Portugal gets all the superlatives

April 15, 2019

Portugal gets all the superlatives

We went to Portugal.

We loved it.

From the moment we landed we felt like kids in a candy store. The sunshine! The gentle breeze! The glittering water! The old woman feeding the pigeons and cursing us from her balcony and for some imperceptible offense!

Lisbon felt alive.

Everyone meets your eyes, reacts to your child, and shares in the beauty of that vital and pulsing city.

Our itinerary was pretty full on. We booked 2 nights in Lisbon, 2 nights in Sintra, and left our last night open so we could decide where we wanted to land based on what we'd experience.

Our first night was at a guest house on the waterfront in Lisbon. We were wedged between the maze-like Alfama and the grand boulevards of Baixa. It was a perfect choice. There was a teeny tiny elevator we could use to get up to our suite and a toddler friendly playground just across the plaza.

We were like sun-starved Californians as we strolled along the waterfront and grinned ear to ear in Comércio Plaza. We made the absolute most of our two and a half days.

We took a hair raising tuk tuk ride to Jeronimo's Montestary. (Not recommended, definitely opted for the safety of a taxi on the ride back).

Alder threw rocks in the water at Belém Tower.

We pushed the stroller up cobblestone streets for pastel de natas at Manteigaria Fábrica.

I peered in the window of one of the world's oldest candle shops, Caza das Vellas Loreto, as the storekeeper hustled out of site after closing her shop up a little bit early.

We stood in awe of the Santa Justa Lift.

Alder taking in Lisboa's best.

We took in modern Lisboa with an afternoon at the absolutely stunning Oceanario.

Alder is pretty enchanted with fish so I set aside my aversion to paying to see animals in captivity and opened up to the possibility that it might be a genuinely enriched environment for the fish and and a genuinely enriching experience for us as a family. It was. The only mammals are the sea otters and while I feel sad to think of them living in an enclosure I was so moved by the way Alder responded to the opportunity to observe them. He was giddy with excitement. At one point he looked at me with the biggest most loving eyes and squeezed my neck and just laughed and laughed. He couldn't believe his good fortune.

We grown-ups were impressed too.

We left from the modern train station at the Parque das Nações and landed in sweet little Sintra. All of the guide books and blog posts advise Lisbon visitors to make a day trip to Sintra, but I wanted to round out our Portugal visit with some laid backs vibes so I booked us two nights in the town's historic center.

Sintra has long been a destination for the ruling class and the cooler weather means it is resplendent with summer palaces from previous eras. The medieval Palace of Sintra was just around the corner from Sintra Boutique Hotel where we stayed and Alder had a blast running around the plaza and tossing coins into the fountain.

For Sunday we booked a private tour through a company called Greenwalk. I don't have much experience with private tours but given the terrain, I thought a guide would be the best way to make a day of palace tours toddler-friendly and it totally was.

Our guide, Joao, led us through gorgeous gardens and along wooded trails so we spent our day taking in the beauty of the landscape alongside the palaces and the outdoors emphasis helped Alder feel less hemmed in.

We saw Pena Palace and gardens, the Moorish castle, and Monseratte. All impressive.

The duck house...errr duck palace.

Pena Palace.

The walls of the Moorish castle.

Monserrate

Just and ordinary hallway...Monserrate style.

Joao and two very grateful mamas.

The next day we packed up our bags and went for a seaside stay in Cascais. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. By that point all we needed was to stroll along the coastline and take in the uncomplicated view of the horizon.