For everyone asking about advice on Portugal, I’d say go! But if possible, visit in late October or November. Tourism has surged in the last five years, and it can get very overrun in a small city like Lisbon and in strictly tourist towns like Sintra.

My other advice is to avoid the rainy season. The cobblestone streets and many steps are a little tricky to navigate in good weather – they would be treacherous in rainy conditions.

But enough of the negative. Lisbon highlights for me were climbing Sao Jorge Castelo on arrival day – it’s a great view of the entire city. We stayed in the castle district which is also close to the Alfama and Moureria districts, which is what you think of when you think of Portugal – winding, narrow streets with clothes hanging out to dry.  It’s an area not to be missed, and the sooner the better before all the little houses become AirBnB’s.

The western section, Belem, has the most historical buildings, and is a must. Jim already mentioned the delicious custards you get there.

I was very focused on having great views, and I needn’t have worried. You can hardly turn around without a vista. We ensured that by staying at a hotel near the castle.

There are many squares, some packed with cafes and others quite quiet. That said, we didn’t spend a lot of time in the downtown area. Partly because we’re not big shoppers and also because it was so packed with tourists. That’s why I enjoyed getting out of the most traditional tourist sites and going to the MAAT museum, the tile museum and a hipster market. I’m even sorry we missed the Agua museum, which is supposed to be really good, as is the Coach (as in carriage)  museum. I would say, whatever your interests are, seek out something  and you’ll probably find it in Lisbon.

Today was the UNESCO World Heritage town of Sintra. Its Pena Palace looks like a castle in Disney World, as seen at the top, (or, “so beautiful it looks fake”, as my dad would say.)  We also visited the National Palace, which has origins and art from the 14th century through 1910.

We lucked out with our timing and didn’t have to wait in line to tour either Palace, but when we went to hop the bus (after having the humongous beers we posted on Facebook), the crowds were ridiculous. So we baled with the hope of returning early tomorrow. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

We capped the touring portion of the day off with a visit to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe. Since we were at the Cape of Good Hope in Africa last year, which was first seen by Portuguese explorers, I had to bookend the trip. (I promised Jim that whatever our next vacation is, it won’t include rocky, windswept promontories.)

But the rocky, windswept views from our hotel are pretty good. And I allowed us some R&R time today, so I’m hoping Jim lets me plan the next vacation too.