Finally! After months of slaving away and accumulated stress bordering on burn out, my summer holidays are here and what better way to kick it off than the arrival of the light of my life, my beloved daughter.
In my younger years, each time I went home to my parents’ house it was as if time stood still and we all slipped back into our usual roles and I got to enjoy being a daughter again. Seven years ago I lost that privilege and joy and no longer have the luxury of going home to be pampered by my mother, listening to her words of wisdom and simply taking charge of everything. That was about the same time as my daughter spread her wings and went off to university and we were based in different countries. Visiting her in Italy was one thing, a vacation in every sense of the word, but having her come home to stay with me is something I always look forward to. It means that I have the privilege of doting on her again and she gets to slip back into daughter mode, instead of both of us being the responsible adults that have to be on a daily basis. I understand my mother so much better now, as she eagerly looked forward to those precious few days of bonding, and jealously guarded that time, shutting everyone else out, unwilling to “sacrifice” exclusivity.
You can imagine the anticipation that has been building up to this point, especially knowing that this time I would have the time and means to embark on a bit of mother-daughter road tripping. We have proven time and time again that we are excellent travel companions, and even when we did part of the Camino Ignaciano together, we had the same pace. So we have an agreement that Christmas and my birthday are our times together, and only a very compelling reason can change that plan. Last year we explored Lisbon and Costa de Caparica together, which is as much as we dared to do in view of the still lingering COVID limitations. This year it is an entirely different ballgame, and I fully intend to take advantage of this time.
We have a very ambitious list of places we want to visit, and after crunching the numbers, I realised it would be much more econimcal doing day trips. Portugal is excellent in that respect, with public transportation being unbelievably affordable, as well as the entrance fees to some of the points of interest compared to Central Europe. I have a lot of catching up to do, especially since I’ve been living in Portugal for 18 months and haven’t seen much beyond Lisbon and the Shire, with work and hermit life being my primary way of life. So we decided that 2023 is the year to get back on the horse, and this is the trip that would change all that.
Our first destination was Mafra, aiming specifically for the Mafra National Palace. I have read so much about it and never made it over in all this time so you can imagine my curiosity. But that is getting ahead of the story. In true FrogDiva travel fashion, we arrived and sought out a cafe for some caffein infusion and a slice of cake. Nevermind that it was actually lunch time – we needed the sugar rush and liquid gold fuel. Our curiosity led us to the Pastelaria Doce Camelia, and they did not disappoint. It was sugar we sought, and and oh boy did this place dish it out. Let’s just say it is definitely not diabetic-friendly.
Next we meandered through the little park adjacent to the palace where they were setting up for the Festival do Pão (Bread Festival) that begins tonight. Eventually we made it into the palace itself and well, one thing is for sure, none of the photographs published online can ever do this landmark building any justice. It has the vibe of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence but the sprawling grandioseness of Versailles, but without the ostantatious baroque finishings. If you can reconcile the two in your mind, that is the Mafra National Palace in all its understated opulence.
Living the isolated life that I do certainly has its advantages and disadvantages, and I woudn’t really change it for the world at this point. It did take me a while to adjust to being among people again though. Standing in line at the cafe or running into tourist groups made me do a double take. At some point I turned to my daughter and said “OMG, people! Real people in the flesh!”
Mafra is perfect for a short day trip if you are in the Lisbon area. There isn’t really much to see or do beyond the palace, but it is cute for people watching, and it makes sense that many would combine a vist to Mafra with an onward journey to Ericeira. We went back home and feasted on some homemade paella instead.
FrogDiva Thoughts 