LISBON VIBES | AN ADENTURE IN SINTRA

Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul. - W. Somerset Maugham

The second Steemfest has been an incredible experience. We arrived with more than 10 people and I have never been on a trip with so many interesting souls. We sometimes split up and talked to so many Steemians who turned out to become good friends. Luckily we decided to stay a little longer and were able to visit a city that was recommended by inhabitants from Lisbon. The magical city called Sintra was only 40 minutes away when you take a car but also reachable by train. We decided to take a cab for 8 people because taxi´s are so cheap in Portugal. First @sirwinchester @mrs.steemit @agent @vanylou @lisadang and I jumped into the cab and right after we picked up @bluabaleno @transisto and @originate. 

It took us some time to get there because we stopped at a supermarket to grab some snacks and drinks but it was so packed that we waited for more than 30 minutes just to pay for our purchase. When we finally arrived in Sintra, we went directly to the castle that we wanted to visit. There were actually two different castles but we decided to visit The Quinta da Regaleira.

The Quinta da Regaleira is an extravagant 19th century gothic mansion that is surrounded with some of the most elaborate gardens of Sintra. The gardens are a joy to explore as they are filled with decorative fortifications, mystic religious symbols and a series of secrete passages and caves. The central feature of the gardens is the initiation well, a well that was drained, expanded and possibly used for cult ceremonies.

The garden was really magical. I have been to many castles before but this place made me feel different. I can not explain why but there must be something that really impressed me. Take a look for yourself. 

Happy Soldier 

Most of the time we visited the beautiful garden but there were also some tombs and graves that were actually so deep in the ground that we needed flashlights to be able to see at least the way in front of us. 

While taking a walk outside of the castle, we saw some towers that were used as observation towers. 

The whole territory is so big that you need at least 2 hours to see most of it. But we made a stop for some drone footage which was totally worth it. 

Some random impressions from the castle adventure 

When we wanted to leave the castle to grab some food we met the @gardenofeden family @saramiller @everlove @quinneaker @roadscape and some other cool Steemians @lovejoy @wolfcat & @relativityboy !

We chose an Indian restaurant which was located near the castle and had enough space for such a big group. The food was so delicious and it was nice to warm up our bodies since it was freezing after the sun went down. 

Most pictures were taken by @vanylou 

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The day was definitely one of the best days in Lisbon! Of course Steemfest was literally the best but meeting up with all these Steemians on a private trip was great as well! We stayed in Sintra the whole day and left the city when it was already dark outside. 

I am almost done sharing my footage from Portugal and I hope you enjoyed the recap and maybe also got excited for Steemfest 3! We stayed in Lisbon for a couple of days and it is crazy how much happened during the short time! I can not say how happy I am that I met these amazing people but I am sure we all will meet in the future. 

Thanks for joining the Lisbon vibes

Stay focused

Love, Soldier