Sinta and Regaleira

I will not bother you with much text, all I can say is that Sintra is an incredible place to visit and to be in. Quinta da Regaleira is an obligatory stop! Photos are not so good but I will return and take some really good ones for sure!

Nata Lisboa (changed place)

Note: I think this palce changed location so I will put the nearest one to Principe Real

I think I was one of the first to try this (I hope! Finally!). It made some noise when it opened in Principe Real and now it is expanding very quickly! A success history. I actually hard some bad rumors about who could be the one behind this franchising, well, that aside, it is really a nice place, it surprised me in two peculiar aspects:

One: (because I was there to work) there are electricity sockets in the backyard but not inside! This is the total opposite of most coffee shops. Ok, moving on.

Two: The other thing was an interesting and interactive wood sculpture placed in the middle of the garden. The stairs were pretty wobbly and we were scared to death from falling but we did climb, and what it does is that it enables you to see beyond the enormous roof that is obstructing the view at ground level.

It reminds me of a work from the tv show Work of Art. We were kind of alone so we just started to behave like little kids and tried every single chair and thingie on the garden. We also questioned why was a cactus in the bathtub.

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The name is not by accident, the famous pastel de nata is the main item sold on the café.

First time I went there I ate a ham and cheese sandwich (1.65€), a faux pas, maybe... But it tasted like no other, at that time, it was the best thing I could have had. The bread was amazing, the prices are competitive, the service was impeccable (put an emphasis on that). The cold tea was 1.15€. No pictures because it was so good I forgot.

Second time I went there I did try the pastel de nata. Oh mamma. I won't say no more, just go.

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Monday to saturday from 8h to midnight and sunday from 10h to 18h.

Miradouro do Adamastor (Adamastor's Viewpoint)

This is actually called Miradouro de S. Catarina (Saint Catarina's Viewpoint), but it got the nickname of Adamastor due to the statue that is place in the little garden that here lies. This is undoubtedly the most unusual sightseeing place. It may not have a weird owner, but the people that come here are so diverse they make any artist feel totally ordinary. At night, it gets completely crowded.

It is impossible to leave without a funny story, whether some crazy guy comes to tell us all his life, or a bunch of welsh people decide to have a bachelor party semi naked and taking beer baths, while the husband-to-be talks with us smiling, apologizing the fact the we had to see him drunk into super mario dungarees:

We're not from England! We are Welsh, and we couldn't care less about them and football. Kinda like Portugal and Spain. You know soccer? We are all soccer players!

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The best thing here for me is the sangria, so refreshing, the prices are amazing: 1€ (small, 22cl), 1.5€ (medium, 33cl) and 2€ (big, 50cl), same for beer. They also have tasty salty pastry for around 1€ each, which means with 2.5€ you get a nice little lunch while contemplating a wonderful view. The toast is 4€ and can be shared by two not-so-hungry people.

When I went there last time someone decided to give a red heart to the monster, it was an initiative called Aqui Bate um Coração (A heart beats here).

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Open everyday from 10h to 4h.

Miradouro de Monte Agudo (2)

You can find the first post about this place here.

I noticed some differences after coming here a second time: the music was not so zen, now it was a Keith Jarrett half hour composition, and they had new chairs. But other than that, the rest remained. All the stuff, the weird people and the dogs, lots of dogs.

The owner kept his usual je ne sais quoi, appearing not to notice the clients. But that doesn't bother me really, it looks genuine, it gives some soul to the place. He even dared to make a weird face when I asked a coffee with milk after my capilé drink. He was right! I drank half a liter of each, I felt like puking afterwards. How could I guess the galão was GIANT. Next time I will take his advice.

The prices are amazing for the quantities. The capilé is not as good as the one in the Lisbon Kiosks, but it was cheaper. I also photographed the menu for extra information. Please use google translator as my fingers are hurting from translating all this stuff today.

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And of course we cannot finish the visit without gazing the landscape from the viewpoint. It is not my total favorite view, but is damn good already.

Some side notes: Parking the car near this place is quite hard, so consider yourself warned and come by public transportation, also, they have a bathroom on the left side of the kiosk, ask for it if you also are drinking a litter of liquid like me.

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Open everyday from 11:30h to sunset, as the menu says. Or everyday except monday from midday to 20h as the facebook says. Trust what you want!

Jardim do Torel (Torel's Garden)

 

Wonderful Torel's garden, unmatched pearl of Lisbon, hidden in the middle of ascending grounds, stairs and hills that make us barf like old people. Beautiful houses covered with vines, abandoned buildings, walls full of graffiti art and the glimpse of a whimsical episcopal house which the highest tower has one stair missing.

I like this garden, it has space to lay down on the grass and stare at the sky, fountains, benches to sit on with small tables to put a meal, or your feet, wait, ew.

Last time I came I was wearing a white dress and a happy dog decided to jump on me with his paws filled with dirt. Amazing experience. The Rastafarian boys nearby were having a blast with my tortured look.

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The garden's cafe is pretty nice, with an esplanade (the whole garden is an esplanade by itself) and some events now and then. The only problem is the cost, and there is no option nearby so they take profit of it.

My friend asked for the lemonade (1.50€) and I had a "lilliputian" salad, it had really small doses and made me think of a portuguese sketch where a guy over repeats that he has had a salad consisting of a teeny-weeny tomato and a little leaf of lettuce. They were common ingredients and didn't justify the 6€ (only the salmon, but it wasn't that much). At 9pm they didn't have bread for toasts, I was a little puzzled by this.

Well, but anyway, minor stuff doesn't matter, the guy was super nice and that is always a reason to return for a coffee or a picnic.

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Torel is open everyday according to the weather conditions and the season. In the Summer vacations it is usual to be open until midnight or 2 in the morning, mainly on weekends.

Miradouro de Monte Agudo

There is a little hidden place in Lisbon which looks like a private place for nearby locals. This little gem is different from other sightseeing places in terms of environment, food, and personality of the booth owner, a very suis generis person.

This is clearly a more underground kiosk, I love to drink Capilé (yellow syrup mixed with water, same base as coke, but with lemon and maidenhair fern essence) and Groselha (red currant syrup with water). Both for 1.30€.

The music comes from the owner's computer, mantra like music or the old classics, it depends. And to complete the zen arrangement, you can lay down with your head on a pillow and look at the tree branches with sky and sun piercing between them.
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Open from 11:30h to sunset, everyday (if I am not mistaken).