Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sintra, Portugal - November 4

Sintra was awesome. Based on the location and topography, you can see how it became an important strategic position for centuries. The hills seem to continue climbing and from the top you can see the ocean a good 10 miles away.

Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight and has a huge amount of sights packed into a tiny area. For a day trip though, there are three that stand out: The National Palace, the Moorish Castle, and the Pena Palace. Unfortunately, I can't read British guidebooks and was unaware that the National Palace was closed on Wednesdays until we arrived (Really Lonely Planet? Open Wed-Mon. You couldn't just write Closed on Tuesdays.). I was kind of bummed, but the two other sights turned out to be impressive enough.

First we went to the Moorish Palace which is actually a reconstructed fortress in the hills. The pictures don't really do it justice. It was very hilly.



I didn't spend any time at all pouting about the National Palace being closed (that's it in the background).





We climbed all the way to the top which was exhausting because of the uneven steps. It's just as far as it looks.



But after we reached what seems like the top of the world, we looked behind the hill and saw...



The Pena Palace. Built even higher in the hills. We took a surprisingly pleasant stroll down a path back to the city for lunch before heading up to the palace.

I almost didn't bring a sweater because it was so warm in Lisbon, but Ali made me think better of it. It might have been the best decision I made on the entire trip because it was extremely cold and windy, especially at the top of the hill. It led to some interesting events.




(Yes. This actually happened one time without being staged.)

After lunch we took the bus back up the windy hills to the Pena Palace. It was perhaps the most unique thing we saw on the trip. It's a whimsical building built high on the hill and as far as I'm concerned is entirely unique. It epitomizes fairy tale design. Ali even did her best princess pose.



The colors are bright...



There are some odd design decisions...



and there's even a walkway that goes around the outside of the palace that makes you feel like you are standing over the edge of a cliff.



In the background behind us in the picture below you can see the ocean off in the distance and the top of the Moorish Castle.



The whole place just makes you feel kind of goofy.





Pictures weren't allowed inside the palace, but that's probably for the best because this post would be way too long otherwise (not that it isn't too long already).

What palace would be complete without a huge, elaborate garden? We took some time walking around and getting different perspectives of the castle.



Somebody even found a place to relax for a few.



Any doubts about the over-the-topness of the palace is immediately removed upon seeing the duck castles. Sure there were probably people starving in the streets, but at least the ducks were comfy.



So basically, Sintra is awesome. Even if you are only in Lisbon for a few days, Sintra is worth a day. And since the National Palace was closed, we have an excuse to go back.

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