Feeling a bit more rested than I did waking up on day two, I arose in my top (actually super cozy) bunk around 7 a.m., allowing myself time to ease into the morning before taking off for the day with Rosie. A long leopard-print skirt, tank top, and sweater were donned as my layers of choice for our beach town exploration. I got ready in the all-girl bathroom on my floor and mind you, this bathroom was the cleanest, largest, most aesthetic hostel bathroom space I’ve yet to witness (equipped with hair dryers and all which can be a rarity based on my European hostel experiences). Breakfast downstairs was a delightful spread per usual (also a rarity in European hostel land)—mini pancake crepes with jumbo jars of hazelnut spread to accompany, perfectly runny orange-yolked eggs, mini breakfast sandwiches, yogurt, coffee, fresh juice, and more. I lingered over my meal, chatting with a few hostel friends about our plans for the day until Rosie joined me after her morning walk.
With no clear agenda, we decided to take the soonest train to a small nearby coastal town called Cascais. We were told lovely things about the town by those who visited in the days before us so it was a no-brainer to see it for ourselves. The walk to the train station along the waterfront was breezy and beautiful, the kind of morning that promised a perfect day ahead. Buying tickets was seamless (and SO cheap as anticipated- thank God for Europe’s public transport), and within five minutes, we were off on a coastal journey.
Cascais welcomed us with its charm, colorful streets, and salty sea air. We headed straight to the first beach access spot we could find, took some photos, and made our way back up toward town. We wandered through tiled streets, peered into a couple of shops, and strolled alongside the marina before settling at an Irish pub. We sipped on fresh mojitos as we got in deep on the topics of relationships, social standards, and career paths. The conversations we shared throughout this mini trip, such as this one, were the kinds that make you walk away feeling a little lighter and with a renewed sense of perspective.
We decided it was time to see a bit more of the area and went down to a highly photographed cove with views of the infamous Santa Marta Lighthouse turned museum. Though Portugal is far warmer than most of Europe in February, the water remains absolutely frigid. Despite this, wading in and embracing the salt water was an obvious choice, especially as were both escaping the long winters still raging back at our homes in the States and the UK. We didn’t realize we were in an area that quickly pools with water when the tide rolls in and ended up slightly more soaked than anticipated, but who would I be to complain about such a simplistic and stupidly funny moment?
A craving for something hearty led us to a semi-Americanized restaurant well-equipped with servers coaxing us inside and serving everything Portuguese-inspired that you could dream of wanting. Despite my initial skepticism, as these are the types of restaurants I seek to avoid when I travel, the classic Piri-Piri chicken and glasses of wine we both settled on were delicious and fulfilling. We lingered at the table, dreading the goodbye that had to come later in the afternoon, savoring every second of friendship and appreciation for the moments that led us exactly where we were. Before heading back to the train station, we grabbed a couple scoops of gelato and eyeballed slews of postcards.
*Fun fact about me, I’ve collected dozens of postcards while traveling abroad in an attempt to claim one from each city I visit.*
This one, however, meant just a little bit more because Rosie and I picked out matching ones to mark the day.
We took a final stroll and then found ourselves racing to make our train time. When we returned, it was time for some temporary closure because Rosie’s flight was leaving in a couple of hours to take her back to “real life.” I remembered just in time to ask her to be the first to write in a notebook that I brought intending to have all the people I connect with while traveling write in it. This marked the start of so many beautiful people writing a bit about themselves, the greatest lessons they’ve learned, letters to me, and anything else they wanted to share. This might actually be the greatest and most precious idea I’ve ever had and one I’m already cherishing so deeply. Her words of kindness, friendship, and wisdom gave me the courage to ask all of the new friends that were still to come to contribute, turning my notebook into a growing capsule of memories and connections. We said our goodbyes, and I took a couple of hours to settle into my laptop in a workroom at the hostel, determined to capture the past two days in writing while loosely planning a solo trip to Sintra for the next day.
As night fell, the hostel fell into its nightly rhythm, buzzing with energy. I made more friends over a bit of sangria and games, which turned into the formation of dinner plans with a few new faces and a few that I had only become briefly acquainted with during the prior evenings and typical hallway run-ins. The original idea of a nice meal at a normal time suggested by my lovely friend Diana unintentionally morphed into a late-night hunt for cheap eats—pizza, gyros, whatever we could find- because we couldn’t seem to stop chatting and sipping in the hostel’s common area. After ordering an assortment of random dishes to share at the silliest spot, we made our way to a bar known for its selection of more than 100 beer options where others from our hostel were already indulging. After a round of pear-infused light beers, we convinced the whole group that we had merged with to join us at another cool spot with a DJ spinning vinyl records.
We danced and bonded and I entered a long conversation with one of the kindest individuals I’ve met in quite some time. Enter Brian from Colombia who I hadn’t yet spoken with, but went on to be one of the individuals I spent the entire next insanely magical day in Sintra with. We spoke of our personal creative passions and business ideas- a significant one being his online English teaching business which was inspiring and enlightening. Of course, we also spoke of the serendipity of travel connections and the beauty of planting roots with friends across the world. As the night wound down, my aforementioned friend Grace from the previous night, myself, and Brian opted to walk back to our home and found it pouring rain- another of those small, simple beautifully funny moments that we had to appreciate. I managed to get to bed at a somewhat responsible and reasonable hour knowing I wanted to awake in time to embrace a full day the following morning.
I went to bed with a heart filled with gratitude after another unplanned, beautifully chaotic day in one of my new, very most favorite countries.
Day 4 is up next, and may I just say- can be found listed in my book of favorite days I’ve ever lived. If you’ve been reading along and made it here- thank you- and I hope my words can inspire you to begin planning your own solo trip to live out magical experiences with your own beautiful connections.
Sincerely,
SB
This article was really helpful and full of great information! The website
is well-organized and easy to navigate.