Sumptuous Sintra

We set the alarm this morning so that we could get an early start  - we were leaving Lisbon for a day trip. Sintra, our destination, is the Muskoka of Portugal. Only the most wealthy can afford summer estates. Here the opulence is much greater than we see in Canada. In the past, Sintra was the summer playground of Portuguese royalty. Since the monarchy was abolished in 1910, their estates are now in trust and act as magnets for tourists.

We travelled by subway and train to Sintra, about a forty minute commute from central Lisbon. We then found our way to the 434 bus, where for 5 Euros each, we could hop on or off all day, as it did a circle tour of major sights in the area. Our first stop was the Palacio da Pena, built in the 19th Century for the King Consort, (a cousin of Victoria's Albert), Ferdinand Saxe-Cobourg Gotha. It is a very intricate and colourful creation, like a fancy children's cake. What makes it even more spectacular visually is its setting. From its parapet walk, we could see as far as Lisbon in one direction, and the coastline in another, since the palace is pitched at a high point in private parkland. Nearby, and also accessible to tourists is the Moorish Castle, a ruin which we chose not to visit. However, it became a sort of beacon for us, as it was visible from the other places we saw today.

Palacio da Pena

A view of the coast from Palacio da Pena

The Moorish Castle

Sintra as seen from the Palacio National

The water courtyard and the dual chimneys

After a light lunch at the Palacio da Pena cafeteria, we hopped on the 434 and were away to our next destination, the Palacio Nacional de Sintra. In the late 14th century, Jaoa I built a summer home at this site. It remained a holiday retreat to royalty until the late 19th century. Like Palacio da Pena, it is very large, but it is older and much starker in its decor. To be fair, outside of Disneyland, it is hard to imagine anything brighter than the first place! The Palacio National is most recognizable for its dual chimneys which rise high above the rest of the structure. It also has several majestic rooms, many in the Moorish style.

It was mid afternoon by the time we had visited the palaces - custard tart and lemonade time! The Cafe de Paris in Sintra offered us a much needed rest and refreshment before we set out on our last visit of the day. The custard tarts were greatly inferior to yesterday's sampling, by the way.

Mythological creatures at Quinta da Regaleira

A ten minute walk down the road from Sintra is the esoteric Quinta da Regaleira, the creation of Portuguese millionaire, Antonio Augusto Carvalho and his Italian architect, Luigi Manini. The house and grounds are full of religious and mythological symbols. The most intriguing aspect of the place is the cave system on the grounds which leads to the "initiation well". I wonder, what sort of initiation went on in this place; maybe something related to the Knights Templar. The garden is massive: it contains grottoes, fountains, little lakes, a waterfall and statuary galore. What a unique place!

Quinta da Regaleira

Bob playing in the waterfall area

With weary legs, we made our way back to Sintra. For the first time on this vacation, I visited a few shops, but I was not tempted by anything. And so we headed to the bus stop, then to the train station and then "home" to Lisbon. On route, we decided to visit a restaurant that our Eyewitness Travel Guide recommended, Casanova Pizzaria. We chose it because it was just outside our subway stop and it offered a change of pace from the traditional Portuguese fare we have been eating. Great place. We recommend it highly.

This was our earliest night so far. We were back in our apartment in time to watch some of the U.S. Open men's final on TV.