We signed up through our hostel for a 6 hour tour to Sintra, a storybook town about 20 minutes from Lisbon. Sintra is well known for its palaces that are now either UNESCO Heritage sites for touring or posh summer retreat homes for the upper crust. Come 2:00, we piled into a van with four other hostel guests: Daniel was a Brazilian who now lives in London who we had befriended during the pub crawl, Sally and Ashley were young university students on a two month long holiday from Australia, and Kuda was another young Australian whose accent at first went undetected. Our tour guide, Luis (though rather regrettably, we never confirmed if that was his name, we just thought he said that), was one of the most animated characters we’ve ever met. His personality fit perfectly with our tour’s destination, as Sintra is a setting straight out of an animated Disney movie. Luis made up for any potential awkward silences ten fold, he had an overflowing wealth of information to share about every landmark or part of the city we passed as we drove out of Lisbon and toward Sintra. Luis clearly loved his home- he loved the culture, the people, and the natural wonders. His adoration for his home was contagious. He also had many funny tales to tell and his laugh was larger than life. Our love for Luis was permanently sealed when we discovered his ring tone was a Pearl Jam song. I’m a huge Pearl Jam fan as well, but Greg is school-girls-screaming-for-One Direction level obsessed with Eddie Vedder. Apparently, Luis used to work as a backstage manager for a large live music venue in Lisbon and not only did he meet the entire band of Pearl Jam, but Eddie Vedder invited him to go to the beach with them for a surf during their stay in Lisbon. This wasn’t surprising, I think anyone in this world, celebrity or Joe Shmo, would want to hang out with Luis. His enthusiasm for life is infectious. 
   
 When we arrived to Sintra we took in the lovely small town vibe and sprawling, green, mountainous landscape. Nestled into the lush mountains were palatial mansions as well as Harry Potter meets Cinderella castles. Our first stop on the tour was for a port wine and cheese tasting. To be honest, this was a little bit lengthier than we’d hoped, but it was still interesting to sample the local aperitifs, and who in their right mind doesn’t get excited about cheese? This also helped to break the ice with our little tour group family, and started off a small case of the giggles for the young Australian girls, who proved to be hilarious and personable.   

We then made our way through the hills of Sintra by van to reach Quinta de Regaleira, pretty much the crowning jewel of this fairytale town. Quinta de Regaleira was built in the late 1800’s and served as a summer estate for various wealthy people. The most famous owner was a guy with the last name Carvalho Monteiro, who was academically decorated and well respected, albeit, eccentric and attracted to all things mystical. Monteiro hired a famous Italian architect to add the whimsical symbols, gargoyles, and structures that you can find in the gardens of the palace. Luis told us we had two hours to explore and wander through this “dreamy” (he enjoyed that word) castle, which seems like a substantial amount of time, but once you enter the gates of this place you quickly realize that you could easily pass 4 hours time in the gardens alone without even entering the palace itself. Our little group, that felt strangely familiar and comfortable with one another, stuck together as we meandered the unending paths that wind through grottos, secret gardens, ponds, and towers. The temperature was utterly delicious, the flowers were in full bloom, and it smelled earthy and sweet. Just when you thought the path might end and come to the mouth of the castle building, a new grotto or pond blanketed with algae would come into sight and beckon you to admire, explore, and photograph. I had two favorite parts of the garden grounds: the small pond adorned with an enchanting bridge, waterfall, and stepping stones to get from one side to the other, and the renowned inverted, spiraling tower, or “well”. 

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 When we finally did enter the palace, the inside was slightly underwhelming in terms of decor. However, the architecture and structural features were interesting and impressive. For example, the staircase bannister curled in a sporadic wave-like fashion, and the gargoyles consisted of things like rabbits and kangaroos with wings. The best part of the palace was climbing a suffocatingly narrow winding staircase to reach the highest tower that delivered an unmatchable 360 degree view of the sprawling landscape. 

   
    
   
Luis took us along the coast to return home, which is the longer route, but absolutely the more worthwhile route. Our first stop was to Cabo da Roca, the western most point of the European continent. When this lookout point came into view we all were slightly disappointed as a thick fog engulfed the cliffs. However, once we spilled out from the van, needing sweaters due to the 10 degree climate difference, and got closer to the cliff’s edge, the fog thinned out and we were able to take in an awe inspiring view of what could have easily passed as the end of the world. Sand colored rock and cliff sides jutted out into the infinite expanse of deep turquoise water. This was the most photogenic location of the trip so far, so our entire group enjoyed snapping photo after photo while shivering from the chill of the sea air. We then continued to barrel down the coast, hugging the cliffside close enough to catch glimpses of the beautiful stretches of beach where wind and kite surfers zig zagged along the ceaseless curls of perfect surf. 

   
    
    
    
 We didn’t return until about 8:30, and rapidly split ways from our tour companions, all seeking sustenance immediately. Thoroughly in love with Luis and satisfied with the robust, day-long tour, Greg and I tipped Luis with a tip that would mean nothing to any American tour guide, but Luis nearly refused to accept it, saying it was not customary nor expected in Portugal and that it was too generous. 

   
As the only staff member to be manning the bar and reception, Luis stopped what he was doing to provide us with a dinner recommendation to a place that he thought had great seafood. After setting out on foot and nearly reaching the end of our hostel’s street we heard, “Guys! Guys!” and turned around to find Luis motioning us back to the hostel. Slightly concerned, we obliged, now seeing that Luis had his car keys and was walking us in the direction of his van. “I’ll take you myself, I told my colleague I needed to park the van,” he said with a mischievous smile. Luis continued to provide us with an off-the-clock and off the cuff tour through city backstreets to the restaurant he recommended. 

Though dinner ended up not being what we had hoped for or expected, Luis, our Lisbon ambassador, made this day unforgettable. Thinking back on Luis, it makes me think about how we are all ambassadors for the places we call home. When traveling, we all have a responsibility to where we hang our hats, and that is to represent it positively by choosing to be kind. Maybe I’m getting a little preachy, but after meeting people who make my travel experiences all the richer, I always feel inspired to pay it forward. After all, Luis became the face of Lisbon for us, and somewhere along all of our journeys we have the opportunity to become the face of wherever we call home. With that power, comes responsibility ;). 

Up next, find out how we fared on our first European road trip!