Portugal - Land of Rainbows and Port Wine

We packed the Passat, its so full. The trunk is a bit smaller than the Octavia, we had a bag in the back with us, but no biggie. It took us about three hours to get back to Lisbon. We took the old highway, the more scenic one, for most of the way, then got on the toll road. It was 18 Euros on our way down, we took the toll road the whole way. Today we only paid 5, and then another 2 or so to cross the big bridge. It’s a suspension bridge similar to the Golden Gate bridge. The plan was meet Al & Pat for lunch at Bethel at 12:30, but we sat in traffic right before the bridge for so long. We didn’t make it. Change of plans! (a part of us wished we’d taken the same taxi guy (in his same sweater) from yesterday, it would have cut our travel time in half) We did see a few rainbows while driving, since it was rainy on and off. We saw rainbows - even a double rainbow, so intense - when we were in Lisbon before.

We decided to go back to our favorite little restaurant in Sintra for lunch! It was where we went with Al & Pat before, and got goat chops. Mmm. So today we had baked goat, with potatoes and rice. Oh and cheese and bread and olives! YES!

Then we went to another one of the ancient castles, near the Palace we went through. it’s a Moorish castle from the 15th century. What I didn’t realize is it was more like a fort, no roof. Perfect kind of thing for a rainy day. And hail too, actually. Brrr. But the castle (fort) is neat and fun to explore, especially for Nicole who was so chic in her high heels. (We were planning on changing before coming). There’s lots of little steps all around, and narrow walkways atop the walls. We may have attempted the hike to the top if it weren’t for the hostile weather. And Nicole’s shoe situation.

We had our last coffee top in Sintra, such a cute little town! Full of big old houses and tiny little roads. And then finally we got to bethel and had a nice evening with Al & Pat. They are so adorable! He pulled out his "special" port and let us have a taste.

Tomorrow we will be up at 4:30am, and off to the airport. See you soon, Western PA!

(Lauren) Oh no, I broke the flan
(Nicole) No one’s getting in my camera.
(Corey) Do you want some cheese with that goat?
(Lauren) Until this moment, nothing artificial will pass these lips