When we were planning our trip to Portugal, everyone said, "You have to go to Sintra!" After doing some research, I didn't need any more convincing. Sintra looked fantastic! NOT in true Vastine fashion, we had a gorgeous sunny day with the bluest skies I have seen in a long time. Perfect!
Taking the train from Lisbon is the easiest way to get to Sintra. I always have a little anxiety about trains…getting on the right one…getting off at the right time. This was so easy. It was literally the beginning and end of a line. You had no choice but to get off. My kind of train ride.
First impressions of Sintra….Wow!
The National Palace
Look at the beautiful Quinta Da Regaleira. We did not go inside this palace, but we had a wonderful time enjoying the gardens. The gardens were filled with towers to climb, grottos, caves, and a well I was in search of.
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| My Rapunzel at the top of the tower. |
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| Great views from the tower. The Moorish Castle is at the top of the high point on the left. |
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| The Moorish Castle (good thing I brought my zoom lens) |
Guess what…I found a picture of an amazing well on Pinterest. ;) So, we had to find it!
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| The view from the bottom. |
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| Whoa!!! |
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| It was quite a climb! |
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| More beautiful tiles covering the city. |
Our next stop was the National Palace of Pena. We were told by some that it wasn't worth seeing, but we loved it. It was so vibrant and colorful. They are currently restoring it to it's original bright colors. It's over the top and not what you would expect of a castle. It was stunning.
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| We took the bus most of the way up. Thank goodness we didn't have to walk that, but these two had to be super dramatic about those last meters to the top. |
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The definition of a fairytale castle!
I know I remember reading something about Mad King Ludwig (Neuschwanstein Castle) being related to the folks that lived here. Makes perfect sense. |
Sometimes, a decent picture takes a little more effort…..
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| Finally! LOL! Chris had no clue what they were even doing. |
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| The depiction of a newt, symbolizing the allegory of creation of the world…or so I read online. :) |
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| I LOVE this one! |
Views from the inside
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| Porcelain commodes! |
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| Stained glass goodness! Wow! |
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| The Moorish Castle from the window of Pena Palace. |
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| Kitchen envy! |
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| Yes, this is real life! Crazy! |
Our next stop!
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| Bye bye to this guy. |
Making our way to the Moorish Castle.
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| Sass….. |
The Pena Palace from the Moorish Castle
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| It's actually this far away. |
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| The Moorish Castle was constructed between the 8th and 9th centuries. |
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| High above Sintra |
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| It's huge! |
Back down in the town of Sintra...
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| Piriquitas are the most well known pastry in Sintra and very tasty. |
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| A highlight of the day was running into three ISB teachers. The kids were so excited! What are the chances?? |
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| 5 SOS super fan! |
Goodnight Sintra! You were amazing. Thanks for a perfect day.
And, that concludes our adventures in Portugal. It was definitely a trip that did not disappoint. If we could do it all over again, we would do Lisbon first and end the week relaxing in the Algarve. We are beach people after all. Overall though, it was a terrific trip and one we would highly recommend. Check back to see where life takes us next.
Until next time,
Wendy
Looking out over Sintra is absolutely amazing. I love the pictures of the kids when they are also being silly, and they make me lol. Thanks for taking us on this wonderful trip to Portugal.
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