We went out for a late dinner and had fairly pedestrian meal choices, but for dessert, we decided to try a Portuguese dish, a pastel de nata. It is almost like a mini pie with a crispy crust and egg cream filling. The one last night had cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. We both surprisingly liked it, though the filling is just so so.
We woke up this morning and darted over the the Sintra Palace which was nothing with nothing, but we figured we should do it since it was part of the combination ticket that we bought for the local attractions. We packed up our bags, very carefully navigated the car out of its parking spot, and headed out towards the westernmost point of Europe. On the way we stopped at the Convent of the Capuchos. We discovered why the monks left. Too much construction on the site. Almost all of the paths, including the cave where the monks retreated and treated as a "cell" were blocked off. The only thing of note was the walk through of the housing which looked like it was made for small people. I'd be a cripple if I had to go in and out of the rooms. They were about 5 feet tall. Apparently, I opted for a video of most of it, and didn't take any pictures of these small rooms! This picture inside will have to suffice.
Twenty minutes later we were in Cabo da Roca, right near a cliffside village. Cabo itself was just a lighthouse with a few buildings, and a lookout point. We took some pictures and climbed down the path on one side that was pretty tame. It was beautiful. Though, he slipped and caught his hand on a prickly grass and declared the walk down to be a disaster of epic proportions. Why, in fact, he even had a red dot on his hand because of the endeavor. A grand mistake. At least we got some good pictures!
We left for Obidos, stopping midway at the Palace of Queluz. It was nothing special inside, but the outside gardens were beautiful. We quickly walked through it.
On the drive to Obidos, I noted that there were dozens of wind turbines. I wish the US had more of them.
We are staying at a hotel that is a castle converted into a hotel. Only town resident and hotel guests are allowed to bring their car into town. I kind of had a feeling that finding the entrance would be a problem, and I was absolutely correct. The gps seemed to bring me in the vicinity of where the hotel said to come in. Apparently, the hotel meant walk in and google maps failed me. I was within an inch of my car on both sides and ended up in a path that brought me behind the castle, still outside the walls. I had to call them up twice and ask 3 separate people on the streets, but I finally found my way in. I wish I had taken pictures while driving, because it was ridiculous bringing the car right through the main, and incredibly narrow, main street, up to the castle.
The town is beautiful and small, the shops beautiful and creative, and so far one of their restaurants and one of the dessert shops are amazing. The town is surrounded by walls, and there are a handful of places to climb the walls and then walk around the city. This city's elevation is all over the place and it dips and climbs and bends. The town itself is already kind of high compared to surrounding land. Miles wanted to walk the walls. So did I. However, when I get to those kind of heights, with no railing, extreme fear and panic takes over. My first time up, I said no. The second time, in a different location, I stopped about 15 feet from the top and allowed him to go up by himself. Then, I decided to force myself up. I tried walking on hands and knees, but it was quite painful. So, I forced myself to walk it, using the gaps in the wall to grab onto and kept my eyes on the ground. Occasionally, I'd take my camera out and take a picture, keeping my eyes only in front of me, at the screen turned sideways. We got halfway around the whole town, on the highest point, before finding another set of stairs to go down. I had soaked through three layers of clothing in the process, as fear can cause extreme sweating. I took off my jacket and sweater, and let my short sleeved shirt dry off naturally while eating brownie gelato at the nearest place we could find. Despite Miles claiming to have fear of heights, this is not the case. I think he just wants to take after me, but he is much, much braver than I. Also, I did not conquer my fear. I just forced myself through it and each step was as painful as the last. I am just as freaked by it as I was before.
We found a shop filled with hand crafted art submitted by people all over Portugal. There was one huge piece that I would have LOVED to take home, but it was way too big. I guess I need to move to Europe and then drive it home in order to get it. Photography was not allowed, so I can't show it. Think a framed drawing of a family of rabbits, but their heads were giant and blew out of the picture in huge maybe paper mache type art. It was weird and awesome. I picked up 3 pieces. We had similar luck in another shop. Speaking of art, the way trees grow around the buildings of town are beautiful.
By day, Obidos has a lot of people, a few dogs, including some off leash that roam, and all of its shops open. By night, the street lights turn on, a handful of shops and restaurants stay open, and the street is almost completely absent of people, becoming the epitome of serene and otherworldly. I love it.
Tomorrow is the chocolate festival, which takes place inside the castle walls, but separate from the hotel portion. We'll also explore some more of the town.
Tons more pictures at- https://www.flickr.com/gp/13109399@N07/UX5U8R
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