Portugal
Sintra (São Pedro de Penaferrim)

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    • Day 21

      Aufi Aufi 🥳

      December 21, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

      Nun geht es von Lissabon nach Alicante mit 2,3 Zwischenstopps. Ich möchte unbedingt in den Nationalparks von Spanien eine, zwei oder drei Nächte schlafen, um dann am 24. oder vielleicht am 25. in Alicante anzukommen.Read more

    • Day 45

      Pena Palace gardens

      May 6 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      I'll say it again - five hundred acres. Starting at the furthest point, I walked up as far as I could to the High Cross at ~530m, and then worked my way down.

      She wasn't joking about that throne, but I did find it in the end, and took a picture of my pastel de nata in a branded paper bag from this morning as a thank you to show this woman, figuring maybe they could put it on their Instagram or something.

      I'm skipping ahead when I tell you that they did and were so sweet about it. It was also the best pdn (I'm on abbreviation terms with them now I think) I've had. What a breakfast.
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    • Day 15

      Sintra, Portugal, Day 2

      May 1 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

      We visited the Palacio de Pena and the Castelo de Mouro. Both are on hills so we had to walk up (because the bus we were on got stuck in traffic) and then walk down a pretty nice path into town. The last kings and queens of Portugal lived part time in the Palacio de Pena which was a convent before royalty converted it into a palace. The Castelo de Mouro dates back to the 12th century when the Moors controlled the area.Read more

    • Day 5

      A fairytale palace

      June 30 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      The Palace of Pena is beautiful but more in the way an eclectic museum is beautiful than a royal palace. Intentionally built for leisure, it looks like a storybook castle. The architecture draws inspiration from Big Ben, the Taj Mahal and the Neuschwanstien castle.

      Definitely worth seeing but it all felt very ‘Disney’. The art and furniture and decorations were opulent- meant to impress and demonstrate wealth. I kept feeling as if they lacked character. Sometimes at historic sites, i get a feel for the people. There is something relatable about them. Sometimes their humor shines through. But not here. I don’t say that with criticism- i say that with a lot of empathy.

      The castle was built during the downfall of the portuguese monarchy. King fernando II built it for his first wife as a demonstration of his love for her. He also imported trees and greenery from all over the world - turning a once dry and barren region into a lush rolling forest. Together they had 11 children but only 6 survived. After the death of his first wife, he fell in love with and eventually married a commoner. Their forbidden love was a source of scandal and stress for many years.

      King fernando’s son and his family enjoyed a few years of leisure here before the monarchy was overthrown and they were all assassinated or exiled.

      All of which to say, this family knew tragedy and hardship which might explain the lack of character in the palace.

      Except for king triton. He did not look or feel ‘disney’ at all. I loved the detail on him and laughed out loud at his weird nipples.

      My favorite part of the visit was walking through the vast gardens. I explored the ruins of the Moor Castle from 1100 and chased lizards and earned a huge scoop of gelato.
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    • Day 3

      Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal

      April 4 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

      My “blog” so far is much more just a collection of photos, but I will try to get back to each footprint with some verbiage. It can be hard to keep up with living the experience and also documenting it.Read more

    • Day 3

      Pena Palace

      March 27, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      Instead of takin the bus from the train station, we were enticed by a smooth talking tour guide to get a ride up the hill in the comfort of his car and listen to the history of Peña Palace. Just to make sure you’re paying attention, there is a quiz at the end. The bus cost is 7 euro and his informative and educational conveyance is only 10 euro.
      We got underway almost immediately, stopping only to try and rope in another customer from the train station as there was one empty seat in the car. He talked non stop for the 12 minute journey covering history from the Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula to King Ferdinand II and his actress second wife. We had a photo opportunity once when we stopped behind the bus we didn’t take. He rolled down my widow for an unobstructed view.
      Dianne and I realized when we parted company that the bus ticket was round trip. We would have to walk back to town..
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    • Day 2

      Zamki w Sintrze

      September 8 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Jeśli sprawdzić, jakie miejsca należy odwiedzić w Lizbonie, na miejscu pierwszym pojawia się „Należy pojechać do Sintry”. Zapewne dokładnie tak doradzono władcom Portugalii, którzy, zarówno za czasów islamu, jak i katolicyzmu, tam właśnie budowali swoje rezydencje.
      A nie jest to osiągnięcie łatwe, bo podobnie jak Lizbona, Sintra jest położona na stromym zboczu. Być może znakomitym dla potrzeb obrony, ale prawdopodobnie zupełnie karkołomnym dla budowniczych.
      Tak czy inaczej, efekt jest fantastyczny, i niezwykle malowniczy.
      Zaraz na dworcu opadają nas roje tuktukow, a także zadeklarowanych nie-tuktukow, ale pojazdów całkiem tuktuki przypominających, stylizowanych na terenowe, albo, wersja de lux, na Forda model T. Przydałyby się tabliczki „no thank you”, czy też może „ non, obrigado”. Na nasze grzeczne słowne odmowy kierowcy przypuszczają atak, że to daleko, i stromo, i męcząco. Patrząc na położenie obu zamków, mogą mieć rację….
      Ale droga wspina się co prawda stromo zboczem, ale za to w parku, pewnie też królewskim.
      Połowa wspinaczki - centrum historyczne Sintry. Kamieniczki bardzo urokliwe, zaułki też, ale prawdziwym zachwytem napawają widoki ze wzgórza - na rezydencję, klasztory, zamki i zameczki. Droga pod górę rzeczywiście zajmuje godzinę, ale to dlatego, że co dwa kroki nowe ujęcie, nowa perspektywa, nowe odkrycie.
      Z zamków zdecydowanie bardziej podoba się nam mauretański, z murami obronnymi pnącymi się ostro wzdłuż zbocza. Nie zazdrościmy niegdysiejszym obrońcom, którzy musieli je patrolować nocą…
      Zamek królów chrześcijańskich stoi co prawda na wyższej górce, i jest pomalowany w kolory przecudnej urody, ale charakteru ma jakby mniej. Tzn, ma, ale taki jakby bardziej błazeński. Z tym, że też jest w pewnym sensie, imponujący - rozmachem, zdobieniami, i zaskakującym wystrojem w komnatach, gdzie każda ma zupełnie inne sklepienie, od przyprawiających o ból zębów stiuków, przez zdobienia kafelkami, po proste, drewniane, geometryczne wzory, rodem chyba ze Skandynawii, bo nie portugalskie na pewno.
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    • Day 107

      Schloss Sintra - ein Special

      October 10 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Die Burg ist wohl einen Spezialbeitrag wert:

      Die Burg wurde im 19 Jahrhundert erbaut und enthält ne Menge Stilelemente, vor allem auch Orientalische.

      Mit krassen Farben und vielen gefliesten Wänden erinnert sie an ein Märchenschloss.

      Die steile Auffahrt geht als Kreisel hoch und auf den einzelnen Plattformen lassen sich stundenlang neue Details finden.

      Drinnen ist es genauso schön, das habe ich vor 28 Jahren erlebt. Doch leider waren die Tickets für heute ausverkauft.

      Weitere Fotos auch von innen gibt's noch auf der Wikipedia Seite unter dem link:

      https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palácio_Nacional_…
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    • Day 45

      Pena Palace

      May 6 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

      I'm aware I have a slight reputation for thinking I'm always right, but days like today really shore that up and after a while you do sort of have to look at the stats and reach a conclusion.

      The garden only ticket is the way to bloody go. There's f i v e h u n d r e d acres of cool stuff, tiny unsigned paths you can get lost on, buildings, lakes, animals, and rocks you can climb.

      What's more you can go round the entire outside of the castle, and not have to a) select a time slot when you buy your ticket and then stress about being there on time and b) stand around in the probably 400m long queue to shuffle through an interior which by all accounts is less interesting than the exterior.

      You can walk past them and have a squiz and leave. It was EXCELLENT. And it was cheaper. I am right.
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    • Day 5

      Day 188: Sintra

      July 16 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

      Today we took a day trip to the city of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to UNESCO, “In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park blending local and exotic species of trees.”

      On a mountain top, stands the Palace de Pena, sanctioned by King Ferdinand II and Queen Maria II for their home. It is now one of the most visited sites in Portugal and used by the government today for national addresses or meetings. It’s possible to taxi and bus up to the palace, but there is also a hike. The catch is that the hike is straight up hill and stairs. We power climbed up to the castle to make our 12:30 entry time.

      The castle was astonishing with colorful tiles and architecture from Moorish times. They also had original furniture and fabrics from 1908. On the outside, it’s possible to hug the walls around tight bends while marveling at the nature and ocean. y
      You just can’t beat combining yellow, pink, and blue colors on a castle with tiles and archways.

      After touring the castle, we hiked down much slower and actually got to enjoy the view. They had flowers and waterfalls built along the path in the Vila Sassetti. The village of Sintra is also cute with colorful houses and tiles. We tried sour cherry liquor (ginja) in a chocolate cup and port.

      Around 5pm, we trained home on our very last Eurorail train 😢😢😢 it’s been an amazing 90 Days with unlimited trains and we will miss the convience this pass brought us. Attached data related to our travels if anyone is interested.

      Restaurant: Tulhas

      Food:
      Octopus
      Iberico Grilled Pork
      Tomato Salad

      Spots:
      Sintra
      Palace e Parque de Peña
      Vila Sassetti
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Sintra (São Pedro de Penaferrim), Sintra (Sao Pedro de Penaferrim)

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