Page 33 - WDT MAGAZINE PORTUGAL

SINTRA

The adventure begins

ur first destination in Portugal was
the resort town of Sintra, a UNESCO
World Heritage site just outside of
Lisbon where we could chill out for a
Ofew days before beginning our road
trip. As it turned out, we didn’t do much chilling
during our four-day stay. Instead, there was a whole
lot of walking, eating and drinking in the town the
English poet Lord Byron called the “Garden of
Eden”.
Nestled in the forested foothills of the
Sintra Mountain, this resort for centuries has been
a cool sanctuary for royalty and the rich and
famous. Studded with imposing historic fortresses,
mansions, and castles, Sintra is a magnet for day-
trippers, mostly from Lisbon and Porto, who pour
wave after wave into the narrow cobblestone
streets from trains and buses. Staying a few nights
here gave us the advantage of exploring most of the
major attractions before hoards of day-trippers
arrived. Evenings in Sintra without the crowds was
a magical experience.

Our hotel, the Chalet Saudade, had arranged
for a car and driver to transport us there from the
Lisbon Airport for considerably less than other
transfer services. Though it was close to rush hour,
our limo pulled up to our home for the next four
nights after about 30 minutes on the road. One look
at the former mansion’s classic robin’s egg blue
facade and a glimpse of the wine bars and

32 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2019