February 15 – Day Trip to Sintra
Sintra is a resort community located about 31km from Lisbon. Situated in the cooling hills of the Sintra mountains. It once was a summer retreat for royalty and nobility. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the site of several palaces, villas and historical sites set amidst lush forests and jagged hills.
We packed a nice lunch and set off for a day trip to the National Castle Pena. Jesse drove (Google Maps is a godsend). He is doing a good job of coping with the traffic an narrow streets.
The drive was interesting as it took us through newer residential areas and some of the business districts. It was a good reminder that we have been spending most of our time in the touristy old part of the city.
Sintra itself looks interesting and would be worth a longer stay another time. Most of our time was spent getting to and from Castle Pena (I described the hiking in an earlier post.). The ride down (which was worth every penny of the 15 Euros) was interesting. I was surprised how fast our lady driver drove on the very narrow and busy streets. I suspect that she wanted to go back for another load of tourists.
The Castle and the grounds were spectacular and well worth the price and the time. Some pictures which don’t do them justice will be put up.
Castle Pena has a vividly painted exterior and was the home of the Portuguese royalty until they fled with the establishment of the Portuguese republic. If I understand it’s history correctly, it was a medieval monastery which was refurbished and added to by King Ferdinand the Second about 1880. The views from the Castle are great.
The interior of the Castle was worth the extra fee we had to pay (we were more than a bit late for original reservation time) in order to see it. Somehow touring the interior and the personal rooms of Ferdinand made my want to know more about this family and that part of Portuguese history. (Maybe this is what travelling is supposed to do.);
On the way back to our Air B &B, we sidetracked a bit to Pasteis de Bellum – apparently a place famous for those pastries again (pastel de nata). I had forgotten about Jesse’s sweet tooth.
We walked to the restaurant area near our rental to a restaurant which featured paella. (Apparently we are on a gastronomic tour!).
After dinner we walked some more around our neighborhood and found an interesting square near the water. I continue to be amazed by the number of restaurants with streetside eating.