It’s taking longer than I expected to re-adapt to my Canadian life. It has been more than 2 weeks since I came back from Portugal and it’s still hard to settle back to my normal life. Lisboa is an amazing city and the warm weather definitely took me to heaven! Portugal still makes me happy when I see flip-flop tan marks on my feet…

As a Brazilian, I’d never thought about visiting the mother-land before and I need to thank my friend Alessia for that! During our 1-week tour throughout Lisbon area, we decided to spend our time between Cascais, Belém, Sintra and Lisboa.

Cascais

Known as the Portuguese Riviera, Cascais is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been in my life. The small town (or vila, as one taxi driver correct me) is the perfect escape for a late honeymoon.It was also the place that my beautiful Italian friend chose to marry the love of her life.

However, affordable is not a word that belongs to the city’s vocabulary. There are few hostels in the city, but it’s worth it to pay around 100.00 euro/night in order to truly enjoy Cascais. We stayed at Villa Bicuda, a nice community resort to the north of Cascais, but the lack of wireless internet and the overpriced services, definitely didn’t make a great impression on us. However, the Villa Bicuda is a great choice if you’re traveling with kids. We stayed at a studio and it could easily accommodate four people.

Cascais also taught me that Portugal has the best food on Earth and, as a Brazilian, it was a great opportunity to remember how good Bacalhau a Bráz and bolinhos/pasteis de baclhau are!

Belém

Belém is so much fun that we had to visit the city twice! The Mosteiro dos Jerônimos is a must go while visiting the city. The beautiful architecture and the unique artwork makes this over 500 years-old building one of the most beautiful Portugueses icons. We also visit the Torre de Belém and ate the unforgettable pastéis de Belém at the best local pastelaria.

Plan to be in Belém any day other than Monday when all the attractions are closed.

Sintra

Belém reminds me of the Brazilian Petropolis. It’s a city of castles and you can breath history everywhere. You can easily get  to Sintra by taking the comboio from Estação do Rossio in Lisboa.

Sintra is also a great workout! All the attractions are located uphill so please, wear comfortable shoes. Anything other flip-flops or sneakers won’t survive the beautiful sidewalks of Portuguese marble stones!

The Palacio Nacional da Penha is the main attraction for those interested in learning more about the Portuguese royalty and their habits. The inside of the palace is full of thematic rooms, an attempt from the explorers to bring to the Portuguese Kings the scenarios of the new world.

Mr. Ames favorite attraction was definitely the Castelo dos Mouros. Builded by the Moors between the 8th and 9th centuries A.D., the castle is an UNESCO world heritage site and was restored by King Fernando II in 1830.

If you’re planning to visit Sintra in one day, you should buy the combined pass for both Palacio Nacional de Sintra and Castelo dos Mouros. We also read great reviews about Palacio de Montserrat and if you have time to visit all three attractions, you should include this palace beforehand in your pass as well.

(to be continued…)