Day 19- Lisbon

Booked a tour of Sintra today. Sintra is a picturesque Portuguese town that is set amongst the pine covered hills of the Serra de Sintra. It has become a tourist destination because of its historic buildings and beautiful scenery and is a great day trip from Lisbon.

   View from the castle looking over the ancient walls of the Moors Castle. The castle was originally constructed by the Moors(8-11th Century) as an observational stronghold with panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and Lisbon. Shame it was a hot hazy day, otherwise view would have been spectacular.

There are ten national monuments( NO we didn't see them all, we are getting better at visiting lots of monuments but not that good) ranging from the Palace of Pena to ancient ruined castles. We spent our time at the Palace of Pena.

    The colourful palace is a standout attraction and is a beautiful example of Romanticism style of architecture.

The exterior of the palace is painted and tiled with vivid colours, while statues of mythological creatures adorn the walls.

    This mythological triton, symbolises the allegory of creation of the world. This creature is half man half fish connecting the land and sea and the shells and coral are real.

The interior of the castle is restored to how it was left in 1910 when the nobility of Portugal fled the country due to the revolution. 

 The furniture is the original furniture as the nobility left in a hurry and left everything behind. This is an impressive lamp that could decorate your living room.

   There is even a chapel in the castle and it was a beautiful modest chapel considering the opulence surrounding it. This stained glass window was wonderful. It was commissioned by King Ferdinand II in 1840 from Nuremberg and brought to the Monastery of Penain 1503. Our Lady of Conception and St. George on top with King Manuel I and Vasco da Gama underneath 

   Well worth the trip up the very narrow windy road to see this amazing castle with breathtaking views from every vantage point.

You could spend a day exploring the palace and the forested grounds of the Parque da Pena.

Being on a tour we spent our time at the palace and then a short time roaming the cobbled streets that are lined with traditional houses, shops and cafes.

    Pics of the township of Sintra.

After Sintra we were ready to head back but the major downfall of a tour is you are stuck. Next we had to go to up another very narrow road, so narrow we were stuck halfway up as another bus wanted to come down and we couldn't pass. After a lot of manovering we made it to Cabo da Roca.

Cabo da Roca is a wild, rugged and VERY WINDY headland that marks the most westerly point of mainland Europe. There is nothing there but a monument marking the spot, a lighthouse, coffee shop and gift shop. There are lots of coastal tracks which you could walk at your own risk as it is sooooo windy it would 'blow the dog off a chain'.

An interesting fact was that the cliffs here were believed to be the edge of the world up until the late 14th Century.

Had enough touring wanting to head home but no such luck.

Another stop for over an hour was at Cascais, a lovely, very busy and touristy Portuguese fishing town that is situated on the western edge of the Lisbon coastline. 

   This area was a very quiet fishing village for many years until nobility discovered it many moons ago. Now it is a place for the rich and sometimes famous to buy into and the fun and ocean seeking tourist to visit. It is a short 20 minute train ride from Lisbon and you will be in the water relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere.

   We decided to do some people watching from a lovely hotel on the promenade, not interested in looking at shops, too buggered.

    The promenade.

Pros and cons of a guided tour with lots of people. Pros: if going to Sintra and seeing the palace it is a must to be part of a tour as the queues to get into the palace are sooooo long and on a tour you bypass them all and the guide is very informative. There would be lots of details you could miss if you were on your own.

Cons: I think you might have an idea already of what I think are cons.

I would definitely do a guided tour BUT only a half day or a tour with a smaller company with fewer people. 

Long long day but interesting.