Lisboa, Sintra and Cascais

Hello!!!

Yes it has been a while since my last update. It seems like there is so much to do once I get to the computers... book trains, couchsurfing, buses, flights etc!

My time in Lisboa was awesome. I took Sunday off from being a tourist and just hungout at the house. My allergies cleared up from being inside and it was just too hot for me to go outside!

Monday I went into the city to walk around and check out shops. It has a nice atmosphere but it is quite different from Porto. More of a city I suppose, and a lot more tourists everywhere! The people were nice though, it wasnt uptight like a lot of cities... just busy!

On Tuesday I made my way to the National Park which was created for Expo 98. It has lots of really neat buildings, everyone in Lisboa refers to it as "The New Lisbon" because the rest of the city is sooo old! It also has a massive shopping mall that is attached to the train station. Like most places in Europe, the transit system is easy to navigate and very efficient. During my wait at the train station (which I found out later wasnt necessary, because I could have taken the metro instead of the above ground), this older guy sat down next to me and shared his apple. His name was Vladomiro. He told me all about the transit system and wrote down on paper how to get to my destinations for Wednesday. His english was quite good and he was interesting. He is going to send me a postcard from his trip to Iceland in July!

I went to the Oceanarium at the park and it was SOOO neat! The Penguins were hands down the cutest! They recreated the natural habitats of the 5 oceans and had all sorts of different fish and birds. I took some pictures, and a couple videos of the Penguins. The otters were a close second, their little furry hands are so cute.

On the walk from Gabes to the ferry on Wednesday morning I walked by a young guy from Africa. He started talking to me in french and I answered in english... he was just standing at the bus stop and I was talking briefly while I walked by. He decided to follow me and try to talk to me, but he speaks French and Portuguese and I speak very little of either! We asked where I was going so I said I was heading to 2 beautiful towns outside of Lisbon called Cascais (pronounced cas-cash like cashmere sweater) and Sintra. He asked if I was going swimming and I said maybe, then in a series of basic language mixed with actions (its like a big game of shrades!) he asked if he was coming with me. I said "If you want". He went across the ferry with me, walked to the train station and got on the train. 3 stations before Cascais the train guy got on and checked tickets. He had a transit pass but I guess he was outside of his zone. The guy kicked him off and I stayed on the train. I felt a little bad but I didnt have any time to spare and if he was really wanting to go, he should have paid for his ticket while I bought mine! His name was Jalo, rhymes with Shallow.

Cascais is a beach town which is very quaint and lovely. They have a great Marina there called Marina De Cascais which was full of sail boats. That is where I sat and had lunch. Much like the rest of Portugal it is incredibly friendly and laid back. I just loved it! I didnt have all day to sit at the beach because I combined my day with a trip to Sintra. I walked along the coastal path to Boca Do Inferno which translates to "Mouth of Hell". It was the only major thing I wanted to see in Cascais... instead of asking where it was, I just walked straight for quite a while until I walked right into it! My new motto is "when in doubt, walk straight". Boca Do Inferno (google image it since it will be awhile before I upload those pictures) was awesome! It is big rock cliffs that the ocean has chewed away at, so there are caves and jagged rocks everywhere. After that I went back to the centre and jumped on a bus to Sintra.

It is hilarious how the buses operate. A lot of the roads are too narrow for 2 cars (well, a bus and a car) but the buses have no mercy! They fly around blind corners, over hills etc. Gabe was so funny when I told him it was like being on a rollercoaster... he said "Its like the drivers think they are carting pigs or cows!" hahaha. If you could hear that in his accent and tone you would definitely find it as funny as I did.

Anyways I spent the evening in Sintra at Quinta De Regaleira. I spent 2 hours wandering around the grounds which were AMAZING! I found the outside to be so interesting that I spent barely any time reading about the history... so I cant tell you much about it other than what I saw. When you enter you get a map with the letters of the Alphabet that guide you from place to place. The whole grounds are large, hence 2 hours worth of wandering... and they are all bordered by stone walls. It was some kind of royal castle I think. There are caves that interconnect certain parts, a huge mansion (nicest place I have ever been in!). The attention to detail in there was unreal. Churches, turrets, tunnels, ponds, wells, studios. If you go to Portugal you MUST visit this place! Gabriel told me if I had to pick 1 tourist thing to do, it was to go there. There are also castles and large palaces to see!

Once I was done there I went and waited at the bus stop. My feet were too tired and I wasnt sure exactly how to walk back, although I could have just walked straight and it would have delivered me to the train station lol. The bus I took there cost me .9 Euro (90 cents) and it was number 433. While I waited to get the bus home, number 434 rolled up. I got in and I was the only one there. I asked the driver how much to get to the train station and he said it was expensive... I told him on the way there I paid 90 cents. He said yes but now you are on a touristic (hahaha I love that word) bus, and it is the last bus of the night! It was 4.50 but he said he would sell me the ticket for 2.50... He started talking to me, asked me if I was alone in Portugal and I said yes. When I handed him the money he changed his mind and I paid nothing. I meet so many great people!

This bus ride was nothing short of an experience in itself! It wound all the way up the mountain in a snake like fashion, about 1.5 lanes wide or less at a lot of points. On some corners the bus had to do 3 point turns to get around! It went passed the castle at the top and Palace De Pena (I think) which the driver told me was beautiful as well. He spent 8 years in the airforce and since then he has been driving for the city. His english was intermediate but he was fun to talk to.

Sintra is a gorgeous town set into the hills which are quite big so we can call them small mountains. It is definitely a town and not a city. The people are still dressed nicely but it is a casual place. I am so glad I went but a little sorry that I didnt spend more time. On my next trip to Portugal I will spend at least 2 days there! The bus rides offered me an overall view but it would have been nice to stop at a lot of other places!

Thursday night Gabe went out for a drink just as I arrived back into Barreiro to his place which is across the river Tagus from Lisboa. He said he would drive me to the ferry in the morning which was great because I had to take all my bags and they get heavy when walking for a long time. He doesnt wake up to his alarms so he said to knock on his door and wake him up at 8 am that day.

I went to bed, woke up and found that he still was not home from his night out! I had to hurry and pack because it takes 30 minutes to walk to the ferry and I had to be on time for my bus! He ended up walking in the door at 10 after 8, telling me he promised me he would take me haha. He is so great. He dropped me off, I took the ferry then the metro to my bus station. Hopped on a 3 hour bus ride to Faro which is on the south coast of Portugal not far from the Spanish Border. After a break I got on another bus to Sevilla which arrived an hour late, and not at the station near my next host Nanis house! It threw a loop into the plans... this entry is to be part one of two which will include activities in Sevilla and my adventure to find Nanis!