Sintra

We decided to do a day trip to Sintra which is a very old town about 40 mins by train from Lisbon...

The trains were quite comfortable and only costs about 10 dollars for a return trip.

On the way we passed through a lot of the outskirts of Lisbon where most of the housing seemed to be apartment buildings...

Also lots of vegetable gardens with good looking produce, still warm enough here for growing...

So why go there? Well Sintra is a picturesque Portuguese town that is set amidst the pine covered hills of the Serra de Sintra. This slightly cooler climate enticed the nobility and elite of Portugal, who constructed exquisite palaces, extravagant residences and decorative gardens. The variety of fascinating historic buildings and beautiful scenery has established Sintra as a top rate tourist destination and the most popular day trip from Lisbon. 

As soon as we arrived we bought tickets for the bus which would bring us to the top of the hill and to the number one attraction in town...the Pena Palace.

Here it is from a distance and quite the sight!

The palace is located almost 500m on the top of a craggy hill so there is still quite the climb when we exited the bus. It is located in a National Park which we would have loved to explore but no time in one day.

As we walked up the hill...

 

 The place is part palace and part monastery having started as a monastery in the 1500s and then turned into a palace by King Ferdinand 11 in the 1800s. As a result it is a mixture of styles of architecture which makes it quite a unique structure.

You can walk around all the terraces as well as view the interior...

Here are some views...

Inside was also very beautiful with an alabaster and onyx altar in the old chapel...

And beautiful stained glass windows that were quite old...

Pena Palace was the king's pride and joy so no expense was spared in its' construction...

 I loved the ceiling in the dining room 

And thought the chandelier holders in the great hall were very neat...

And of course the kitchen was fit for a king with the original ovens still intact...

I were also very impressed with the tile work which was everywhere...

One of the courtyards...

 

Another view, this time with a subject...

 

Some close up looks at other tiles...

 

Lots of sunny spots...

And a souvenir picture...

Also a bit of history...the Royal Family lived here as their summer home until 1910 when Portugal became a Republic and they were banished from the country. The government then declared the site as a National Treasure and it was opened to the public.

So off down the hill we go now to the Castle of the Moors which we had seen from the Pena Palace...

  

The Castelo dos Mouros was established during the 9th century by the North African Moors to guard the town of Sintra but it fell into disrepair after the Christian conquest of Portugal. It was rebuilt by Ferdinand as he was redoing the Pena Palace and establishing the large forest reserve. 

One of the gates into the castle walls...

We could walk along the walls up to the towers on both ends...

Can you see Don way up there?

Down below we could see many of the private estates throughout the forest...

And the National Royal Palace which is in the centre of town and one of the best preserved medevial palaces in Portugal...

 

After that we walked back down through the town which was quite lovely...

 

There were lovely places to sit in the sun...

 

We enjoyed a meal and then the walk to the train station where there were lots of art installations 

And the flowers were blooming...

It was a lovely day!