about ten minutes to the meeting point, which was in front of the Dona Maria II National Theater. It was blocked off thanks to renovations, but fortunately the van was easy to spot. We were the first ones there since we never wanted to be the people that hold up the entire group, and soon more people showed up: two sisters, a woman my age from New York, and a college kid. However, despite us all being there, there were still two girls we were waiting on, so we left ten minutes after we were scheduled to. Not fun, but eh, we were warm inside. Now on the road, we all had a chance to wake up a bit since it was still before 9AM. We did get held up by a few minutes in the morning rush, but before we knew it we were in Sintra. Going from the capital to here was admittedly a huge chance of scenery, literally and figuratively, as we were able to see a lot of cute houses on the winding streets, if not the castles up high on the hills. We had twenty or so minutes to ourselves while things got ready, but as stores and cafes were still closed, all we were able to do was to wander the cute winding streets. Once we all reconvened, we then drove to the first palace, which was like the Portuguese equivalent of Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria in terms of its opulence.

Quinta da Regaleira is justifiably one of Sintra’s main attractions, as it is a massive complex originating in the wealth generated in Brazil for local merchants. If you’ve wondered what it’s like when rich people say “money is no object”, this answers your questions as they went absolutely insane with everything there. Then again, the families who lived here were the 19^th century equivalents of oligarchs, so that was made abundantly clear. Grottoes, artificial waterfalls, towers, gardens, you name it. If one wasn’t careful, you could get lost inside-it was that massive! There was more than one occasion where our group collectively went the wrong way, thanks to there being plenty of forks in the paths, but we were able to retrace our steps. One thing that was pointed out was, thanks to the waterfalls, a tap where you could drink some of the purest filtered water, and I absolutely took the chance to refill my water bottle. The guides weren’t lying when they were talking about the quality, as it was like a jolt of energy because it was that fresh! Then again, if you were traipsing along the property, it’d be imperative to have a nice little pit stop. Finally, after what felt like a lot longer period of time, we got to the end, where the chapel and small house were there. For all the money spent on the property, both of these buildings were objectively plainer, not that it would’ve been evident for the common man back in those days. We didn’t linger here, but we at least took the chance to read about the history of the property. This was a bit messier, as things were sold off, culminating in a Japanese consortium briefly owning everything (and João told us that was also mired in some messy legal issues) until the local council took over ownership. Some places get overhyped as tourist destinations, but I can safely say that this is a must if you’re coming out to Sintra!

Before we returned to Sintra to see the last castle on our tour, we took a detour to a small village, where João was from. We were going to get lunch there, but in order to help us to work up an appetite, he took us to the beach where he learned to surf. Going there in the offseason meant an already quiet place was even quieter, and the atmosphere was nice. My first thought was that the film director (and my favorite) Wes Anderson would have eaten his heart out at how picturesque and tranquil things were. Our group walked around a bit taking pictures and soaking up the atmosphere, and I can say it honestly was a nice palate cleanser for the day’s trip. Now that we were in the mood for something substantial, it was time to retrace our steps and chow down for lunch. The restaurant was tucked away in the center of the small village, but inside it was modern enough, and we were treated to seafood that was caught mere hours ago. I had the octopus and my mom had the fish, but we shared dishes as we wanted to ensure we had a taste of both. This was partly what excited me so much about being in Portugal, as I wanted to try their seafood! Personally, the octopus was better but you honestly couldn’t have gone wrong with either. This also gave us a chance to get to know our fellow tourists, and we chatted a lot with Kate, the American girl from New York, and the two Israeli sisters. All of us had stories to share, and the consensus was that we all wanted to experience the marvels that an underrated country in Europe had to offer. By the end, the ice had well and truly broken, which set us up for the last half of the day’s excursions!

With warm food in our bellies, we made another detour to somewhere that I had always wanted to see: the westernmost point of continental Europe! This was the last thing Portuguese sailors saw of their beloved homeland as they set out to navigate much of the world, and it was sobering to see how the green cliffs just gave way to endless waves. There was a pillar that paid tribute to this milestone, but as we were there concurrently with other tours (primarily Asian), there was a bit of a scrum to take pictures of it. There wasn’t much else to see other than the tourist-oriented buildings around, so combined with the strong wind spraying the rain in our faces, we didn’t linger too much. All in all though, I was able to say I say an extreme geographical point, and thus was satisfied! Now, it was time to visit the last destination on our excursion: Pena National Palace.

Our drive up the long, winding hill in Sintra to reach it was just that: seemingly never-ending. It also, incidentally, was quite narrow so at times it felt mildly precarious but we got there in one piece. However, we still had a significant walk up once inside, so at this stage of the day was taxing for the group as a whole. It was worth it, as the entire palatial complex seemed like something out of Harry Potter or your choice of fantasy novel; the thick fog at this point also added a mystical air as well.

Having reached the point where we all were tired, it was time to head back to Lisbon. Being so close by car was a blessing, as the van was as quiet as a library given how spent we were from the wonderful excursion.