Images of Lisbon--Part Four: Sintra

Getting 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.

Next Entry... Leaving Lisbon

Previous Entry... Oriente and Expo

Copyright (c) 1998-2000, Seth J. Bookey, New York, NY 10021, sethbook@panix.com