A Daytrip to Sintra
I escape from the capital of Portugal
Images of
Lisbon--Part Four:
SintraGetting
to Sintra from Lisboa is a very easy 45-minute trainride away. There is an
all-day bus service that will take you to the three major sites in Sintra: The
Castelo Mouro, the Pena Palace, and the Palacio Nacional. To walk up to the Pena
Palace would take more than an
hour.The
Castelo Mouro is mostly remnant walls and towers from the ninth century. The
Moors ruled Portugal as they had ruled Spain. They were routed from Portugal by
Christians earlier than the Spanish reconquest; Portugal is one of Europe's
older states, in terms of borders. When the Kingdom of Portugal was created,
England and Scotland were still separate countries, and France did not have the
borders it has now--Brittany was still
independent.The
Pena Palace is at the top of the hill, up from the Castelo Mouro, where stray
cats reign supreme. The Pena is a mish-mash of architectural styles that
creates a ginger-bread fairytale effect. King Ferdinand, a German-born man, and
brother of Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's husband) built the The palace is
less than 150 years old; it was used as a royal residence until 1910, when the
last King of Portugal, Manuel II, fled the country, forever. The royal rooms
are recreated as they were when the royal family still lived there. Tourists are
allow to walk around the ramparts and turrets. The guards, unlike other
countries, are taciturn and are not able to answer questions about the palace
or its objects or artwork.The view from
the Pena Palace is fantastic, and the misty fogs that rolled in only enhanced
its fairytale quality. At the bottom of
the hill is the Palacio Nacional. It is somewhat plain from the outside, with
the exception of its twin conical chimneys, those two "champagne bottles" you
see on the right side of the photo. They are the "ceiling" to the royal
kitchens. If it rains hard, it will rain into the palace. Unfortunately, you
cannot take photos there, and the postcard selection is slim in terms of the
interiots. The most famous room is the one with magpies painted on the ceiling,
with the words "por bem" written on ribbons in their mouths. The story is that
the king was found cheating on his wife, and he replied it was "por bem," for
the good of the state. The Magpie, I think, was the symbol of the royal family.
There is a beautiful running fountain in an internal atrium in the
palace.Sintra
was one of the best parts of the trip, and shouldn't be missed. Leave early in
the day and you have time to go someplace else as well.
Posted: Thu - December
14, 2000 at 01:09 AM
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Published On: Jun 20, 2009 07:04 PM
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