With the Tourists in Obidos and Sintra

Our last full day in Portugal! I haven’t commented on the weather, but it has been just about perfect. Our final destination today is Lisbon, but we’re making two stops along the way.

Obidos is a fortified hilltop town with an enormous entry gate that transports you back to the Middle Ages — sort of. It was held by the Moors until the mid-12th century, but today the streets are chock-a-block with boutiques and cafés. Our first stop was to sample the local specialty, Ginja, a sour cherry liqueur served with a cherry in an edible chocolate cup.

The church is adorned with lovely tiles.

There are sweet little streets just begging to be photographed.

We ducked into a bakery to try some of their chorizo and ham and cheese bread, which was ever so much better than what we made a few days ago. The almond cake and orange cake were too tempting to pass up, so we took some along for later.

Another 30 minutes and we were in Sintra, described by Luis as the “crown jewel” of the tour and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After fortifying ourselves with lunch, we tackled the steep cobblestone street leading to the Pena Palace. The walk winds through a forest that includes a half-dozen Sequoias, and at the top you are rewarded with a fairy-tale castle of yellow, red and blue.

The entry arches testify to the castle’s Moorish origins, but the Kings and aristocrats who later resided here added their own special touches to the sprawling complex. It’s truly a monument to excess.

We climbed all the way to the top where we had panoramic vistas of the town, the beach and the Atlantic.

If the walls could talk, they’d have a treasure trove of stories from centuries past.

And then back to Lisbon to end our food and wine tour of Portugal. We had an excellent guide, Luis, and were in the hands of a very skilled driver, Adelha. One last dinner near our hotel, the Avenida Palace, and we scattered to the winds.