Portugal with Julia

Another late breakfast, then packed and caught a taxi to the Oriente train station where we picked up a Skoda Kamiq. Managed to (just barely) squeeze our luggage in. Headed south along the river, then decided to switch to the freeway to get to Cascais.

Drove out to the water, very cute. Headed north to Sintra where we found super tight and twisty roads. Got super lucky and found parking at Quinta dos Lobos, a cute little boutique hotel.

Had lunch there, then they took us up to Quinta da Pena in a 50-year-old jeep. Saved us an hour of walking up a very steep hill! We didn't have tickets in advance, but we were still able to walk around the outside of the castle and see some amazing views.

Then were picked up in a jeep and taken down to Quinta da Regaleira where we saw the Poço Iniciático, a multi-story tower inside a mountain! Checked out the ornate castle, then walked back down to the car.

Drove about an hour and a half to Nazaré, a cute little town on the ocean where waves can be 100' tall in the winter. Checked into the Hotel Magic (once we figured out how to get there). Had a FaceTime call with Fred & Katie, then walked around the square looking for food.

Settled on A Lanterna, a very authentic Portuguese restaurant where we tried cataplanas, the local version of paella. Had a really fun waiter and really enjoyed the food and dessert. Then we walked across the street to the hotel for bed.

Had breakfast at the hotel, then took the funicular up to the upper town. Walked down to the Farol da Nazaré, which looks out over the area where the biggest waves happen in the winter. Rick and Julia walked down the beach where the sand had a very interesting texture. By the time they had come back up, the Farol was open, and we went inside to look around.

Then walked back up the hill and then down the stairs back to the lower town. Brought the car to the hotel, packed our suitcases back in, then headed about 15 minutes east to Alcobaça. Cute little town with a huge church. Walked around the inside of the church, then had some coffee and a bite to eat at a little café.

Drove 25 minutes north to Batalha. Another little town with a giant church that we walked around. Drove half an hour west to Fátima. Tried one interesting-looking restaurant, but they were full. Headed into the little town center where we found a café for a light lunch. Back in the car, we had an hour's drive north to Coimbra. Drove up to the top of the old town and checked into Sapientia Boutique Hotel. Had a pair of awesome rooms overlooking the city. After a quick chat with Fred & Katie, we all went for a walk down to the water.

Checked out the main shopping street, Rick lost his strawberry popsicle, then Randy headed back to the hotel for some down time while Rick and Julia continued to wander. Worked on this journal for a bit in the lobby, then showered before having a fun dinner in the hotel with a very fun waiter (and a famous Brazilian singer sitting behind Julia!).