For a long time I persuaded friends and acquaintances to go to this Monastery. I don't have a car, and I don't like to ride buses - my favorite ways to travel are by train or on foot. Since everyone refuses, but you still want to look at him, then there is nothing to do - you have to go!
I understood perfectly well what I signed up for - I would have to walk for a long time, both up and down, and I would get hungry along the way... What kind of snacks do we have on the keto diet? We have sad snacks! In general, without bothering too much, I boiled two eggs for myself (and it turned out to be a great choice!), took a liter of water, and off I went!
In my good old days, when I worked here in Sintra, I remember telling tourists that the way to Capuchos lies “all the way beyond Montserrat.” Well, that means the way is first to Montserrat, and then I’ll ask for directions.
I walked slowly, looking around... At the beginning of the journey it was not so interesting - a lot of people, cars... I have already seen this hectic Sintra five hundred times, just this year.
After passing Regaleira, confusion began - first I went up, then down. I only knew one thing - I had to follow the main road, and I would get to Montserrat, this was theoretical. The views were magnificent! The smells of only forest innocence... And the sounds of birds, leaves of trees and my steps... Occasionally this peace was disturbed by cars passing by, but they disappeared around the corner moments later, and on foot, like me, during my entire journey, I met maybe three - four.
Having reached Monserrate, the guys at the door told me that I had to go back “one turn”, “there is a shortcut there”. I'm back. For an hour! And I saw a beautiful gate with a sign “private property/beware of angry dog.” Of course, there was no angry dog there, it was clear that the dogs would have crawled under the gate (the owners need to make gates more plausible for angry dogs, that’s it!). But I wouldn’t want any walkers walking on my private property, so I didn’t go on someone else’s property either. The guys from Montserrat later assured me that “it’s nothing, everyone goes there,” but I couldn’t be persuaded. I turned on the GPS, it, like my memories, sent me “all the way beyond Montserrat,” so this time I trusted the electronics.
And beyond Monserrate the path already went completely through the forest! About ten minutes later I turned off the comfortable asphalt and began to stomp up the dirt road. Birds, forest, soil and me. There was no civilization to be heard, time stood still. And I walked. Only the GPS vibrated periodically, bringing me back to reality.
The battery on my mobile was already approaching ten percent when I had only five minutes left to walk, but I couldn’t stop photographing the views that opened up to me. I had been walking for four hours and got caught in the rain a couple of times. But I didn’t regret for a second my decision to go there on foot, and most importantly - alone...
Quite unexpectedly, he appeared in front of me! Monastery of Capuchos! As if by magic, he jumped out among the trees, right in the middle of the forest, lost, out of time...
But inside he was just like that - timeless. Time stopped there a few centuries ago, simple life, no frills... Naturally, there are only stone walls and original cork doors, and we can only imagine how they lived, back in 1560, when this monastery was built. And after looking inside, I went into the garden, and turning the map, I, of course, got a little lost again... But I found everything I was looking for - places for solitude with nature, as it was many centuries ago, next to huge stones and trees... When Even obsessive thoughts no longer entered my head, but only the beauty of the greenery and the opening views of Sintra. And my everyday problems no longer bothered me one bit - I came up with a solution to them three hours ago ;)
Having finished my visit (in just an hour) I headed back. Strange, but the two hours of the return journey also flew by. When I arrived at the train station, I realized that I had been walking for seven hours today almost without stopping. And of course, I was tired, but not from walking for seven hours. So why? Does nature provide energy? Or because I didn’t have to entertain anyone, and thus give away this precious energy? Don't know.
On the way back, everything hurt - my stomach, head, leg, knee... But I never regretted that I decided to go! I never thought that I was capable of this, and that I would even survive. But it turns out that I even had enough for evening yoga after this!
In general, I advise everyone to somehow come up with their own “challenge”, and do not put it off for several years, like I did. Look. Can you do it on the first try? Or maybe you have too bad an opinion of yourself? Just like I was :)
In the meantime, I will be looking for a new challenge...
P.S. Tell me, am I the only one who saw a strange face here in the bottom corner? This tunnel led somewhere into the darkness, I decided not to go there this time, I didn’t have a flashlight with me;)
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