Romantic, magical, mythical. These are the words I would use to describe Sintra.
A hill station located 40 minutes north-west of Lisboa, whereby you can catch a train from Lisboa's Rossio train station to reach it. Most people visit Sintra for a day, but I highly recommend you spend two days (stay one night) in Sintra to fully draw in the magnetism, that is Sintra.
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| On the way from Sintra train station to the Sintra city centre |
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| Palace of Sintra |
When one thinks of Sintra, one thinks of
Palácio da Pena (Pena Palace), which means Feather Palace in English (it certainly is as 'flamboyant' as a feather!) You can take a bus up to the palace from the Sintra city or hike up. I chose to hike up, which is an approximate 40-minute hike.
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| On the way up |
When I read of woods in storybooks, this is exactly what I imagined - green and lush! I felt I was in Wonderland with Alice... lol.
When I finally reached the ticket counter, I was relieved, thinking the palace is just there. BUT from the ticket counter, there is another 1 km walk up to reach the palace! Nevertheless, the walk up is picturesque...
...and when you reach the palace, it is all worthwhile!
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| Palácio da Pena (Pena Palace) |
The palace was commissioned by Ferdinand August Franz Anton from Austria, who married into the Portuguese royal family and became King Ferdinand II. King Ferdinand II wished to build a castle to rival the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. His only instruction was that the palace should reflect an opera - the palace surely is dramatic!
The palace is a prominent expression of late 18th century/ 19th-century Romanticism in the world.
*Romanticism - is an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and was at its peak in the mid-19th century. Resulted partly from the libertarian and egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution, and partly a reaction to the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and the scientific rationalisation of nature. Romanticism emphasised individualism, subjectivity, irrationality, imagination, spontaneity, emotions, personality, the visionary, and the transcendental.*
The palace has a mixture of different architectural styles: Gothic, Manueline, Islamic, and Renaissance - in accordance with the extravagant style of Romanticism.
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| Gargoyle - symbolising the creation of the world |
There is so much to explore in the palace and its surrounding grounds. I wonder, why hasn't this palace been featured in any movies, or why are there no fairy-tale palaces based on this unique palace?
Just a 5-minutes walk from the palace is the
Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors) - a medieval castle perched on top of Sintra Mountains, overlooking Sintra city.
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| View of Sintra city |
The castle was constructed during the 8th and 9th centuries, during the period of Muslim Iberia. It was taken by Christian forces from the Moors after the fall of Lisboa.
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| The entrance |
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| Walk towards the castle |
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| The castle |
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| View of the surrounding estates from the castle |
You can also see the
Palácio da Pena (Pena Palace) from the castle.
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| Majestic and fairy-tale like |
Equally as resplendent as the palace, and somewhat spiritual, is the Quinta da Regaleira. The Quinta da Regaleira is located in the Sintra city area - hence, no hiking needed :D
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| The Romantic Regaleira Palace |
The estate is like a treasure hunt - there are so many things to discover: lakes, wells, grottoes, fountains, and other fascinating constructions.
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The famous Initiation Well
The well never served as a water source. Instead, it was used for ceremonial purposes that included Tarot initiation rites. |
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| Passage in the well |
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| Threshold of the Gods |
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| Threshold of the Gods |
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| The gardens with the chapel in view |
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| Chapel |
There is an extensive and enigmatic system of tunnels, which have multiple entry points that include: grottoes, the chapel, Waterfall Lake, and Leda's Cave. The Initiation Well connects to other tunnels via a series of underground walkways. Mysterious much?
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| A passage found on one of the walls in the Regaleira Palace |
No wonder I have an affinity for this place - it is so me! (I am into all these 'energy', spirituality kind of thing. Yes, I am a quack! Lol)
*All three sights are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.*
Am I right to say Sintra is mythical? :D
If you stay the night, you can take a bus to Cabo da Roca to catch the sunset. The bus ride is about 30 minutes. Cabo da Roca is the cape which forms the westernmost area of continental Europe.
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| View from the bus on the way to Cabo da Roca |
Deeply serene!
*Please note that the last bus from Cabo da Roca to Sintra is at 8.10pm. Plan your visit accordingly so you can spend more time at Cabo da Roca.*
Now, on to the food - more like pastries :D! When in Sintra, please do savour the Queijada de Sintra (Sintra Cheesecake) and the Sintra Travesseiros (means pillow in English), at none other than the Pastelaria Piriquita.
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| Pastelaria Piriquita |
The Queijada de Sintra is not the typical American cheesecake. It is made with fresh cheese and has a noticeable cinnamon flavour - a reflection of Portugal's Moorish past. It reportedly dates back to the 13th/ 14th century.
The Sintra Travesseiros is a flaky pastry stuffed with almonds, egg, and sugar paste - the pastry is so soft that it melts in your mouth! Scrumptious! (The pastry reminds me of the Chinese pancake.)
Having these, fresh out of the oven, with meia de leite, after a long day of exploring and hiking - BLISS!
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| Sintra city |
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| View of Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors) from Sintra city |
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| Alleys of Sintra city |
Before you leave Sintra, do have lunch at the unconventional and the rather kitschy Café Saudade.
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| The café has some history attached to it |
The café is located near the Sintra train station. I love the 'I want to save the world', hippie vibes, the café exudes. The food is delectable too!
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| Tasca platter (comes with olives, sardines, queijada and a glass of wine) |
It took me a while to leave this alluring city. After 2 days in Sintra, I took the train back to Lisboa, to fully revel in Lisboa for the night, before flying off to Madeira the next morning, in hopes of meeting Cristiano Ronaldo...lol.
Vamos para a Madeira!
