Thu 5 Jun- Bussaco Palace Hotel and Forest

Thu 5 Jun- after the included buffet breakfast, we found it was abooher cool cloudy day. We departed for the Bussaco Palace Hotel (http://www.almeidahotels.com), situated in the center of the mystical, mythical Forest of Bussaco. Apparently it started as a Carmelite convent in 1628. The hotel is beautiful, it looks like a palace outside and inside. It's old, but stately, not decrepit or rundown, with interesting archetectural features from when it was a royal palace still in place. The tiles are beautiful, and thee are many large tile pictures throughout the hotel, and outside, too. We've taken dozens of photos so far of the interior, with its rich furnishings and interesting architecture, and exterior, including the beautiful garden (especially with the hotel in the background. We walked through the forest, enjoying the silence and the cool fresh air. Although we were looking for some of the features, we were not disappointed in the walk even though we could not find them. We returned, and got dress up for our royal "splurge" dinner: three course special for E35/person plus a half-bottle of the Bussaco Reserve 2002 red wine for E15; scallop au gratin, shrimp and leek confit; salad trolly; puff pastry with suckling pig and Port; grilled wild stone bass, three vegetable puree and aubergine au gratin; roast suckling pig Bairrada style, castle potatoes and fall's salad; and finally the dessert trolly. We got completely enjoyably stuffed, enjoying the royal ambience and the beautiful view of the garden.