葡萄牙大西洋沿岸的魔幻辛特拉

“The best ones are right under the rocks，” said Nuno Aramac， before slipping under the water like a seal. The two of us had swum to the base of a cliff where we were collecting 1）goose barnacles. I say “we”， but it was actually Nuno who was doing all the work， scraping away at the rocks with a 2）chisel-like tool， ducking and diving then popping back up waving a handful of strange sea creatures and grinning.

The spectacular stretch of Atlantic coast just north of Lisbon， with its rugged cliffs， crashing waves and near-empty stretches of sandy beach is famed for two things： surfing and seafood. The most-prized of the latter is the goose barnacle， beloved of food writers. “One of the most beautiful foods on the planet，” wrote Guardian food blogger Charlie Skelton，“the bright 3）enamelled head with its ruby lips sits atop a snakeskin sleeve which pulls away to reveal a glossy， 4）lucent finger of flesh， 5）marbled and grey at the neck， bright orange at the tip.”

Sit on the 6）terrace of any local eatery and order fish that was caught hours before， and cooked with just a splash of olive oil and lemon. The fact that you’ll end up paying about half what you would for a similar meal in the UK makes it all the sweeter.

I ate clams in white wine at the cafe on Adraga beach—said to be one of the most beautiful in Europe； worked my way through a platter of bass， bream， mussels and prawns at more 7）upmarket Mar do Inferno， at the most westerly point of Europe； and， most memorably of all， 8）tucked into giant scarlet shrimps at Azenhas do Mar， a restaurant set into the cliff in the village of the same name.

Having eaten my own body weight in seafood， it was only right to try the area’s other big draw： surfing. Nuno， my barnacle-picking guide， is also a talented surfer and agreed to give me a lesson. I met him and his family at their little house on Praia Grande， the largest beach on the Cascais-Sintra coast. The sea was unusually calm， perfect for a beginner like me， so after a quick rehearsal on the sand， we 9）waded into the water. Suddenly the gentle waves seemed a little less so. And after 20 minutes of me battling through surf， only to come back to shore 10）squealing while lying flat on the board， Nuno had some friendly advice：

“It’s much easier if you dive under like a fish， instead of fighting through them，” he said.

I’m sure he was right. Too bad we never found out. Feeling the rush of water over my head， as he encouraged me to duck beneath a wave， I panicked and accidentally headbutted him. The lesson ended there， with poor Nuno joking that I’d changed his 11）profile and me fearing I’d broken his nose.

In this region north of Lisbon， the coast is only half the story， though. The Sintra-Cascais natural park extends inland， 12）encompassing sand 13）dunes， vineyards， wooded hillsides and， at its centre， the town of Sintra.

One of the oldest properties in town （an estate dating back to the 12th century） is now occupied by a most unusual hostel， the Almaa. The Almaa’s rooms are Spartan-inspired and its dark corridors have a touch of Scooby-Doo spookiness， but the nine acres of garden and the old stone reservoir-turned-natural swimming pool are lovely. And manager Jo？o de Mello， who runs the place as sustainably as possible on a 14）shoestring， is a mine of information. It was Jo？o who arranged my surf lesson and also introduced me to local guide Maria Jo？o Martinho.

Leaving the hostel， Maria took me first to the Neolithic ruins of Adrenunes， hidden down an overgrown track. Once a sacred site， they offer 360-degree views of countryside， coast and， in the distance， Cascais and Lisbon.

In the mid-19th century， King Fernando II built his own summer palace， he named Pena， on the highest point of Sintra. 15）Incorporating a 16th-century convent， the palace clashes Turkish-style domes with gothic 16）facades.

Pena is considered the finest example of Portuguese romanticism， but it’s not the only wildly extravagant residence around here. A long line of well-travelled nobles and wealthy businessmen made Sintra their home so， in just a few square miles， you find an astonishing 17）mishmash of styles.

The layers of history， the fairytale woods and winding forest roads lined with ancient fountains and chapels give Sintra a magical quality which is still attracting creatives， be they millionaires looking to convert a 18）quinta or penniless artists like the woodworker Jo？o introduced me to， who is living in the forest as he builds an 19）intricate wooden sculpture inside the crumbling walls of an old bottled-water 20）plant.

Even in the town itself， you sense this alternative vibe. Café Saudade， a former cake factory on Avenida Miguel Bombarda， serves as a creative hub， offering free concerts， exhibitions by local artists and even a knitting club. Restaurant A Raposa looks more film set than dining room， with its 21）petal-strewn central table， hand-painted ceiling and lace place settings.

A certain eccentricity was tangible too at the second place I stayed： The House of the She Pine Tree， eight miles outside Sintra. Run by the d’E？a Leal family， who trace their roots to the founding of Portugal， She Pine Tree is part-guesthouse， part-museum devoted to the owner’s father， Olavo Correia Leite d’E？a Leal， who was， in the words of his son Tomaz， who now runs the house， “a 22）scandalous 23）dandy， a 24）provocative wit， a shocking bohemian”， not to mention painter， poet and playwright who had six children with three wives and a successful career in advertising.

His son， Tomaz， is the perfect host， insisting guests help themselves to 25）GTs from the honesty bar and make themselves at home on the well-worn sofa while he tells tales of his 26）flamboyant father.

And when your brain is full of stories of Sintra and its people， just a few miles away， a blast of Atlantic sea air on an empty beach will clear your head and make your time in that mysterious town seem like a dream.

“最好的都在巖石下面呢。”努諾·阿拉馬克說完，就像海豹似的一頭扎進了水里。我們兩人已經(jīng)游到了懸崖腳，在那兒撿鵝頸藤壺。雖然我說“我們”，但其實是努諾自己做完了所有的工作，他拿一個鑿子似的工具刮下巖石上的鵝頸藤壺，鉆到水下潛游，然后突然抓著一大把奇異的海洋生物冒出頭來，咧開嘴笑著。

里斯本北面壯麗的大西洋海岸有著崎嶇的懸崖、洶涌的浪濤和空曠的沙灘，還因兩樣?xùn)|西而名揚天下：沖浪和海鮮。鵝頸藤壺是海鮮中的珍品，是美食評論家的心頭之愛。《衛(wèi)報》的美食博主查理·斯凱爾頓寫道：“鵝頸藤壺是這個星球上最美麗的食物之一，琺瑯質(zhì)感的亮色頭部，寶石紅的邊緣，下面是蛇皮質(zhì)感的筒套，剝開之后，露出光滑透明的觸手，頸部為灰色，帶有大理石的紋理，尖端是鮮橘色。”

任意坐在一家當(dāng)?shù)匦〔宛^的陽臺上，點上一味幾個小時前剛捕捉的、加以橄欖油和檸檬烹煮而成的魚。而最后付款時只需在英國享用差不多一頓飯的一半價錢，不禁讓人感覺食物更美味了。

阿德拉加海灘據(jù)說是歐洲最美的海灘之一，我在那兒的一家咖啡館吃了蛤蜊，配以白葡萄酒；在歐洲最西端（羅卡角）更高檔的“地獄之海”餐廳努力消滅了一大盤鱸魚、海鯉、貽貝和對蝦；而最難忘的是，在阿澤尼亞什濱海漁村的同名懸崖餐館里狂吃緋紅大蝦。

吃過了和我體重相等的海鮮以后，去嘗試一下當(dāng)?shù)氐牧硪淮筇厣珳?zhǔn)沒錯：沖浪。我的鵝頸藤壺捕撈向?qū)Z也是個沖浪能手，他答應(yīng)教我沖浪。……