Maia's (Mis)adventures

The timing of the day is immaculate. We couldn’t have planned it so perfectly, had we tried. We flow through the day as though it was designed for our easy enjoyment. Check out of our Airbnb at 11am. Public bus to the big bus station. Cappuccinos in the plaza. Flixbus to Braga. We arrive, pile our bags on a platform, and check the marquee. There’s a bus to Geres in 10 minutes leaving from platform 18. No tickets? No problem, you can pay on the bus. We wind down luscious green mountain roads with scenic vistas. “I have a feeling we should get off before Geres to find camping.”  We push the button, exit the bus. There’s a municipal sign across the street, “Campismo”. We set off down the road. After a minute of walking, a car stops beside us. He speaks out of the window in Portuguese, and we understand he’s asking if we’re walking to the camping. His car is tiny, but he loads all our bags in for us, and Thomas squeezes in the front seat, leaving Maya and I to walk in peace without our lug

I wake at the hostel in the morning with no plans. Food seems like a good idea, but to say my thoughts go beyond this would be a lie. Ziko texts to see where I am. He and Walid have made a bit of a mistake and have no place to sleep in Sintra tonight, with all hostels booked. I suggest they meet me at Gargem, a small cafe in Sintra I’ve quickly decided is my spot, so we can figure something out together. They arrive. We figure nothing out. We don’t even try. “Okay, I just talked to a tuk tuk driver and he said it’s 10 each to take us up to the Palace,” Ziko announces upon his return from smoking a cigarette. “Wait, what? I thought you were looking for a hostel for tonight?” “It’s fine, it’ll happen. I want to see the palace before we leave Sintra, which apparently may be today. Are you coming with us?” “Sure, why not?” I’ve got nothing on my schedule. We spend hours exploring Palacio Pena and the beautiful gardens attached, before eventually hiking down, past the Moorish Castle, and ba