A bumpy ride from Sintra to Cascais

November 21, 2021November 21, 2021 / Cate Spader / Leave a comment

One of the pains of international travel are all of the “twists” you encounter: things don’t go according to plan, circumstances change… but it’s also one of the unexpected joys of being somewhere new! Adapting to changes and allowing yourself to be so immersed that you’re flexible and shrug it off is going to pay off in the end ☺️

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Once Dani and I had nasal swabs stuck up our noses, we checked out of our charming AirBnB and started our journey to Cascais–a lovely beach town on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.

Although our tests went smoothly, the journey to breakfast didn’t. Our driver was very touchy on the breaks, and in tandem with the windy roads, Dani was a little car sick. We chose to grab a quick bite to eat in the fresh air with a stunning view. And to add even more to our “off” morning, it took us forever to grab a bus from Sintra to Cascais, and when we finally arrived in the mid-afternoon, we were both feeling a little woozy.

As we freshened up and got settled in the city center, we called an Uber to drop our bags and change into our bathing suits at the AirBnB. Our driver was one of the nicest I’ve met, and even got out of the car to ask someone in a café where our building was located in the complex and carried Dani’s luggage up to our door. The elevators in the building were semi-broken, and the apartment itself was… bare bones to say the very least. Our host even made us leave four euro in her mailbox as a COVID tax–something the other hosts didn’t even mention or require of us.

All of these bizarre turns irritated both of us, but we handled it in very different ways; Dani was more “put off” than I was, and I tried to shake it off and make the most of our beach day. We strolled downhill toward the coast for about 15 or 20 minutes, and the rest of our afternoon and evening was one of the most relaxing we had the entire trip. Stay tuned… 🙂

Spellbinding Sintra (Part II)

November 11, 2021 / Cate Spader / Leave a comment

I haven’t been writing for a while, mostly because I haven’t felt like myself for some time now — but I’m back at it!

Dani and I got ready to Britney Spears before we ventured off to the National Palace of Pena, arguably the most famous palace in all of Portugal. Little did we know that our efforts to beautify ourselves would be ruined by the uphill treks, gusting wind and eventual tuk tuk ride up to the park entrance. I enjoyed the tuk tuk very much, because this was how I frequently got around in Thailand, and I instantly felt a rush of nostalgia.

The park itself was beautiful, and was full of over 80 species of trees, plants and shrubbery. Seeing Asian, African and North American trees in one shot deems this the prettiest arboretum…

The winding path up to the palace was just as breathtaking as the structure itself. This was Dani’s first castle experience, and although this may seem like a dumb analogy, I would assume this is how parents feel when they see things through their child’s eyes again. I had a similar enthusiasm as I did when I saw castles in Germany and France for the first time, which I appreciated and needed immensely.

As my beloved travel guru Rick Steves always says, the architecture means nothing without the history and greater context of the era. To keep it short and sweet: the Palace de Pena embodies the quintessential art of Portugal’s 19th-century Romanticist period (in other words, this would be perfect for a romantic afternoon or evening)! Even the gardens and and park surrounding the palace are historic in their own right. Everything about this magnificent place screams imagination and whimsy. The palace was inhabited by a variety of royalty, by death, remarriage and other circumstances, which inevitably led to the additional romantic aesthetics of the national park today. For more history and specifics, feel free to visit their official website.

After a quick pickpocketing scare, we grabbed a cab and received a great, local dinner recommendation from our driver. We enjoyed port wine, warm meals and some of the best chocolate mousse we’ve ever tasted. One thing that I love about dining in Europe is the slower pace, and I’m grateful that some of my favorite spots in the US have adopted this way of operating as well.

Once we finished up our meal, we walked around the corner back to our Airbnb, played dominos and went to bed early because we had another big day ahead…

Photos taken Sunday, September 19, 2021

Spellbinding Sintra (Part I)

October 12, 2021 / Cate Spader / Leave a comment

Lisbon was a wonderful city, but it was time to move on and explore more of Portugal. Sintra, which is a relatively quick train or bus ride away, was our next destination on our girls trip. Dani and I (mostly me!) were a little hungover from the night before, but it was so worth it. We slowly got around, packed up a little bit, sent a good morning photo to our new friends Max and Julian, then ventured in the city center to find some breakfast. Our original plan was to grab a “traditional American breakfast” consisting of more than pastries, but they were packed – which is to be expected. Plan B was still great because we had some great beverages and a big, filling breakfast. The best part? We saw the most adorable dogs walking by! How much better could it get?

After breakfast, we checked out of our favorite Airbnb and headed to the train station. Something about the train station in Lisbon reminded me of my first out-of-country travel experience: Hamburg, Germany in 2012. It was a very deja vu moment, but it sent me into nostalgia and comfort. Dani and I sat on the ground and talked about some of our favorite TV shows as we waited for the first train to Sintra. Maybe it’s all the train rides between Michigan and Chicago, Illinois when I was a kid, but I’ve always loved the train and it’s my favorite way to travel. We boarded the train early, got settled in, and arrived in Sintra about an hour afterward. Downtown Sintra was so cute and we were gushing at how adorable the city was. Dani lost her train ticket, which we needed to exit the station, so we both had to book it through one, timed gate with her luggage and mine. She went ahead of me and we booked it, but the gate automatically closed on my backpack! Thank goodness it didn’t crush me because that would’ve hurt!

Once we arrived to our next Airbnb, we were truly in awe. It looked like a mini castle! The architecture was stunning, the flowers and greenery around the yard were adorable and we instantly felt like we were in a quaint, English countryside home. The inside was also decorated with nice bedding and unique designs accompanied by a map where we could pin our home locations and a guest book to sign. Dani and I had been sharing a bed during our nights in Lisbon, and it was weird to have two separate bedrooms this time! But it was also nice because we had a lot of room for each of us to freshen up, jam out to some Britney Spears (#freebritney) and put on some dresses to visit the castle.