Sintra

The train to Sintra from Sete Rios is mostly through urban areas. Sintra itself is a beautiful tourist attraction: palaces, parks, cobbled streets, tour guides with their tuk-tuks.

We walk to the main square, which is busy but not heaving. There’s a recommendation to try two specific pastries (travesseiros, queijadas) at a specific pastry shop (Casa Piriquita). They’re excessively sweet. The Nata remains unchallenged.

To another palace, up steps, past ostentatious stone work, huge walls and colourful houses. This place is reminiscent of Cinque Terre, but not on the coast and dripping in historic excess.

We decide to return to the Oriente station in Lisbon in search of new sights and end up walking through tower blocks and shopping centres. A metro takes us to near the hotel - and we’re climbing the steep steps again.

Back down the hill for dinner at a Fado restaurant. We sit outside while two singers ( one male, one female) entertain us with their magnificent voices. The food is plentiful and tasty (pickled beef stew, mixed cheese and sausage platter, sweet potato fries, salad).

The wine jug is empty. And there’s a hill to climb. The cocktail bar by the hotel sucks us in. As we wait for a Negroni and an Italian Mule, we noticed that we’re lounging on Frida Kahlo pillows (extra).

Staggering the last few feet to the hotel, up the narrow stairs to our room, to set the alarm for our early departure tomorrow.