Good Vibes Chapter with Sheila (May 15th - May 25th)

28 mei 2022 - Sintra, Portugal

...it was about time to move further and say "see you soon!" to my dear Mum and Peter thanks for all your care and our quality time moments toegther!

had to pick-up a unknown travel companion in Lagos, daughter of friends of mine in Holland, her name Sheila, a young lady same age as my daughter, travelling on her own for a few months, started in Lisbon and moved South... not knowing who or what to expect brings some kind of anxiety... there she was sitting at the wall of the parking lot accompanied with a pink suitcase and a small backpack... her open smile, disarmed me straight away and later on she told me, mine did as well... "it felt well at first sight"she said...
To start with chicken piri-piri at a very cute little restaurant, with a very good service, far away from this monstrous S. Teotónio in Guia (Albufeira)... instead chose for Restaurante Palladium a very pleasant spot and the owner knows what hospitality means. The charcoaled chicken was deliciously prepared and we were grateful for every bite this chicken given us!

our travel goal, at first Évora, the capital of the Alentejo province, land inwards. If you never been to the Alentejo worth the trip, it's has such a widely spread of fields over de hill's and valley's, covered with many cork tree's (sobreiro), green pastures and free walking caddle, mainly brown cow's and bull's, which fit in perfectly with the red coloured earth... and the inlands have little traffic, till you get near our today's destination. I've noticed it's becoming a challenge to find a nice spot for Fifi the motorhome... but we found a great parking space Agua de Prata, a few hundred meters to the city walls, with a view at the Roman Aquaduct... just beautiful!!!

Agua de Prata (free parking)

We would explore the city next day... we had droven enough and we had plenty to tell each other, befor we fell deeply assleep...
While Sheila was having her morning rituals and shower, I decided to leave her on her own and explore the street for a coffee and what else would cross my path... and of course I found a nice antiques shop... with a middle-aged owner, with walking problems... I was caught by a beautiful piece in brons... some African girl lying on her belly on a wooden stretcher, reading a book... we could not agree about the price this round... so I left her reading... but instead I bought myself a little Hohner mouth harp E cord probably 50-ties, as it still has an original bakelite box. Dis some fruit shopping and Sheila was already ready to go, but first we had a lil tasty breakfast. We had two places we would like to go... the Temple of Diana, built in the first century by the Romans and the weird Chapel of Bones build in the 17th Century by the Franciscan Monks as a symbol of transition from one life to the other; basically it was constructed to free the cemitery grounds and also a guaranteed grave by the locals, beeing absolved of their sins. Whatever the content of the story, the content of the Chapel is weird and bizar to me. Seems the walls and the pilla's are covered with over 5.000 bones and scull's... guess there are plenty of worshippers would love this space for their rituals or concerts. But worth the visit if you can handle.

lunchtime Temple Diana

plenty of alley's and Skulls & Bones

Next.... my beloved Sintra, the town, I was blessed to grew up in, before it become overcrowded by tourism, the mountain where I had hundreds of hikes, where Nature would embrasse me, smell hundreds of different fragrances and the cristal clear water, would satiate my thirst, shortcuts would bring me from down the mountain up the gardens of Monseratte, the Capuchos Convent, Regaleira Gardens, Cruz Alta or Peninha Sanctuary and to the city centre of Sintra, to get to see my friends. Useless to say I'm proud to guide anyone to this Jewel. So if you need a guide and I am in the area, just contact me, we will agree on the fee, at least include lunch and diner. Mob. 00316 4896 3216

Right, a lot of stories and and steps to make with my guest and meanwhile friend Sheila, she was amazed with so much beauty all over. First night we slept at my favorite beach Praia Grande... a place I never expected to be my home for the night, it was Full Moon, worth to get some pictures, w

Praia Grande

After our breakfast we decided to pick a day at the beach and walk up the stairs next to the rocks, to find the Dinosaur feetprints... as these right up standing up rocks nowadays, were 100 milions of years ago, the bottom of a lake; by chance a student geologist discovered them back in 1981. So,a few hours later we were climbing hundreds of steps and we could feel that in our upper legs... but to view these steps and climbing to the the top gave a magnifcent view of the Atlantic Ocean.

The View

FiFi spotted from Patio Sem Cantigas up here!

The hike downward was an adventure, but we managed!!!

Still there was time to visit the Capuchos Monestery high up the mountain, deeply hidden in the mountain of Sintra, is this little monestery, build half the 16th Century by Capuchins monks, to live their humilty lifes. For myself one of the most impressive history spots, on this powerful full of energy loaded area. I was very pleased, to see they restaured the entrance and the previous wild road, turned into a nice road with a real parking space. If you like history, I think this Wikipedia link, is really the most complete one, I have read so far.
History of the Monastery of Capuchos
Another advantage of this spot is, that tourists found it to far and overkilling their overloaded program. If you get there, take at least three days to hike all over the Sintra Mountain.
Sheila loved the space as well, it's overwhelming and so peacefulI, not hearing anything form our 21st Century noisy world. Except for the fresco's, please mind your head's... as a gesture of their modesty to God, they walked around bowed... this can be noticed throughout the entrances, their private chambers and their beds.
Actually doing a bit of advert for my dear friend Luísa Branco, who has a few cosy little apartments in the eldest part of Sintra Vila and she has one big space too, for 6p and you are all by yourself on great spots!
Patio Sem Cantigas is the name under which she is renting her houses.

A few kilometers from here, we drove to Cabo da Roca, the most occidental point of the European mainland and it is worth it... walk down the rocky coastline and feel how fragile we are really and how beautiful this planet is, we are living on... Love it and let the beauty overcome. The biggest Portuguese poet Luís de Camões, who wrote in the 16th Century the whole History of Portugal and their discoveries in poem form in "Os Lusíadas", refering to this Cape a quote "...here where the mainland ends and the sea starts..."
Sheila and I stayed for a long time watching the endeless Atlantic Sea.

Capuchos

That night we parked at the Miradouro Mindelo at Praia das Maçãs beach, same spot where Zoë spend her days, while I was In Holland doing the Mariza production, this time less stormy and it was hard to find a reasonable priced place to have dinner, as it was still low season and mostly everything was closed. Next day we would move to Sintra Village itself, but before we got there, I got myself in a really sweaty adventure folks...

After a cosy little breakfast, we managed to get up early, to visit the main local attractions in Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira, maybe the Palace of Monserate and its Gardens and the Moors Castle on one of the tops of the mountain. We crossed out Palácio da Pena and Palácio da Vila... due to much tourism, which has nothing to do with my childhood years, when only a few tourists busses would stop at the Vila square and unload their content to the Palaces.

But first, our trip from the beach to Sintra... halfway Banzão I stopped to let a hitchhiker on board, a way of travelling I did from my student years from Sintra to the beaches and from the beaches homewards; later on I started to cross Portugal in the weekends, to go for the motorcross racing or rally's... probably had become a driver myself, if I had stayed in Portugal... I loved engines and speed, now most races are by telly... but I became an oficial translator for Dutch drivers and I was proud of that, as a teenager; hiking on the road became a challenge and in the 70-ties till the late 90-ties I became a pretty pro hitchhiker. Iloved that thrill, how far and with whom. But this time it was the other way round, Mika from Germany an entrepeneur of media design, a welcome guest, as Sheila is gonna move to mixed media studies in the near future and it was a start of a conversation too. I thought let's drive to Monserate first and Mika can go from there to the Moors Castle. I entered Colares intending to take teh old bendy road to Sintra, which is beautiful throughout all the green colors... the T crossing turned into one-way...no left... right to Penedo and from there further or backwards... you readers are right, no turning back, I turned right... a lovely small bending road uphill and "Fifi" seems not to have any problems climbing 4,5 tons upwards de Estrada do Vidal, which was becoming very steep up... there was the a sign telling me it was 2,5 meter high at the first bow, which carefully I past, the second bow we past too... but the third one, I could hear it was touching the bow on the left and I had to abort the climb... slowly in reverse I passed the bow's, Mika trelling the cars behind to move backwards, as there was no space to overtake or to turn around... infront of me cars and van's piling from one lady till 10 others... but, and that is what I like about the Portuguese, none of them claxonated, maybe waiting where I would go wrong... but it was intens and sweaty under my armpits... finally a little parking lot on my left... Sheila said at least to try, although I was sceptic, I turned into the opening, while Sheila was giving distance information, till I reached the 50cm, I had to stop, it was just enough for the downhill and uphill drivers to pass by (there is a little 6 seconds movie in the Library) that narrow space, filmed by Mika... actually the drivers gave me a applaus for the achievment and Mika told he'd never met such a cool driver as me....hahaha from the outside yes, but I had all kind of doomed scenario's prepared. Now I started walking to all the houses ringing bell's, asking if anyone knew who that little grey silver car was... a guy from a first floor, reacted it was his and happy enough to take it away from the parking spot, unharmed. After that I needed maybe a liitle of 15 to 20 times forward backward, maneuver it cm by cm to get myself out of that awkward situation. Hope not having to repeat this for a while... useless to say, we took the mainroad to Sintra. Pffffffffff... found a parking spot near the Portela de Sintra trainstation and we said bye to Mika... have a good trip and thanks once again!

my Saviours and Hero's the bow I didn't make

After this it was time to do some walking by feet, from Sintra Estefania to Vila, but not without, saying hello to my friends Ana and Warner, (17 yrs married portuguese/ dutch couple), with the most amazing second hand shop I had seen in ages; many of my friends in Rotterdam, for sure would buy something here. Sheila and I needed a drink and something to eat, and they prepare delicious toasts and basic drinks... but a pair of jeans lately.

De Mão em Mão Vintage Shop in Sintra (Estefania next to the market)

from there we had a quick hello to my friend Guida at the Legendary Cafe - Sintra formally known as "Tópico Bar". Sometimes live music and poetry and locals ambience. Simple tasty menu.

From here we walked to the Sintra Vila and when tuk-tuks are around and all kind of idioma's intensify, you know you are on the right tourist track... our objective Quinta da Regaleira (quinta's are large estate gardens or rural area's in the countryside)... and this is one of these estate's, simular to the Sintra Jardim Hotel, which I have spoken about in the previous chapter; I learned about this estate property, when it was already in the hands of the 3r owner Waldemar d'Orey in the early 40-ties and due to getting connected to some of their son's during college, it didn't take that long as a teenager, walking around in these magic gardens, playing our games, from hockey rollerskating, till seek & hide or, till the more bizar party's, in which we would catch alive bat's from the ceilings of the grutto's, something I could not imagine I ever did, leaving out some nasty details now. The house in general was a not go area for us and so the chapel was of limits. When he died, eight months after the Carnation Revolution of 1974, when the Dictatorship was thrown down by the Military and the country was freed, with a family of almost 20 childeren, it obviously became a dispute regarding heritage matters and subsequently it was sold in 1987 to a Japanese Holding, making plans to start a hotel in this buidling, with mixed building styles, some locals loved it others were repugnated by the idea; so all requests for rebuidling were denied by the Sintra municipality and 10 years later Sintra had to buy it back from the Japanese, under pressure of the residents and started to give it a tourist destination; in the meantime it became public how much connection were discovered with Freemasonry, the Knights Templar and the Rosicrucians... as reader of "The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail", my interest was extra stimulated, to learn about this impressive piece of architecture. So worse your visit and take some hours to do so! Regaleira Facts

My companion Sheila, (like my daughter Zoë years ago) was truly impressed by everything what crossed her path, like first walk up the hill a few hundred meters, to find the Seteais Palace Hotel, where you passing the bow , you will be rewarded by a magnificent view all over the west surroundings of this mountain, stretching far over the sea... walking back, you realize to see on top of the collin another spot the Palace da Pena previously a convent. We didn't have the time for all that and she was about to leave to the northern capital of Porto by Flixbus

time to say "bye Sheila, thanks you for your Positive Energy and Friendship over the past days, see you later somewhere down the road" 19.05.2022

but... surprise surprise(!), 5 day's later, on her way to Spain, she passed by and we had time to watch the UEFA Final, lost by Feijenoord (Rotterdam) at a charcoal roasted chicken restaurant "Somos Um Regalo" in Sintra and we would have time to visit "Moors Castle" in the morning... to avoid wasting time, we took a tuk-tuk (check the little movie) up hill and started climbing through the garden paths. A little tip... to avoid the entrance queu, you can enter and pay entrance at the ticket checkpoint 250 mtrs further.
Moving bit by bit up the dozains of steep steps, I noticed my lungs were having lack of oxygen, as being a COPD patient, I had to take a little interval, but continued my quest... sweating and gasping for air, I arrived at the highest tower, where it felt I entered an amphitheater, with everyone sitting around the the stone benches at the walls above me, like they were waiting for my final act.... I bowed to my fantasized audience and looking up to them, I said "thank you, thank you!" and to my surprise people laughed and gave me a modest applause... hahaha that was fun!
Hey forget the Pena Palace, you can view it from there and it gives you a little taste of walking on the Chinese Wall, which I will not in this life of mine. Pffff