Picked up our rental car in Lisbon central at 9am with much trepidation. Our driver from yesterday had advised us to expect half an hour of terror (driving in the city) then smooth sailing as we hit the quieter streets.  David took to right hand driving like a duck to water- I had dejavu to the days of being a passenger when the kids were learning to drive- desperately trying not to make audible intakes of breath. 

Actually getting out of Lisbon was a snap- people must have been having a Sunday morning sleep in. It was once we hit the coast road things became trickier- being fabulous weather every man, dog, child were out. It was a bit like Mornington Penninsula mid-summer only on narrow, winding cobblestones with us going at 20kph and everyone else going at 120k.

After much glute clenching we succumbed to googles insistent requests that we turn around Return to the fastest route (the highway).  We will leave the road less travelled until tomorrow when we feel a bit braver.

Arrived in Sagres late afternoon just  a tad relieved to have made it.

Sagres is a small fishing village on the south west coast of Portugal.  The fishing dock  is sheltered by a breakwater. Today the waters were quite tranquil but I imagine it has a big job to do once the tide turns.

We are staying at an old classically Portuguese hotel, a bit more fancy than we are used to (I might need to take my hiking boots off for dinner) but absolutely beautiful. Set on the cliff tops it is now in a national park so immune to further development around it.  Managed an evening cliff too walk- spectacular.

Have two nights here so will have time to explore neighbouring villages tomorrow

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Our lovely driver Andre picked us up at 8.45 for our day trip to Sintra. Sintra is a UNESCO world heritage site in the mountains  above Lisbon. Because of its cool rainforest climate is was historically a summer retreat for the royals, but now hosts the rich and famous – Portuguese football players (close to gods here), politicians and now Madonna and family.

Apparently paganism is live and well in Sintra – complete with full moon rituals. I’ll spare you the details but let’s just say the description left us wide eyed and determined not to be out in the woods at night.

First stop was  the Palácio Nacional da Pena (Pena Palace), originally a monastery and then transformed into a palace – there’s a whole King/Queen love story behind it, which explains the colourful exterior.  It’s been meticulously preserved, and as impressive as the castle is, it was the gardens that made it for us- acres of lush forest with cobbled patch’s and carefully constructed nooks, all on the (very steep) side of the mountain.  And. we were worried we might lose our fitness while we’re not riding!

After 3 hours scrambling up and down turrets I now have the perfect (although inelegant) technique for descending narrow spiral staircases without breaking my neck – back to wall, hold the centre column, rotate your way down and hope like heck nobody is coming the other way – quite a visual, I know!

We lunched in a small family owned local restaurant – Portuguese steak for me and vegetable cannoli for David (both enormous), great atmosphere and being a Saturday, packed.

Next stop was Quinta da Regaleira – a small (non-royal) gothic castle, again with the most beautiful landscaped gardens. Its biggest claim to fame is the Knights of the Templar-esque initiation well.  Highly symbolic as you descend the spiral stair case down into the well you’re meant to reflect on all your regrets, and then emerge through the cave (toward light) with the new resolution of who you want to be. David is now ‘fully enlightened’ – but clearly they didn’t have the enlightenment of claustrophobes in mind when they designed it, so I am not.

Returned to Lisbon via the coastal road. Massive waves rolling in. Gave us a taste of what it might be like riding north.

ay 2: Lisbon

Up round 6.30 having slept a full 12 hours and down at breaky within the hour.  Standard (yum) European breakfast – boiled egg, deli meats tomato & fruit for me and cereal/fruit for David. And of course pastries…… 

Started the day with  a 3 hour guided walking tour of the historical quarters of Lisbon. Our guide Maggie was incredibly knowledgeable  and mapped out an interesting and diverse route starting at the Fort of Lisbon and weaving our way through the winding, narrow medieval cobblestone streets of Alfama. – the oldest and arguably the most picturesque part of Lisbon.  The multi-story terracotta roofed building layer upon each other down the slopes creating a labyrinth of small streets, with loads of dead ends. Many elderly owners live in the homes they were born in and their connection with each other was evident from the lively banter. Sadly the AirBnb boom means that the area is going through rapid gentrification – so we feel lucky to have seen it  while it still has the buzz of a vibrant, traditional community.

We continued our walk through central Lisbon – called the ‘New’ area – having been fully rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake- featuring beautiful tiled buildings and broad ornately cobbled avenues. Ended our walk  in the chic Chardo neighbourhood- home to the oldest bookshop in the world, numerous cafes and stylish people of all ages. Break neck heels were standard wear in Chardo – goodness knows how many ankles get broken on the cobblestones. 

Finished our day in Belem , launching point of early Portuguese maritime explorers and home to the famous Pasteis de Belum- the 19th century bakery responsible for the invention of – you guessed it- the Portuguese tart.  Apparently tarts are so yellow as they only use egg yolks- back in the day, the nuns used to use the egg whites to starch their whimples- and the tarts were invented as a way of using up the egg yolks.

‘arrived back at our hotel 16,000 steps plu under our belts and exhausted. Dinner at a tiny cafe round the corner ‘Embers’ which the lovely young man told us he and his wife opened one month ago. Tasty simple fare – just what we needed.