Enlightened via a pit

The alarm got us ready in time to stop for breakfast at a joint which offered tables for guests. It seems to be a norm around here to stand at the counter whilst breaking fast. Way to uncomfortable for us heathens. Coffee and croissants went down well before we headed back up the cascading escalators to the tour meeting point. Once we were all organised we set off. A group of 8 intrepid explorers (one of which was our guide - Fred for short) to explore the wild regions and subsequent delights of the nearby mystical hills. A forty minute local train took us from sunny downtown Lisbon, up through drab suburbia, into more suburbia covered in a eery fog, to more drab suburbia looking damp and wet.

By the time we got to the end of the line in Sintra it was raining quite heavily and it was a bit disconcerting to see our fellow travellers pull out coats, jackets, poncho's and umbrellas because we had not done our homework and checked the forecast. After all this is meant to be a summer holiday. Nothing to but suck it up and hopefully it will pass. As the guide helpfully (!) told us on arrival that this place has magical qualities. One of which is it's own unique weather patterns. As we traipsed off into town and through rain sodden gardens it was interesting to note strange turrents and other similar features drifting in and out of vision as the fog swirled around the hills and valleys.. There is of course a long history to this place. It's named after the moon followed by a litany of cultural misinterpretations over the ages. It's been the escape location for many over the years, including the rich hierarchy. Indeed still is as we were shown the place Madge has just bought. She has some work to do because at the moment it looks like an abandoned Moorish squab. So we walked around one residence (aka palace) where royalty had hung out while listening to stories of the links between the Poms and the locals. Touching all the various golden ages of Portuguese world domination. Apparently the 5th is just about to happen. Just watch the world cup next year. Slowly the clouds cleared and the afternoon turned bright and sunny - finally revealing the castle on the hill.

We didn't get up to this because of logistics. Apparently the hills are riddled with tunnels that have been used for all sorts of reasons over the years. After a yummy sweet snack from a tourist ridden shop in a tourist ridden street we then lunched similar to last night's dinner - we went to find some of them. This joint is called Quinta da Regaleira which has a grand old turrented house, lots of adjoining buildings, running water, amazing gardens and a really cool secret. Dan Brown would've loved this. Possibly he'd been here. As had the Knights of the Templar and indeed the Masons and a whole lot of subterfuge, symbolism and strange clues as to what the truth actually is.

The highlight is a journey down a 27 meter depth well which was used to initiate members into their secret societies. We didn't have to actually pass the test as the way through the caves was lit by led lights. We did follow the correct path though - thanks to the directions of our guide. Emerging from the cave we had to walk across water and into enlightenment. At least we now know what the Masons do - well the general theme anyway. Unfortunately we had to cut the tour a bit short in order to catch an earlier train back to the lowlands. No harm done - like every place we visit there is always more to see and do. This is what creates a desire to return. Sintra is definitely one of those locations as is indeed to whole country it seems. After a quick refresher at the strange temporary structure they call a hotel we went out and caught up with Lottie and Peter for a pleasant few hours of drinks on a Rooftop Bar with photogenic views across town and then dinner in a fabulous up market restaurant in a posh area of town we hadn't yet seen.

Pete runs the local Aus embassy here, so there were many interesting conversations had and even yet more insightful information on the local area. This time it was modern politics and world views. A great night out after a great day.