Where Africa and Europe Meet

Our trip is a reflection of the place where our intellectual and artistic interests meet, thus it is perfect that we spent our last outing hiking to the Moor's Castle in Sintra, Portugal  The Muslims of north Africa ("Moors") built the castle in the 8th century, and it proved central to their hope of maintaining a foothold in Europe during the Reconquista (700 year war religious war whereby the Christians, ultimately successful, pushed the Arabs out of Europe in an auspicious year for the rise of Europe--1492).

a depiction of negotiations

Of all the places we have visited, this was the most crowded.  It was hard to capture any piece of it without also photographing a tourist (most from Portugal, but plenty from England, Germany, Italy, and even some Americans...though we have seen surprisingly few Americans on our trip).  Thus, This first pic (as well as the illustration above) is from the web.

We also, while here, took a drive along the coast to Cabo da Roca--"Where the land ends and the sea begins."  The western-most point of Europe; it is rocky, dramatic, and gorgeous.  Johh had me in hysterics the entire time we were there, speaking broken English and fretting over the tourists who crossed the ropes to stand at the edge.  "This is something we are not recommending."

We also took in a Medieval Fair that offered Sangria every few feet and almost as many cheeses and sausages of various colors and spice.  Casa das Campainhas has been a perfect place from which to see Sintra, nestled at the foot of the winding footpath to the Moor's Castle and immediately next to the pink iglesia da Santa Maria.  From here, idyllic and peaceful, where people of all languages and religions meet and mix and offer a smile, it is especially hard to take in the events of the world and the hate and unmet desires that drives them all.  The woman who runs the guest house shared with us her thoughts at breakfast:  "Portugal is small and poor, and we worry no one will remember us, but it is peaceful, and for that I am grateful."  Truth.

hi Evan!!!

Tonight, we travel to Lisbon for a final night and the De La Soul/Kendrick Lamar concert!  

#5: Ethereal Sintra

It was hard to say goodbye to the colorful, sunny Algarve.  We almost stayed, in fact.  As soon as we arrived in Sintra, however, we realized it would have been a mistake to miss this place!   It is as colorful as the Algarve, but its color is drawn from the feeling as if you are walking in a terrarium of moss, tropical flowers, and fairy homes.  The streets are made of polished stone (so polished, I slipped several times:  Teva's are not adequate for Sintra!)  We spent much of the day, after our drive from Carvoeira, exploring town.

Lord Byron called Sintra a “glorious Eden” while spending a formative time of his youth here in 1809.  He would have been intrigued by the neo-Gothic, nuovo-Romantico Quinta da Regaleira that was designed and built a century later.  In the magnificent hillside garden of this estate, the mystical past of spirituality and magical present of Nature combine to create an otherworldly experience.  Pagan statuary and grottoes hide subterranean passages that take you to places like the Well of the Initiates and the Fount of Abundance.  If Harry Potter met Joseph of Arimathea and Teresa of Avila in a Zoroastrian bar in Narnia, it might be something like this…

The House of Bells, our B&B in Sintra

John in front of the Byron cafe

herons!

The initiation well, which is believed to mystically transport one through the entire journey of life (or through Dante's inferno....I opt for the former ;)

John at the top of the zigguraut

shadow of a beautiful old tree

Shields taking a picture of the Regaleira cat

and the cat--a perfect lil' model

patron saint of surgery to protect the shoulder and thumb

lunch

After that, we added a layer (cooler here) and went out for dinner in a place that truly, though small, called to mind the treehouse in Swiss Family Robinson.  We ate an exquisite meal with mojitos that almost rival Kris' and watched the sunset over Sintra.

dinner

#4: A place to which we must return--the Algarve!

There are certainly places as beautiful in the world, but surely few combine the beauty and good cheer of Portugal's southern Algarve coast.  We have spent our days here rather lazily--long days at the beach and long evenings in the windy, beautiful town of Carvoeira.  Sitting on the square watching old couples dance next to the ultra-cool--with everyone giggling and goofing and simply enjoying themselves--kind of restores one's faith in humanity!  News from the States seems oddly out of step with the warm embrace of a huge range of diversity here...it seems there is space for everyone.  On top of all of the affirming warmth and openness, we have had just a really good time here together!

we invested 6 euros in some snorkeling masks and they have been well worth it! both yesterday and today, we snorkeled in and around the caves.  The water is not warm despite the lovely color; still, we saw many different kinds of fish.

dinner at the beach after our first full day...we stayed for the "live music" which was, in fact, a middle-aged Portuguese man with a synthesizer singing bad1980s love songs with some 

auto-correct-worthy mispronunciations ;)

 

breakfast in front of our room at Meson de la Sancha