Question and Answer session
When I was studying speech communication at OSU, we were taught that when at the end of the speech you are answering the questions raised, the first thing to do is to repeat the question to make sure you got it right - and to make sure that everyone else in the audience heard it. Otherwise they will just hear an answer without knowing what the question was. Then you answer the question; and finally you summarize the question and the answer to the benefit of all.
Recently I have been asked several questions repeatedly, and as the 'audience' (read: the clients) are normally with me one at a time, there is no benefit of hearing others' questions. So, I have decided to answer some of them here, so that more of you can benefit, and do so before arriving to be better prepared... (sorry, no repetition of question here, as you can all read it...)
Where can I exchange money in Sintra? There is a money exchange bureau inside the tourism office that is open during the weekdays. And there are many cash machines, where you can withdraw money with European bank debit cards in euros (without commission) and also international creditcards (with commission). The commission will not be applied in the withdrawal, it will appear in your statement later.. Other than that, the closest exchange bureau is in Cascais, the local banks only exchange money if you have an account in the bank. To pay your account here, in addition to cash, we accept Visa, Mastercard, AmEx and Diners.
How hot does it get in the summer? Although he temperatures can rise to over 30C in the afternoons, normal summer afternoon temperatures are just below 30. The nights are always cooler, though, except for a very few nights in August, so do pack along a long-sleeved something for the nights, even in the summer. We are on the mountain! When it is really warm, we close the curtains during the day so that the sun does not shine directly in, and open the windows at night. Although there are not a lot of mosquitoes, we provide a plug-in repellent that really works! And we do have fans if you need them.
What is the story of the wonderful, abandoned house across the street? It used to be a school, a very good one, up to about 20 years ago. Then a family lived there for another 10, and the last 10 it has been empty. There is a family dispute about it, some want to sell, some don't. I would love to see it sold and or recuperated while it still can be!
Can you recommend any restaurants for dinner? Yes - there are many great restaurants that our previous clients have recommended - all written down in the 'Guest to Guest' book in the internet-house. The idea is that before you leave, if you have had any great or bad experiences, please write them down for the benefit of future visitors. And it has worked very well, both for 'don't miss' and 'don't go'. However, if you are pressed for time or look for a very specific type of restaurant, please do ask me - I read the book and do know the local places, so I can also make some recommendations.
What time do the restaurants open? For lunch, the normal time is 12:30-2:30. For dinner, the normal time is from 7:30 -10:00. Yes, this is later than North of Europe and earlier than Spain.
We only have one day to visit Sintra - what do you recommend us to visit? Well, again I refer to the 'Guest to Guest' book - but also suggest that you think of what types of things do you like generally to see, so as to spend an enjoyable day. But here are some suggestions:
What is the filling in the travesseiro - pastries of Piriquita? It is a well kept, patented, secret - but it does have egg and almonds and sugar.
Would you have an adapter or do you have a hairdryer that I could use? Yes, we have adapters you can use (not transformers, though) and Yes - there is a hairdryer in every bathroom.
How far is it to the station/bus-stop - and how often do the trains and buses go etc.? The railway station to Lisbon is about 700 meters away. This is also where the buses to Estoril and Cascais leave from. There are about 4 trains an hour to Lisbon, they take approximately 35 minutes, and a roundtrip ticket costs roughly 4 euros /person. The buses to Estoril/Cascais go about once an hour, and the price is a bit higher. Buses to the monuments leave from the Historical Center, 3 times an hour, and they have a hop on-hop off price of about 4 euros, as well. The buses to the beaches pass down in the valley, ab. 500 meters from Casa do Valle.
I guess these are the most common questions. Also, I answer a lot more questions regarding public transport, green wine, types of coffee - but there is a blog entry already of all of those things.
Hope this has been helpful - let me know what else I should answer for you!
Recently I have been asked several questions repeatedly, and as the 'audience' (read: the clients) are normally with me one at a time, there is no benefit of hearing others' questions. So, I have decided to answer some of them here, so that more of you can benefit, and do so before arriving to be better prepared... (sorry, no repetition of question here, as you can all read it...)
Where can I exchange money in Sintra? There is a money exchange bureau inside the tourism office that is open during the weekdays. And there are many cash machines, where you can withdraw money with European bank debit cards in euros (without commission) and also international creditcards (with commission). The commission will not be applied in the withdrawal, it will appear in your statement later.. Other than that, the closest exchange bureau is in Cascais, the local banks only exchange money if you have an account in the bank. To pay your account here, in addition to cash, we accept Visa, Mastercard, AmEx and Diners.
How hot does it get in the summer? Although he temperatures can rise to over 30C in the afternoons, normal summer afternoon temperatures are just below 30. The nights are always cooler, though, except for a very few nights in August, so do pack along a long-sleeved something for the nights, even in the summer. We are on the mountain! When it is really warm, we close the curtains during the day so that the sun does not shine directly in, and open the windows at night. Although there are not a lot of mosquitoes, we provide a plug-in repellent that really works! And we do have fans if you need them.
What is the story of the wonderful, abandoned house across the street? It used to be a school, a very good one, up to about 20 years ago. Then a family lived there for another 10, and the last 10 it has been empty. There is a family dispute about it, some want to sell, some don't. I would love to see it sold and or recuperated while it still can be!
Can you recommend any restaurants for dinner? Yes - there are many great restaurants that our previous clients have recommended - all written down in the 'Guest to Guest' book in the internet-house. The idea is that before you leave, if you have had any great or bad experiences, please write them down for the benefit of future visitors. And it has worked very well, both for 'don't miss' and 'don't go'. However, if you are pressed for time or look for a very specific type of restaurant, please do ask me - I read the book and do know the local places, so I can also make some recommendations.
What time do the restaurants open? For lunch, the normal time is 12:30-2:30. For dinner, the normal time is from 7:30 -10:00. Yes, this is later than North of Europe and earlier than Spain.
We only have one day to visit Sintra - what do you recommend us to visit? Well, again I refer to the 'Guest to Guest' book - but also suggest that you think of what types of things do you like generally to see, so as to spend an enjoyable day. But here are some suggestions:
- The number one of all of our visitors is Quinta da Regaleira - the gardens and the house. This would be the only place in Sintra where I would recommend a guided tour in order to understand any of the symbolism (masonry) of this magical place.
- A very close number two of our visitors is Pena Palace and the Park - this old summer palace of the Portuguese royalty is fun, because it is full of things: the beds are made, the tables are set, the clothes are set out. It looks like someone still lives there and you are just peeking in. And you get to see the bathrooms and the kitchen, too! The park is magnificient as well, with swans in the lakes; flowers, ferns and redwoods... There is also a part where the fairy's live.
- The Mourish Castle has magnificient views
- The Monserrate palace is already partially recuperated and the botannical gardens are fabulous
- If you like peace and quiet, the Capuchos Convent is perfect
- If you like tiles, the National Palace in the center has a great collection of Manueline tiles
- If you like activity, plan your day using an electric bike (for hire in town) - entrances to the above monuments, except for Regaleira, are included in the price
- Visit Sintra in a horse and carriage - this way you can see over the numerous walls what the gardens are like
- If you like museums, there are several small but interesting museums; the Modern Art museum, the toy museum, the Anjos Teixeira (sculptures), the Natural History Museum with the flying dinosaur, the interactive science museum, the Aviation museum, the archaeological museum of Odrinhas.....
What is the filling in the travesseiro - pastries of Piriquita? It is a well kept, patented, secret - but it does have egg and almonds and sugar.
Would you have an adapter or do you have a hairdryer that I could use? Yes, we have adapters you can use (not transformers, though) and Yes - there is a hairdryer in every bathroom.
How far is it to the station/bus-stop - and how often do the trains and buses go etc.? The railway station to Lisbon is about 700 meters away. This is also where the buses to Estoril and Cascais leave from. There are about 4 trains an hour to Lisbon, they take approximately 35 minutes, and a roundtrip ticket costs roughly 4 euros /person. The buses to Estoril/Cascais go about once an hour, and the price is a bit higher. Buses to the monuments leave from the Historical Center, 3 times an hour, and they have a hop on-hop off price of about 4 euros, as well. The buses to the beaches pass down in the valley, ab. 500 meters from Casa do Valle.
I guess these are the most common questions. Also, I answer a lot more questions regarding public transport, green wine, types of coffee - but there is a blog entry already of all of those things.
Hope this has been helpful - let me know what else I should answer for you!
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