Easter weekend on the Lisbon coast, day 4, last day in Lisbon

The last day in Lisbon was meant to be spent on a boat on the river Tagus, but instead we retraced our steps from the night before, questioning everyone about my missing purse. This is how we ended up at Santa Justa Elevator once again and this time the queue wasn’t so long so we got to ride it to the top.

(the view from the top, as I said before, not very impressive)

I tried to report the purse as missing, out of breath from climbing Lisbons hills I finally found a police station. The only English-speaking police officer there said there is a special police station specifically for tourists. He used my mobile phone to google and show me where it is :D I asked him to stop a taxi and ask the taxi driver to take us there and finally we found it. Unfortunately we had only 15 minutes left before we had to leave to the airport, so after all the rushing around I couldn’t even report the loss.

*Travellers tip: Try not to lose anything valuable whilst in Lisbon, but if it happens, then know that there is a special tourists police station at Praça dos Restauradores, in the Palácio Foz building, 1200-187 Lisboa, telephone number: (+351) 213421623. Apparently there are loads of pickpockets in Lisbon, especially on the public transport and around the biggest attractions (as normal).

Molly had to navigate the taxi driver to our hotel in his own city, luckily we got to know Lisbon very well whilst running around to look for my purse.

We also had an “adventure” on the Lisbon metro when it broke down in a tunnel and we were stuck inside for about half an hour. But I am not gonna bore you with this story, watch a funny video I took on the metro on our way to the airport instead ———>

Easter weekend on the Lisbon coast, day 3, Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra - a fairy tale

Molly spotted an interesting picture of a beautiful gothic building in a magazine in the hotel, so we googled it and found it was located very close to our hotel. And voila we headed to Quinta da Regaleira, another diamond in Sintra’s treasure chest.

The palace is only 100 years old and there were lucky people living there just 30 years ago! It was built by the millionaire

António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro who would be my uncle if life was fair. 

The property consists of a romantic palace and chapel, a luxurious park with lakes, grottoes, beautiful trees, benches and fountains. А keen photographer could spend days and nights taking pictures of this place. I obviously went and forgot my camera in the hotel. As the English say, I could forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on. VIVA smart phones!

My top favourite spot in the whole palace, a dream for a secret garden with mystical tree and stone benches —–>

Look at this tower through the curved branches of the tree and the flowers of the exotic magnolia. It look like the castle where the sleeping beauty slept her hundred-year sleep. —>

*Traveller tip: Quinta da Regaleira opens at 10am (pretty much like everything in Portugal), there are large groups of tourists which form a long queue very quickly, so worth going half an hour before the opening times. 

Molly was extremely busy organising the delivery of 3 bottles of washing up liquid for her job back home she lost interest in photographing me, so here is a selfie. —>

Oooops, I meant to post this —->

If you have a romantic soul you will love this magical place.

Easter weekend on the Lisbon coast, day 2, Cabo da Roca and Sintra

From Cascais and Praia do Guincho we took off to Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of mainland Europe. Up until the 14th century it was thought to be the very edge of the world.

There is a lighthouse, coffee shop and gift shop but nothing much else. The biggest attraction for me there was the shop where you can buy a post card and stamp it with a special stamp, confirming you have been there. Apparently the gift shop offers a novelty gift, a personalised and hand written certificate confirming your have visited Cabo da Roca, unfortunatelly I have found this just now whilst writing my blog, otherwise I would have bought it. They should advertise it better and then maybe they’ll get a bit more money to develop the place.

It finally was time to visit Sintra. Sintra was the main reason I chose Portugal for this short Easter break. With its glittering palaces and beautiful gardens located high in the mountains, hidden behind exotic trees and flowers, Sintra is like a place from a fairy tale. 

Sintra is a must-do trip and if time is not an issue, has enough allure to keep you there for several days. Sintra is known for its many 19th-century Romantic architectural monuments, which has resulted in its classification as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are loads of palaces and gardens there and sadly we could only visit the National Palace of Pena for the short time we had in Sintra. I shall definitely return to Sintra one day to see everything.

The Pena Palace is a romantic castle that was construced after an apparition of Virgin Mary, according to the tradition. It looks almost unreal in its bright red and yellow painted walls and towers. 

Go during the week if you can as the crowds are masive and photographing tourists pop up around every corner. There are three not very big car parks close to the palace and I would recommend driving to and parking at one of them. You need to be a pretty skilled driver if you want to drive in Sintra. The roads are extremely narrow with wide and deep ditches and hundreds of cars parked along.

When buying your entrance tickets for Pena Palace don’t pay 3 Euro for a shuttle from the gate to the castle. It is a steepy walk up a hill but it is not very long (about 10 minutes) and the shuttle buses are a mockery, I am talking sardines. 

*Travellers tip: don’t forget your legs at home when you visit Sintra and Lisbon, you will need them.

After Pena Palace we headed to the hotel I booked in the centre of Sintra for a batteries charge, food and some rest.

Next time I wouldn’t stay in the town centre as most hotels haven’t got a sufficient car park spaces and if you are renting a car it is very likely you end up with a scratched rear bumper as we did. Also check is your breakfast included in the hotel price. 

It is very nice to have a walk around the village of Sintra. Тhe narrow cobblestone streets packed with tiny souvenire shops and restaurants are charming. But if you are a vegetarian you’ll have to satisfy your hunger with Italian dishes and wine. Also, don’t assume that you’ll get a pint of beer when you order A beer. 

Easter weekend on the Lisbon coast, day 2, Praia do Guincho

After a beautiful breakfast at the Fortaleza do Guincho’s Michelin starred restaurant —–>

we took a walk to Guincho beach.

It is difficult to describe something so amazing. The warming sunshine, the softness of the sands and the voice of the Atlantic ocean give you the feeling of an enormous happiness growing and exploding in your tummy. 

It was the first time I dipped my feet in the Atlantic and even the cold water could not wake me up from this happy dream.

Praia do Guincho (Guincho beach) is located 5 km from the town of Cascais. 

The main attraction are the massive waves and constant breeze that are ideal for surfing. I wish I was a prefessional surfer.

(those are surfers in the water, not rocks)

Guincho beach also provided us with a special light perfect for selfies :D so spent about an hour trying Molly’s “beauty face” camera mode.

Whilst taking silly selfies a dog stole our shoes and dragged them into the ocean. Do you know how difficult it is to put on a soaked up trainer? Do you know how painful it is to walk wearing wet trainers? It is v-e-r-y painful.

*Travellers tip: do not leave your shoes unattended when travelling abroad!

Easter weekend on the Lisbon coast, day 1, Cascais and Fortaleza doGuincho

I travelled to Lisbon this Easter to meet my friend Molly, who flew from my own home country Bulgaria. It was a first visit to Portugal for both of us and we had only three days to make the most of it.
Although I was expecting a nice sunny weather I was definitely unprepared for the hot, sticky Portugal. At the London airport I was happy to be wearing my trainers, but here I realised I needed flip flops. Don’t complain Eva, I thought, be happy it is April, not August.
Molly and I rented a car to take us to the Lisbon’s coast, but stopped at the pretty Belem Tower for a little wander around and luckily found some drinking water.
*Remember if you visit a hot country to always have a bottle of water with you, unlike Molly and I!

Molly had a treat for me, she had booked a room in a luxury 5 star hotel! 

Fortaleza do Guincho was built as a fortress in the 17th century, now renovated as a premium 5 star hotel and Michelin Starred restaurant. The hotel is dramaticaly set leaning over the Atlantic ocean and overlooking the amazing Guincho beach. Have a peak inside our room —–>

What wonderful friends I am blesed with heh!!
Then we witnessed an incredibly beautiful sunset over Guincho beach and it was done, it was absolutely and completely done - I have fallen in love with Portugal <3