Lisbon Day 22 Sintra & back
Excited about our upcoming tour to Sintra.
Sat down to breakfast with a New Jersey couple who are driving across Portugal. They say they are spending no more than two days in any one area. Due to the unfamiliarity of the roads and the customs and the necessity of standing in line tourists, must face, such brief visits hardly seem\ worthwhile. They did speak of a lengthy Safari stay in Kenya – we’ve put it on our bucket list.
Walked about ten blocks to a Hard Rock Café, our meeting point for this morning’s meet-up. Could not believe the crowd we found. We had been promised a small group tour and yet we found 40 people waiting. It was all good though. One by one, tour guides arrived to call out six to eight named individuals who then loaded up in separate tour vans.
Ours was the last group called. Our guide was Ophelie, a spirited, young French woman, whose pleasant demeanor buoyed us throughout the day. We were a party of eight, four couples hailing from Boston, Chicago, Germany and us Pennsylvanians. As we struck out for Sintra one half hour away, we introduced ourselves and talked a little bit about our background. We learned that we all seemed to have something to do with teaching, that our German couple had very little English and that the Boston couple had an interest in history (I passed on my last Author’s business card. Have distributed many this trip).
I asked Ophelie about the history of Sintra and she politely put me off saying I would learn soon enough. Nearing the end of our journey she pointed out an amazing, colorful castle perched on the top of a steep hill. Just before entering a long series of winding curves up – ever up – to the top of the hill. Along the way she described the structure. This was the Pena Palace, Palacio Nacional da Pena. It is an amazing attraction rivaling Mad Ludwig’s German fantasy castle, Neuschwanstein.
The palatial faux fortress is built on the highest point in the area, so high up, Lisbon can be seen in the distance, 30 kilometers away. It is a multicolored edifice located in the middle of the intensely green, Park de Pena Forest. This is significant because the greenery makes the multicolored castle stand out. Built on the remains of a sizable 12th century chapel destroyed by the terrible earthquake of 1755. Pena is a whimsical design incorporating Yellow, gray, white and red segments neatly blending Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, New-Romanesque and Neo-Moorish styles of architecture.
Ophelie parked and warned us of the arduous hike, up – ever up – to the entrance. She offered any who wished, a ride on a transport bus. We all declined. Our guide set off at a brisk pace. Huffing an puffing we eventually arrived to find a gaggle of about 50-60 people already waiting to get in. Heavy sigh. Then again, the ultimate fate of the tourist is to wait in line. The wait however, was short and worthwhile. Entering one of several massive stone gates, our guide explained the symbolism of what we saw. Stone images invited us to dispel any demons before entering and to clear our minds to be ready to accept what was to come.
As our group filtered in. Ophelie left us, promising to meet us in an upper turret where we would have time to snack and take in the scenery. We passed through an elegant dining room then wandered on to a small, picturesque courtyard, the center of the of the original monastery, Walking around it on two levels we viewed a series of rooms that included the King’s and the Queen’s bedrooms. As per all royal residences the tile, stonework, woodwork, carpets, drapes and furnishings were entrancing, meant to impress the visitor and often - over the top luxurious.
Ferdinand II, among the most cultured men of 19th century Portugal, fell in love with Sintra, purchased the mountain and built the palace. Ferdinand spoke seven languages and had an enduring love of the arts as the eclectic structure shows. He was, in fact, known as the “King Artist.” After the death of his Queen, Maria II (who died during the birth of her eleventh child), other royals occupied the Palace until the Declaration of the Republic on the 5th of October 1910. The Palace is now classified a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Outside of the distant view of the entire palace, and the astounding view from the palace itself, the three things that impressed me the most were the King’s chapel, his hunting room and the Triton Gate. The former was an expanded version of the original inner monastery involving three rooms, two elaborate altars and one beautiful stained glass window reminding visitors of Vasco de Gama famous navigational feat. The king actually built his palace in honor of Vasco De Gama’s return from his notable voyages. The Hunting room, a large circular space with a circular dining table around a colorful central column, is surrounded by countless stag horns, some of enormous size. The gate I mentioned is impressive by it’s very theme and the fierce countenance displayed by the mythical god as he squats on a giant clam shell supported by a massive column of coral.
One more observation. When leaving the palace, our group was absolutely stunned by the volume of visitors that waited outside the entrance. A crowd snaked halfway down the mountain to the parking lot. We had been dismayed by the fifty or so we waited for to get in, but now we observed a crowd of three to four hundred waiting for entrance. Ophelie informed us that this was the reason we came early. In the summer, the Palace regularly admits 400+ visitors per hour. Whether you visit the physical site or not, dear reader, you really should visit the Palace on-line.
From the Palace we drove to the quaint touristy village of Sintra where we were allowed an hour to roam, shop and taste the local fare. Jenny and I had cappuccinos and exotic pastries at a lovely little bakery. On our way back to the van we stopped for Jenny to sample the traditional ginginha – the sour cherry liqueur I described yesterday. It was served in a chocolate cup. From there we traveled to Cabo da Roca, The Western most point in Europe. The windswept coastline looked surprisingly like that which we saw throughout the Azores.
Moving on we passed the broad expanse of Praia do Guincho, a beautiful Atlantic beach located five kilometers from the beach resort town of Cascais, our two-hour dinner stop. Here we wandered the crowded streets ducking into the occasional souvenir shop (after a while they all look alike), and shared another delicious Indian meal. Here I tried an Indian fish dish and Peshwari Naan stuffed with pistachio paste, raisins and coconut - excellent. Also had a huge, refreshing (22 ounce) Cobra beer. After eating, we walked down to the dock so Jenny could gaze at the sea. There we saw a fisherman climb up on the dock and playfully feed a young gull several of his baitfish. Afterward we wandered through a modern multistory mall before returning, climbing back aboard the van and heading back to Lisbon.
We drove back along the shore most of the way. Ophelie promised she would visit my Author’s site and see what I wrote about our experiences. I hope she does and I hope I described our wonderful day together accurately.
Back in our room we were too tired to go out for supper. Stayed in. Ordered room service salads and bread. Watched the world news on the BBC and mourned the damage Hurricane Ian caused in Florida.
Tired now. Boa Noite.
I am posting a selection of the thousands of pictures we took on Facebook. Look me up there and see what we saw!