Sold on Sintra

By the time the last country rolls around, I usually run out of money. Getting to Sintra was pretty cheap, only about 2-4 euros and the tourist attractions were affordable too, so the only expense was the hostel and food. We stayed in a nice EcoHostel called Alma, that I would recommend to anyone. After a long day of exploring the Quinta da Regaleria, we were exited to go back to our hostel with a bag of cheap groceries and vino verde wine, the local Portuguese sparkling white wine (my favorite of the trip). The hostel had 8 acres of land and grew all of it’s food including vegetables, grapes, and chickens. The water was fresh from a natural spring that ran down the mountain and kept the entire yard rich with nutrients for the overgrowing plants, ferns and flowers. Still feeling like I was living in a fairytale, even with no money I was sold on Sintra.

I learned in my Investing in a Sustainable Future class that wealth does not equal well being. That principle could not be closer to the truth. Without any money, that evening was by far one of my favorite memories of the trip. We took out our bread, cheese, and fruits from the grocery store and watched goats play in the field down the hill…saying it like that sounds kind of strange, but it felt like being back at home on a farm on a lazy summer afternoon. No obligations, just hanging out with friends. As the sun began to set we walked up a bit higher to the flower garden and found a small cleared patch to watch a beautiful sunset. Cracking open our bottles of vino verde, we chatted until dark and even stargazed until we couldn’t keep our eyes open. There was one more big day ahead of Sintra tomorrow.