Portugal Road Trip – What Meggan Did, Ate, and Saw (& Mistakes She Made)

Meggan: [00:00:00] Hey everyone and welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast. Well in May I visited Portugal and well I am here to chat about what we did and how our trip went overall to a place that is much loved throughout the world. So let's just dive right in because there is a lot to cover because we did a lot of things

Jenn: I'm so excited to hear about this trip 'cause I haven't, I haven't heard anything yet. You've been home for a couple weeks and it's, it's time for me to hear about it. So how did you get to Portugal?

Meggan: It's a fine question. So as we both are the same in terms of like booking our trips well in advance we booked our flights prior to WestJet announcing their nonstop route from Halifax. That route actually started the day we left

Jenn: Oh, that's that sucks

Meggan: We flew out on Air Canada May 1st. So did the people on WestJet but directly

Jenn: Mm,

Meggan: Um anyway so yeah we uh flew Air Canada through Toronto [00:01:00] uh with nearly two hours I guess to Toronto obviously. Threehour layover and then it was like six hours and 50ish minutes to Lisbon from Toronto and we arrived around 1100 AM in Portugal. Overall the flights were fine and I'm gonna address something that you were actually gonna talk about in a future Travel Tip Tuesday but there was some turbulence and I did get airsick. I didn't like throw up or anything but I got very like nauseous. And then I don't know if you've ever lost consciousness but I've passed out a few times in my life and I felt this like really strange feeling like from my feet going upwards and I'm like I could pass out. But I was sitting down so I didn't like panic about it but I'm like I'm gonna pass out and I didn't have time to say anything. So Peter thought I had fallen asleep cause he happened to look over right when I like lost consciousness which hopefully was only for a few seconds. And it was I felt like really sweaty afterwards but then I felt fine.[00:02:00]

Jenn: No, that sucks. That really sucks

Meggan: It was really weird and after that I was totally fine. Like I didn't feel nauseous anymore so I'm just like Okay if that had to be the payoff I gu

Jenn: I guess your body just hit the reset button there. It was like turn it off and turn it back on again.

Meggan: Unplug it and plug it back in. Anyway so besides the whole like losing consciousness ever so briefly it honestly was not eventful besides besides that And from Toronto to Lisbon I don't know if you've been on a plane this big and I don't know why I seemed more freaked out a bit about it than Peter but we were in row 60

Jenn: Oh. I think, so we were on a pretty big plane to Montreal a couple weeks ago, but I think we were in the last row and we were 48, so that's still quite a few rows after that. Yeah

Meggan: I know it was row and we weren't the and we weren't the last row. Like we were probably there was probably like five or six rows behind us The plane was frigging huge and I actually wanted to say I did sleep a tiny little [00:03:00] bit with my TRTL uh neck brace So that was

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: remarkable

Jenn: Yeah, that's great news.

Meggan: I know

Jenn: All right, so you fly to Lisbon, you get there at, like, 11:00 AM or so. Uh, what happens after you land?

Meggan: Yeah so we be the plane being so big we actually got off at the back. So we didn't have to wait for all of the other people to get off which was actually quite nice

Jenn: Uh, c- petition to do that every time, please.

Meggan: Exactly and like every flight it seems in Lisbon Airport, you can't get to the terminal without a bus which is truly unfortunate. So we had to get on a bus from the plane to the terminal and that took us from like waiting for people and then to actually getting off because there was quite a big lineup of buses trying to offload people, I'm gonna say it was like 15 to 25 minutes Um and during that time of course knowing about the new EES system I was kind of like dreading the immigration portion [00:04:00] because I like to worry about things in advance. So once inside we were directed to like a really long line for immigration. There were like hundreds of people in this line. However once we got to the end of the line a woman appeared in front of these like doors right beside us um as we got in line and said For anyone not connecting come this way

Jenn: Okay

Meggan: Okay ma'am we're gonna follow you cause you better believe we went that way and then we easily found It was kind of like abandoned. Where we went it was very strange It was like down an escalator and like this big empty room that had the EES machines but no one was there.

Jenn: Weird

Meggan: I know Um so we were like Cool Let's do this. Now I do wanna mention specifically uh for Sweden and Portugal there is an app called Travel to Europe and all other countries apparently are being encouraged to adopt it but they haven't yet. It is associated with the entryexit system and you actually [00:05:00] preregister before you leave home.

Jenn: Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah.

Meggan: you use it to register yourself and your travel companions and you get a QR code. So this actually came in really handy Portugal being one of the two countries as it sped up our progress or our process at the machines to be able to scan the QR code for each of us. So if you are going to Portugal I highly recommend using this app to preregister. As the machines Like I said there was no line and we were in and out of the airport we with our luggage within like 15 to 20 minutes.

Jenn: Amazing

Meggan: I know. Once we went through the EES system there were people in this like booth where normally they would check passports and they were just like flicking us through and we're like All right.

Jenn: Okay. Cool.

Meggan: O off we go

Jenn: Yeah

Meggan: I will I will talk about our departure now since we are in the subject of the airport so I may as well cover that now. Lisbon Airport as someone without a E EU passport is a terrible experience. Especially [00:06:00] on uh departure I'm gonna be honest when I say this and I'm I I'm I'm prone to exaggeration at times but there was a line of thousands of people for international passport control. So this is after you go through security. Once you walk through dutyfree you could come out and go to a food court right staring in front of you are people in line and it is literally the longest line I've ever seen in an airport and maybe literally the longest line I've ever seen anywhere else. It did take us one hour to get through this line. When we got to the back of it and I'm telling you we walked for like four to five minutes to get to the back of the line. And when we got there the airport worker said it takes two hours from here

Jenn: Whoa

Meggan: I know. So other people we heard actually did miss their flight because of that line Uh people actually on our flight who had that missed their flight to the US so they had to now go through Toronto. I'm positive [00:07:00] it has to be a regular occurrence. And then at the gates in the international terminal there's not enough seating at the gates. People are like lined up along every wall because there's maybe 40 seats per gate. I you know and then the PA system like was barely used or nonexistent. There were terrible lines for the bathroom and the food options. Literally just long lines everywhere and people constantly running through the terminal so they you knowing they were gonna miss their flights. And we arrived four hours in advance due to our car rental dropoff. The whole process for us it only took an hour and 30 minutes but we know that it was really much longer for other people. So my advice if you are departing from Lisbon Airport is don't go to the really big food court even though the food options past that point are are trash. Go to passport control first because this is how I'm sure a lot of people end up missing their flight as they underestimate the size of that line because you think Oh it's just a line But then you walk for five [00:08:00] minutes and get to the back of it. It is literally one of the worst airports I've ever been into in my life and they need a new one. Apparently we looked it up and it is rated one of the worst airports in the world. And it's hard for them apparently to expand or build a new one because it's actually within like Portugal city limits

Jenn: Hmm.

Meggan: So they they just need to to knock it down and start over

Jenn: Yikes. That sounds like not a lot of fun at all.

Meggan: We just c we couldn't we couldn't believe the whole thing. But anyway bless their hearts

Jenn: Yeah. All right, all right. Let's move on. So, um, you've arrived at the airport. Uh, what did you do after you arrived?

Meggan: So once we left the airport it was easy to find a taxi. We literally just followed the taxi sign. We waited maybe two or three minutes The taxi from Lisbon Airport to downtown Lisbon was 24 euros and that was super easy to uh maneuver. We didn't book anything in advance. And then Lisbon was first stop for two nights. All of our [00:09:00] accommodations that we did have were done through bookingcom and our accommodations in Lisbon were pretty basic. So it was an apartment but it was very close to a main walking street where there were lots of shops and restaurants and food and it was close to like other amenities. If you are looking for a gift shop in Lisbon there's one every 20 paces so never worry about finding trinkets to bring home I did wanna mention that. So we uh we booked where we booked because we always of course check Google Maps before we do book our accommodations to be more central. And for reference our accommodation was within four to five minutes of the Rua Augusta Arch which is right on the waterfront. We spent a lot of time and I meant to look it up so I apologize but everyone has Google. The pedestrian area that was really close by that's where we spent a lot of our evenings Um we had wine at a place called Tapas and Friends and this was the place where we actually ran into two tables of s separate groups that were both from Nova Scotia.

Jenn: I mean, okay, [00:10:00] what are the chances?

Meggan: I think they came in on the direct flight because they were smart

Jenn: Ah.

Meggan: but the world is a super small place because I wish I had said it out loud before I heard them talking because I wanted to say to Peter that woman and all of them really they had the Nova Scotia look I can't explain how I knew but I'm like They look like they're from home. Sure enough they were like from Amherst or something I was like Well hello Hello Amherst people Anyway.

Jenn: You've got the, uh, the N- Nova Scotia dar. Nova Scotia dar? Nova Scotian dar? That's, I don't know

Meggan: Yes yes Here here that's exactly what I had

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: Radar for the Nova Scotians

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: So we did a lot of walking to see the city by foot including climbing the illfated hill where there was that tragic funicular accident. It was literally the steepest hill I've ever climbed It was terrible and Peter ran up it and I hated him uh as he did it cause then I just walked super slow. And [00:11:00] that day the one full day that we had in Lisbon we probably walked 10 kilometers. We visited the Eduardo VII Park We walked through Pink Street which was super touristy It's like full of bars. It's kind of one of those places like influencers go and we were just in the area We didn't get a drink or anything Some of the bars there opened at midnight and closed at like 600 AM

Jenn: Oh, that's not my type of place. Okay

Meggan: No no Um we did do a bit of shopping and of course visited Rossio Square which is near the big arch. It's it's a central focal point in Lisbon. And then more to say on Lisbon at the end because we did have one regret. For food we had several bifanas Uh it is like the most simple and delicious pork on a bun and we got that at Bifanas Do Afonso but you could honestly get one anywhere. It's very traditional there. Of course I wanna recommend Pastel de Natas are obviously uh known in Portugal. It's they're super famous there [00:12:00] But there's a place and I'm probably going to like mangle the name but it's called Manteigaria Um it's in the walking district where we were. There will be a line as there always was but it's worth it and the line moves fast. They were warm and they were so delicious. It was probably a tie for the best ones we had on our whole trip. And then I wanted to mention to leave Lisbon the Uber that we caught from our apartment back to the airport to pick up the rental was only 18 euros plus tip.

Jenn: Okay, nice. Okay, so you, uh, stayed a couple days in Lisbon, and then you took an Uber to go back to the airport to get your car rental. Uh, what was your car rental experience like?

Meggan: So our rental car was from Sicily by Car which we've never used before. That's literally the name of the company and we ended up taking the full insurance at the airport just because of the price. It was very very realistic. For 12 days with insurance and an extra driver it costed us [00:13:00] us about 700 Canadian.

Jenn: Whoa. I'm paying more for that to rent a car in Calgary in our own country

Meggan: Yeah, it was I uh there was no way we could turn it down I said like we did discuss it a little bit like If it's reasonable we'll take it If not we'll use our credit card. But we got there and we're like We can't pass up like how reasonable to have zero concerns. So we did take it Um the car was a Skoda Um it's a a car from the Czech Republic It's a brand from there. It was automatic and it was really good on gas and it only had like 1000 kilometers driven on it when we picked it up for gas it cost us for the whole trip 126 euros.

Jenn: Yeah. Yeah

Meggan: 12 days so that was about 240 Canadian and we ended up driving 1171 kilometers in total. So we thought that was really good for gas.

Jenn: Yeah I mean, you drove a lot

Meggan: Yes Yes we did Um Sicily By Car I wanted to mention is located at the airport but not in the [00:14:00] terminal which I think helped bring the price down. And we had a really great experience with them Uh we also booked it on bookingcom. I would highly recommend. We would've driven a lot less kilometers but we barely used any of their highways or toll roads. It would've been faster, but we wanted to sort of see like the back way. Um and we end up paying no tolls the whole trip due to this strategy but it meant of course we drove more and then we also went through 100plus roundabouts I would say at the very least.

Jenn: Europe loves a roundabout, yeah.

Meggan: love a roundabout It's very efficient but my God every five minutes.

Jenn: Yeah. Okay. So where did you go first from Lisbon?

Meggan: Yeah, so from Lisbon we drove to the north to Nazare or Nazar Nazare I don't know I'm literally probably gonna still mangle these names so I do uh apologize. We did do that for two nights. We also avoided highways on that trip so it made it a couple of hours from Lisbon. On the way we did stop at um the [00:15:00] walled village of Obidos. It has a Moorish castle lots of shops a really cool vibe. We'd been recommended to stop in and see it. So the castle walls uh were all around and encapsulated within that were people where people lived where people had little shops there were cafes. It was like a such a cool cute little vibe and it was free to visit and free to park. So if you're ever going in that direction I highly recommend.

Jenn: Yeah Super cool

Meggan: I know. So in Nazaré we stayed at an apartment overlooking the beach which was about 300 Canadian for two nights. It was a super super deal It was a twolevel apartment Um and we did book it way in advance and it was one of the few places we had to pay for at the time of booking and it was nonrefundable. But we took a chance because we thought it was too good to pass up and we would just lose the 300 if we had to. But there was a balcony downstairs and a balcony upstairs that overlooked the beach so it was actually like a rooftop patio. The town [00:16:00] itself had a really chill vibe. It was a surfing community and it was right right at the water. It was really really nice. And this is where in the wintertime you can go and see huge waves. It's specifically known for that there but of course uh we weren't there at the right time of year. So while we were there we took the funicular up to the town of Nazaré so it's sort of up on a on a mountain but also down below. So we went up to the cliff overlooking the beach uh and that was the took the funicular which was four euros return. Uh well worth the trip and a nice way to spend a few hours. We sat on the beach of course with our little toes in the sand and we explored some backstreets there as well. I would say the restaurants and nightlife in Nazaré were not that great. It's more of a daytime place we did eat a couple of times at a place called Sam's Cafe which was run by a local woman had all local people as clientele which is always a good sign. The food was really [00:17:00] good. So please assume as well going forward in this uh explanation of my trip that no matter where I talk about we ate pastel de natas there.

Jenn: I yeah, I mean, as, as I would too.

Meggan: Uh indeed indeed Um and the I do wanna mention the parking in Nazaré was harder to find. It was not included in our accommodations and we ended up using a parking garage as recommended by our host for two days that we were there and it was 34 euros for the duration. Normally and that was a lot but it was okay because our accommodation was really cheap and we had paid in advance like months before so it felt free. So we were like Oh 34 34 euros Who cares

Jenn: Ah, travel math

Meggan: travel girl math.

indeed

Jenn: yeah, love that. Okay, uh, where did you go next?

Meggan: So yeah this was Peter's idea be uh when we were booking our trip cause he's like We need to sort of get at least get away from the coast at least once. Um so when we left Nazaré actually [00:18:00] traveled to a town called Castelo de Vide. It is inland in the h Alentejo region which is near the Spanish border. We were like maybe 15 kilometers from the Spanish border. The drive was about three hours off highway and on the way we did stop at a town called Batalha and there was a monastery there. It really was worth a stop but uh if you wanted to see more of the complex you had to pay 15 each and we really didn't care about it that much you know

Jenn: Fair.

Meggan: So so we didn't. Um after the monastery we continued on to Castelo de Vide. Like I mentioned avoided highways on that trip as well which allowed us to see the little small towns. And once we were in Castelo de Vide our accommodation here was super reasonable. It was under 200 Canadian for two nights and it was a small apartment.

Jenn: Okay

Meggan: know. The town has completely free parking all throughout the town Uh you kinda have to like fight for it a little bit [00:19:00] because everyone of course is parking there. So we parked by a church and then we had like a two to threeminute walk to get to our accommodation. Up a hill of course because all of Portugal is a a gosh darn hill um no matter where you go. We really did enjoy our time here It was much less touristy. Because of that it was hard to find food at restaurants prior to 700 PM. There were very few spots open and very small grocery stores. I'm not complaining because of course that is their way of life but I'm literally just letting you know when it's less touristy you kinda gotta live like a local which means maybe being a little bit more hungry than normal Uh we visited a castle right in town which had amazing views. There were people actually living within the walls of the castle in smaller dwellings and you could actually rent to stay there if you were a tourist as well. And then we went to the nearby town of Marvão uh to see the castle in that town as well and that castle was one 50 euros like [00:20:00] one euro 50 Um and it had really great views. Again and drink in Castelo de Vide wasn't great um but our favorite spot we grabbed a beer and some bacon toast was l called Barona Craft Beer House. Lots of locals and a really good atmosphere

Jenn: Whoa. All right. So you were two nights there as well?

Meggan: Exactly. And then that was more north so we decided of course now to start heading south. It was one of our It was our secondlongest drive to head south I would say around four hours and something. And on the way we stopped in at the Chapel of Bones or the Bone Chapel which is in a town called Évora So the chapel itself is tucked inside the Church of St Francis and I think in mine and Peter's head before we got there we thought it was like gonna be out in a field and there would be just like this odd Chapel of Bones But it was like in this town inside of another church. It was like a Russian doll situation I'm like Anyway so we w it [00:21:00] was not what we expected but that is fine. So what the Chapel of Bones is is in the 16th century monks had a they had to make a tough yet practical decision because their cemeteries were overflowing. So this led to them repurposing the bones of those who had passed um and making this Chapel of Bones. Literally the inside of the walls are filled with bones of people. Literal humans so skulls and all of the body bones. But the meaning is also deeper as well so yes of course it's kind of like jarring to see that. It's more of the f like the idea behind it is reminding you that you will die. Like life on here Earth is so short and you should enjoy every moment. So it's also a really great place for reflection while of course it's macabre as well because you're surrounded by the bones of actual humans. And the saying above the door is Our bones wait for your bones so there was that. And the cost [00:22:00] to go in was about five euros per adult and it is of course better to visit in the offseason. It was really quite busy when we were there as well. We were able to find free street parking and then walk about five minutes. We also had a really great park lunch of bifanas of course and pastel de natas while we watched peacocks roam around. The peacocks were super random but it made my whole day and it was a really cool stop overall. So if you are in that area I would definitely recommend uh going there. And this of course was as we were heading to the Algarve

Jenn: All right. So tell us about the Algarve. Very interested.

Meggan: I know I know And before we booked there were so many different like little towns there to choose from I had a really hard time choosing. But just based on some recommendations we chose Carvoeiro for four nights. I do wanna mention that it is quite touristy so there's a a few main popular streets and then they have lots of shops and restaurants and bars I do wanna say it [00:23:00] was almost as if in the town I'm sure it wasn't this way but it seemed like the only people there were tourists and then people who worked there.

Jenn: Okay, gotcha

Meggan: Yeah so we did stay in an apartment overlooking the town so it was maybe a four or fiveminute walk down into the heart of the town which of course meant we had to walk up to get back. But anyway. It was very steep hill of course Um the apartment was really nice It had three different balconies So

Jenn: Whoa

Meggan: I know. One at the back which w is great for the morning sun We had breakfast out there every day. There was one on the front which overlooked the town and then there was a rooftop balcony as well which was really lovely. That was incredible It also had a pool. It was part of an apartment complex. In the town itself there is a beautiful beach there and you can climb up as well and traverse along like a really great boardwalk for some amazing views. And we also got in the car and it took us maybe 10 minutes to visit the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail nearby as well. That was really [00:24:00] incredible Lots of um like caves and rock formations in the ocean as well. It was really beautiful I do wanna say the weather when we were there was quite unpredictable and it rained often during our time there. It was like tropical rain where it would like rain really hard for like five or 10 minutes and then the sun would come out and like rinse and repeat literally.

Jenn: Gotcha, yes.

Meggan: Yes yes. I do wanna give a tip for whether it's Carvoeiro but probably honestly like this in the other towns as well If you have a car do not buy groceries in the small grocery stores right in the main part of the town. They're very expensive because they're convenient It's like little convenience stores almost. Please go somewhere like Intermarché which we did which was maybe a fiveminute drive but there's so many more options there and the value was way better. We had a full kitchen so we used that a lot. And we didn't wanna be like overpaying for groceries the whole time. I we did eat at Le Cro Portugal So we booked in advance. It's a [00:25:00] CRO Um we'd been recommended to book there It was a small intimate spot where they did like wine pairings with tapas

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Meggan: it's quite expensive but it was a really good experience. And also while we were there on a really rainy morning we did uh visit the designer outlets. They were maybe 45 minutes away. Unfortunately due to the weather we could not do a boat tour which is what a lot of people do when they're in this area to go see the sea caves. It would've been a highlight I am sure but the seas were too rough. And it was it was quite sad. The day we were leaving of course things were beautiful so

Jenn: Of course. Rude. Rude weather.

Meggan: You know. But the cost from what we did see was around 35 euros per person. Like I said please do it if you can. And I do wanna give a shoutout and a mention as well. We went in town to the Roundup Saloon. We walked by It like had like uh kitschy décor so we're like We've gotta go in. And there was a lot of like cowboylooking décor. It was actually quite [00:26:00] fascinating just looking at the stuff there. But at 1000 PM much like a carriage turns into a pumpkin this place at 1000 PM turns into a karaoke bar.

Jenn: Well fun

Meggan: 10 o'clock like I kid you not like 50 people flooded in and it was already every seat was already taken before that. And it was packed and so many people took part and sang including people in their 80s who like all put their names down to go And of course they all sung like Frank Sinatra songs and stuff. But like the crowd was mixed. When we left at like 11 something the 80yearolds were still there

Jenn: Yeah. Look at them go. Life goal. Life goals

Meggan: I was like You guys go. I know and and Peter and I are both like we'll be 80 someday but we can still live damn it

Jenn: Yeah. Heck yeah.

Meggan: I know I know. So we spent four days there in total and I do want to like mention there's lots of towns [00:27:00] there to stay in. This was just our choice. People have lovely things to say about places like Lagos et cetera. Like there's lots of different places to choose from and I'll talk a little bit more about my experience there uh in a moment. But from there we wanted we headed up again north back up toward the Lisbon area to a place called Cascais. So I do have to say the day before we left Carvoeiro Peter did get sick I know It's like I brought it into existence when we did that episode on like what do you do on your worst travel days. I'm like Here's my worst frigging travel day

Jenn: Here it is. Oh no

Meggan: know know. So we left Carvoeiro on a Tuesday and Monday he started getting sick. So I was petrified he was gonna get a fever I was like really really worried. But it turned out to just be a cold and he felt like terrible the first two days but he was a trooper. He barely complained. If he was home he probably would have mancolded it. But there he's like No I'm gonna like make the most of this and he really did. But it also [00:28:00] meant Jenn that I had to drive

Jenn: Oh, come on

Meggan: I know I know I had to drive most of the way from the Algarve to Cascais which is almost back to Lisbon. And we're so stupid we didn't take it off of avoid highways so the drive was like five hours.

Jenn: Oh

Meggan: I know And I don't even know why. We never normally get a second driver on our car rental but for some reason I had this really weird premonition so I like forced the hand to get it and I'm like so glad that I did

Jenn: Yeah

Meggan: and I mean the driving was fine We lived to tell the tale There was a couple of roundabouts I probably should have stopped and when I didn't. But it all worked out. And unfortunately he did feel the worst on like the first day in Cascais. It's unfortunate because I frigging loved that place. Like I wanted to crawl inside of it and never leave

Jenn: Wow, alright

Meggan: it was my favorite place on the whole trip. It has two beaches which are really nice. One is actually right in town so there's a beautiful waterfront and a [00:29:00] marina a really cool vibe amazing back streets and it's very metropolitan. They have a great pedestrian area as well with lots of restaurants and bars and shops. We did stay in an apartment um up from the marina overlooking a park. There was a dog park which was even better cause I got to see lots of dogs so that was really amazing. This was the other place where no parking was included so we did pull up right in front of our place to a meter. But the meters like were a huge ripoff. Like it they were so so expensive so our host actually gave us advise and sent us a link with a dropped pin on where we could go and park for free which was about a sixminute walk from our place. So we actually did that.

Jenn: Ooh, shout out amazing hosts. Thank you

Meggan: I know. Thank you so much. And so things to do there there's a palace in town to visit um remains of a fort and it is recommended to go watch the sunset and see Devil's Mouth scenic spot. Because of the way Peter was feeling we did a little bit less there um although he [00:30:00] again he did everything possible while we were there. But right across the street from where we were as well so across from the dog park was Parc Marical Carmona. So it is a big open green space with lots of birds. We loved it there so we spent quite a bit of time there. The vibe was just immaculate I just couldn't get over it. This was the place I don't know if you saw my story but like on the balcony the night before we were leaving I was like crying as I often do on vacation I was like I just don't wanna leave here. Like it was one of those places that just like crawled inside my soul I swear to God.

Jenn: Yeah. Yeah, I love that. I'm glad that you experienced that on this trip because it's so special, 'cause not all places are like that. So yeah, it's-

Meggan: just speak to your soul more than others

Jenn: Yeah. Yeah, for sure

Meggan: Couple places I wanna recommend for food and drink. Uh Euphoria Coffee and Brunch It was a bit pricey a little bit more touristy but the food was really good and this was one of the first places we got a galão. So a galão is [00:31:00] kinda like specific to Portugal It's milk and coffee similar to a latte but it's for some h reason it it tasted better and it comes like in a tall mug. So it's one part espresso and three parts milk. I don't know why but it just tasted better I think cause we were in Portugal. And once we found out about those we got them everywhere. Um also we ate at a familyowned Portuguese restaurant called A Nova Estrela. We highly recommend a visit there. The service was incredible. The owner's son was our our server. Like it was really really cute and we had a couple of traditional cod dishes that were really good. And then we also ate at a piri piri chicken spot called Somos Um Regalo. It was inexpensive local prices and really great chicken.

Jenn: Awesome. All right. Once you tore yourself away from there, uh, where did you go next?

Meggan: So next was Sintra. So this was our last stop. So for Sintra we had stuff we wanted to do but I'm gonna be really honest we didn't plan [00:32:00] well. I don't like we didn't see a lot and I'm gonna be really honest and I'm at peace with it. Like I don't have any regrets. I did actually start to get sick while we were there as well. I didn't get it as bad as Peter but I was really tired and I just didn't care anymore if that makes sense.

Jenn: Oh, listen, been there. Remember Palace of Versailles? Don't care about this place. I remember.

Meggan: right

Jenn: Yeah. Someone's gonna clip that and be like, "Jenn hates the Palace of Versailles." Like, no, I was just so tired.

Meggan: Screw you Louis XIV

Jenn: So tired. Okay.

Meggan: same exactly the same. And it is unfortunate but I will file this under like things I would have done differently at the end. So

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: come back to this

Jenn: Okay

Meggan: we did stay up and a bit outside of the town at a place called Cedros Nature House. Parking I knew in advance in Sintra would be a nightmare and I swear I picked this place because it was outside of things plus it had free parking. Shouldn't drive people's decisions but I'm [00:33:00] 50 now and I care about where I have to park.

Jenn: Uh, same

Meggan: Um it was a really peaceful stay because it was kind of up and out of the town. Breakfast was included the only place we stayed and you could see actually most of the landmarks that people were going to visit from our balcony.

Jenn: That's cool

Meggan: I felt at peace with that as well. So while you're here you could book a guided tour. One of my friends had done that We did inquire about it but it was wildly expensive for a day like 400 euros for two people. Um and Canadian that's a lot of money so we're like No thank you. You could also do tuk tuk tours. There's a lot of those in the town as well as Lisbon. That's another option and a way to see Lisbon if you don't wanna walk as well. Tuk tuks were everywhere. Um but you could also go on your own and visit the popular spots as well. So I did just wanna like mention them in case people are interested. These are sort of the highlights. There's the National Palace of Sintra. There's the Pena Palace so you can book tickets online in advance and you should. And you can actually buy tickets just to see the outside gardens [00:34:00] or a ticket to go in. There's the Moorish Castle Uh there's Quinta da Regaleira and the Initiation Well. We actually walked to the Initiation Well. You risk your life wherever you walk in Sintra. So we risked our lives to walk there and then realized the tickets were sold out for the day. I'm like I'm breaking every single podcast rule I've ever talked about but I It's like I blacked out once I booked this place to stay. And then one thing we did do there was the

Jenn: Monserrate

Meggan: Palace and Gardens. so we got an Uber here and back. Um driving in Sintra is also terrifying because the roads are the size of a postage stamp. But at this palace the gardens were beautiful. Like we spent so much time walking around looking at all the flowers listening to the birds. It was so beautiful and we had no issues getting tickets upon arrival we didn't have to book that in advance. Apparently it had been closed for a long time and it's only recently reopened and so it isn't as many people going there. So overall like I mentioned [00:35:00] Sintra is not pedestrian friendly. It has become very very busy. There is lots to explore so it's worth a visit. And again it is so hilly. My God the hills. And I fully admit we didn't do it justice We didn't prepare. It Like I said it's like I booked it and blanked out like I wasn't going there. But there's lots to do and anything you plan to do there you should book obviously in advance.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Meggan: Um for food we recommend Tasco do Strauss It was great for tapas and of course for pastel de natas while we were in town. We actually got them I'm so ashamed got back to our place and we realized we hadn't had any since we'd been there and I think we were going through withdrawals I don't know. Actually got them Ubered um to the place that we were staying like up in the hills. The deal on the place that I found on Uber was like you get 12 for the price of six

Jenn: Okay.

Meggan: I know. And with delivery it was all together like 14 euros and Calvin made his way up there [00:36:00] on his little motorbike. I could have kissed him right on the face because it was the best mon it was the best money I ever spent. And the name of the place I have to tell people is Fabrica de Nata. Like you have to go there if you are in Sintra. I like Calvin was the best human that ev has ever lived because when the when the pastel de natas got there they were still warm.

Jenn: God, amazing

Meggan: Calvin. They were a bit greasy but they are absolutely delicious. We brought six home and we like parsed them out the last like the few days after we were home Like they were the most precious thing in the whole world. Like I carried them on every plane we were on. I like guarded them with my life and it was it was worth it I'd do it again 100 times over.

Jenn: Amazing. Amazing. All right. So you've mentioned a few times that there are some things that you would have done differently if you were planning this again. So, uh, what are some of those things that maybe you would do differently, and, like, some tips for people who are planning their trip to Portugal?

Meggan: Definitely. So the [00:37:00] main thing we would've done differently I wanna say is we would've stayed longer in Lisbon so maybe one or two more nights and then we would've done Sintra as a day trip from Lisbon via train. And we of course would have booked those sites and the things to do in advance. So I think we missed out on seeing more of Lisbon and I think Sintra you could get all the things done in a day so it wasn't necessary to spend two nights there. Again not necessarily regrets but I would have done that differently.

Jenn: Yeah, no, that makes sense

Meggan: Yeah I also wanna recommend as a tip to have cash on hand all throughout the country. It's a good idea. Quite a few bars were cash only and it was often easier to pay in cash and tip as well. It and I wanna recommend as well that if you have to get out money try to find a bank machine that's um in the Multibanco network and avoid the private ones like Euronet. So that's sort of what we discovered. As for tips they're not expected but of course appreciated and [00:38:00] oftentime rounding up the bill is a nice touch. And a lot of the machines if you pay by card don't give you the option for a tip so you actively have to want to do it and make a point to ask to add it to the bill or leave cash. I also wanna mention I've referenced this a few times be prepared to like climb a lot of hills. People who say Halifax is hilly I've decided they've just not been to Portugal before.

Jenn: Fair I

Meggan: Yes

Jenn: yeah, I haven't.

Meggan: Speaking of walking I wanna mention that when it rained all of the sidewalks were really slippery Um so just really keep that in mind I the the stones that were Everything was built in like I I wanna say stones and they I guess cobblestones I don't really know what to call them but someone iin the time of Portugal has put together every sidewalk with intricate care. And there were just cobblestones everywhere. It was beautiful but just really dangerous Um and also therefore if you're not used to wearing high heels please leave them at home because you will break a leg.

Jenn: Yeah, don't do that.[00:39:00]

Meggan: Yes Yes Um another thing I would've done differently is I would've spent less time in the Algarve. Like shock and awe. I know people are gonna be like What. It is beautiful but it was really touristy um and not as interesting to me in terms of what I like to see and do on trips It was beautiful and again I don't regret it but there were more interesting places I probably would've liked to see or spend more time. And to me personally and I know I only stayed in one place but to me personally it was underwhelming and I felt really weird the whole time. Like why am I not loving this when everyone else loves it. But yeah, it just wasn't as much for me as other places we went and it I wouldn't have spent four nights there I don't think. And I had reached out to one of my friends who'd been to uh the Algarve and she actually said I also found it underwhelming so I felt so redeemed like I wasn't the weirdo. But that's just my personal opinion and I'm sure we maybe we missed out on doing [00:40:00] some things. The boat thing probably would've been a highlight but still overall I just don't think it was for me. Gotta be honest you

Jenn: Yeah. Yeah That's what we're here for. Like

Meggan: That's right Um and then finally I would just suggest learning some basic Portuguese at least thank you and hello good day. Pleasantries really matter there Um it is nice to be able to say something in their language to show respect. So overall it was an amazing trip It is a beautiful country and the people are really friendly. We want to go back and visit the north because of course we didn't get to Porto. Um and there's the whole wine region the Alentejo region that we did not get to. So we would like to go back and visit that in the future. We just couldn't do it all in two weeks so that will be an adventure for another day

Jenn: Yeah. Yeah, sounds amazing. Like, thank you so much, Meggan, for, for sharing all of this, and, like, I, I mean, I, I know we said that's what we're here for, like, to be really honest, and I think that that's [00:41:00] what is really helpful and will be helpful for other people who are planning a trip to Portugal. So if you would like to see photos of Meggan's adventure, check out our Instagram and Facebook pages at Travel Mug Podcast.

Um, or you can learn more at travelmugpodcast.com. You can support the show through Buy Me A Coffee or by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or by sharing the show with a travel-loving pal. And until next time, safe travels, and don't forget your travel mug.