I Run Like A Girl

After a wonderful start to Portugal in Lisbon, our friends also attending the wedding this weekend made it to town! We decided to do a day trip to Sintra as our first group activity. Sintra is a town in the foothills of Portugal’s Sintra Mountains, known for its forested terrain, historic castles, and small town feel. It’s a popular day trip from Lisbon as it’s only a 40-minute drive and a peaceful retreat from the city.

Our group met early at the train station to take the train to Sintra. It was a commuter train and I felt very local joining all the commuters at this hour. 40-minutes later, we arrived! We took a tuk tuk up the mountain to our first stop. Along the way, we got beautiful views of the mountain and the pastel-colored town.

Our driver dropped us off at the trailhead, where we walked 15 minutes to the first stop. A lot of the day was spent on this walking path. Surrounding us were lush plants, mossy trees, and the fresh morning air. It felt very peaceful to be in the forest while walking on the comfortable paved path.

We made it to the first stop: Moorish Castle, a hilltop medieval castle as old as the 8th century. Even with overcast skies, the views were impeccable. We walked along the walls of the castle and took in the beautiful scenery. Not gonna lie, the reminded me of the Great Wall of China, especially how the castle conformed to the terrain.

It was a steep climb to the top of the castle, but we were determined to make it to the top.

After an hour at Moorish Castle, we climbed down the mountain. Finally, we made it to the town of Sintra. It was a small town filled with colorful buildings, cafes, bakeries, and other shops and eateries. The whole town was charming and looked straight out of a postcard. We grabbed some lunch and a second cup of coffee before the next site…

Our next stop was, you guessed it, another castle! Quinta da Regaleira is a historic palace and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We arrived and were greeted by a massive gothic mansion that gave me horror movie vibes…

As we kept walking, the scenery softened with lush gardens, small ponds and waterfalls, and old stone structures. I ended up enjoying this castle the most because of the gardens and all the interesting things to look at.

There was even a deep well and small cave.

Afterward, we headed back to town for an afternoon treat before heading home. There was a bakery with fresh Portuguese egg tarts. I’ve been eating these everyday, but Joe has declined. Finally, Joe tasted one here and he had an amazing reaction. I haven’t seen him love any food like this in a long time. We bought six more to take home and eat later. 🙂

After a full day, we took the train back to Lisbon, had dinner in our neighborhood, and rested for the evening. 🙂