Portugal: Sintra

Castelos de Mouros, The Moorish Castle.

Last November, I went to Lisbon and Barcelona on a quick trip out of he country.  What a wonderful trip that was!  After spending a couple of rainy days in Lisbon, we thought it'd be a great idea to check out Sintra, just outside of Lisbon, hoping to escape the rain.  No luck.

Our first stop was the Castelo de Mouros [Moorish Castle].  Charming, old, and scared the crap out of me. I've mentioned before that I have a hard time walking without spraining my ankle.  The cobblestones here were almost the death of me [not to mention my fear of heights].  I clutched onto the rocks as I walked through the castle.  

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I actually walked these steps. I cried with every rickety step, praying to Jesus that He wasn't ready to call me home.

But wait. What did I spy from the Castle but a colorful vision across the valley:

It looked pretty colorfully spectacular from where I was standing so I decided to take the bus onto the next location, Pena National Palace.

Pena National Palace was awash in colors and stunning, even in the dreary, rainy day.  The colors popped off of the otherwise grey background.  I was amazed at how many people were out in the rain. I tried to stay as dry as possible, but the kitten hiding in the drainage in the photo above is probably the smartest living thing in town.

One other thing that I noticed while walking around Sintra was the amazing detailed tile work that was done.  I can't fathom making each one of these things over and over, even WITH a form. I felt compelled to take it in and photograph it, especially since someone went through the trouble of creating it!

After we left the Palace, we started meandering through Sintra to find the train station. [that's Jen-ese for I got lost].  It didn't matter how long it took since every path was so charming, if a little wet.  [sorry to harp on this subject but I'm from LA...I don't know what those fat drops of water falling on me really are]

My favorite stop during my "meandering time" had to be the bakery.  Although I never took any photos of my favorite cookies, Broas de Mel, I still have the memory of it to tide me over until my next [non-rainy] visit.

Travel: BlogHer Food 2010, Getting to San Francisco from the Airport

Golden Gate Bridge

Traveling to San Fran for the first time? Unless you have a ton of luggage, I highly recommend the BART! Fast, easy and generally the best [and cheapest!] way to get into the city.

F Line Muni Streetcar from Embarcadero to Castro District; $2 for 90 minutes of travel. Enter from the front door & pay the driver with exact change.

SFO Arrivals:

Upon arrival into SFO, after collecting your luggage, follow the signs to BART, which is located in the International Terminal. You can take the free AirTrain to the BART station. Once you arrive at the BART Station, you will find the ticket machines directly in front of you after you get off the AirTrain.  You may use either Cash or Credit to purchase your tickets[see instructions below].  Proceed to the BART station entrance, slipping in your ticket into the designated slot.  Board the Pittsburgh/Bay Point train to San Francisco [NOT Millbrae]. 

OAK Arrivals:

If you are arriving into Oakland, you will need to take the AirBART bus to get to the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART Station [travel time is approximately 15 minutes]. The AirBART bus departs every 10 minutes [fare is $3, EXACT change only].  Follow the directional signs to the AirBART [located between Terminal 1 and 2, 3rd curb from the terminal].  You can take either trains that travel to Daly City [make sure it's NOT headed towards Dublin/Pleasanton, Richmond or Fremont.]

How to use the ticket machine:

You will need to already know what your fare is before you actually get to the ticket machines.  Avoid wasting time asking around for what the fare should be - Look up fares HERE: BART Fare Calculator

To Powell from SFO: One way fees will be $8.10, Roundtrip at $16.20.

To Powell from OAK: One way fees will be $3.80, Roundtrip at $7.60.   

1.) Put in your form of payment - either Cash or Credit - in the appropriate slot.

2.) The default amount of the ticket is $20 which will appear on the screen.  Using the buttons A - D, add/subtract the amount needed to get to your destination.  [add $1 = A; subtract $1 = B; add $.05 = C; subtract $.05 = D].

3.) When you are done, hit "E" to print the ticket.

Arrival into Downtown San Francisco:

Powell Street BART station is probably the closest if you're staying at the Intercontinental.  Just two blocks Southeast from Powell Station, it's an easy walk [and thank goodness for "up" escalators to street level!] using the Hallidie Plaza exit.

Embarcadero Station