"Sintra is a delightful Portuguese town that is situated within the hills of the Serra de Sintra. Hidden within these pine covered hills are extravagant palaces, opulent mansions and the ruins of an ancient castle.
The variety of fascinating historic buildings and enthralling attractions, combine to form a fantastic tourist destination. Sintra is regarded as the best day trip from Lisbon, and a visit to this wonderful town must be included in your holiday plans."
This is all very true, but one thing that should be considered before embarking upon the Sintra adventure is the
WEATHER!
The weather will definitely have an impact on your day.
Don't cha know!
Anyway...Monday is our 'trippin' day, so, rain or shine, we go.
Sintra is about a 40 minute train ride from Lisbon.
The following pictures will validate what I just wrote. You will see what wise tourists see when they go on a sunny day and then what we encountered on our not-so-fine day.
The Sintra National Palace
(The Town Palace)
On a clear day↑ and on our day↓
Our walk around town.
Okay. So those weren't so bad. But...just you wait...
Larry and Don with our little tuk-tuk driver,
Pena Palace
This is the 'castle of castles' in Portugal. It is one of the seven wonders of Portugal.
Pena Palace started as a convent built in the middle ages but it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. It was rebuilt in the mid-1800s to be a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family.
Pena Palace started as a convent built in the middle ages but it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. It was rebuilt in the mid-1800s to be a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family.
On a clear day you can actually see Lisbon from the top. This was obviously not one of those days - for us.
The Gardens
Castle of the Moors
It's up there somewhere!
Countess Edla’s Chalet
She was the second wife of King Fernando II, married in 1869. The chalet was built in a quiet corner of the huge estate, with style reminiscent of her native Switzerland. . all that trim is made of cork.
Our last stop was a little pastry shop called Casa Piriquita.
We tried several different 'delights'. My favorite was the Travesseiro de Sintra or Sintra’s pillows. It is a dough-based pastry filled with almond cream and secret ingredients that they refuse to reveal to anyone.
Before we knew it, we had run out of day! For sure we will be back to finish up our 'Tour de Sintra' because there is still just so much to see.
Just look at how tuckered out the guys were on the train ride back to Lisbon!!
Before we knew it, we had run out of day! For sure we will be back to finish up our 'Tour de Sintra' because there is still just so much to see.
Sad the weather didn't cooperate 😢 Hope Mother nature has better plans for you next time!
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