Sintra... a fairytale Medieval Town.

Sintra - Playground of the Royals.

Sintra is a fairytale medieval town just about an hour out of Lisbon. It is actually a part of greater Lisbon and it was once the playground of the royals. Here the wealthy aristocracy built beautiful palaces and mansions where they would move with their families in the summer. It was cooler here than the sweltering heat of Lisbon and offered beautiful mountains and huge forested hunting areas.

Today we set out with our guide, Andre, to discover this magical land where castles sit perched high on hilltops surrounding a charming medieval town with winding and hilly cobblestone streets, a mandatory palace and, of course, churches. There are actually 27 palaces in the surrounding area. Seven of them have been taken over by the government are now open to the public. Many of them were basically abandoned or sold at auction for a few Euros centuries ago. The restoration, maintenance and upkeep of these structures is a huge commitment for the government and is funded, in part at least, by the hordes of tourists who pay to visit them.

Even as we near Sintra we spot the iconic Pena Palace perched high on Sintra Hill, like the castle in a child’s fairytale book or the cover of a travel magazine. It is no ordinary palace. It is massive with towers and parapets. What makes Pena Palace so unique though is the color. The vibrant red and yellow of the palace, a striking contrast to the cobalt blue sky and the lush green of the surrounding woods. It is really two parts.

The red part is the Monastery, built in the early 16^th century to commemorate the return of Vasco de Gama when he returned from discovering the passage way to India for Portugal. The second part, the yellow part, was built in the 18^th century by King Ferdinand II and Queen Maria. When Maria died he married the Contessa of Edla, an opera singer, who became Queen Amelia.

It is quite a little hike up to the Palace from the main gates. But, not to worry if the climb is too taxing you can take advantage of the shuttle bus (3 Euros) which will deliver you to the gates.

You have the option of viewing the palace and the grounds from the exterior only or you can purchase an additional ticket to tour the interior of the palace as well. (10 Euros) With this option you can roam from room to royal room. But even better, you can access the many courtyards. Here striking vistas delight as you step through arched doorways. Across the hilltops you will see the ancient walls of the Moorish fort as they snake along the hilltops.

And, from all the various courtyards and towers you are treated with unique views and angles of the beautiful castle, the red tower with its jagged turret, the brilliant yellow parapets topped with an Islamic-influenced dome. The palace was built in the Romanticism style, focussing many intricate details and incorporating a mixture of styles to create an interesting and stunning structure.

When you have had you fill, make your way back down toward the town. You will see more palaces dotting the hillsides, like Monserrate Palace or the Challet Biester where Johnny Depp filmed The Ninth Gate. 

Just outside of the town was our second stop… The Quinta da Regaleira Estate. It is not a palace, per se, but the luxury estate of a wealthy baroness who had a palace or mansion built for herself. Later this property was purchased by a wealthy merchant who had many interests and ideologies, including the Masonic Lodge. He purchased the property and commissioned a well-known architect to re-create the property with unusual features that could be used for Masonic rituals.

We start our tour at the gates and make our way up a winding pathway to “The Waterfall”. This is not a waterfall as we would expect (especially when we are used to waterfalls that gush out of the mountains at home), but a sort of still, green pond with a small bridge. Above water trickles over a rocky ledge, dripping into the pond. On either side dark caves are visible. These are entries into a maze of underground tunnels. Following the tunnels (or you can take the above-ground pathways but that would be too boring)  will take you to several grottos, a tower, an unfinished well, and the “Orientation Well”.

This well is really the main attraction, an inverted tower reaching 27 metres down into the earth. It is not a well for the purpose of water, but a secret chamber used for masonic orientations! There is a deep dark central cavern. Surrounding it is a curved stairway that encircles the well as it descends. The stairway is one way – down- and from there you enter the pitch-black maze (thank heavens for the flashlight on my phone).

Once back above ground we make our way to The Chapel, also a masonic undertaking. Although there was some relationship between the masons and the church, it is generally not obvious. However, here the Masonic Eye is sculpted into the ceiling of the entry into the chapel.

The chapel is small but beautifully decorated with mosaics and stained glassed panels and intricately carved steeples.

The final stop is the palace itself, which is older and part of the original estate of the Baroness.

But the interest and the intrigue here is the masonic elements and the curiosity it arises as you image the purpose and use of each of these unusual features.

It is scorching hot and we eagerly make our way into town, seeking shade, an ice cold drink and lunch.

Andre instructs us to make sure we visit the Casa Piriquita for a “pillow pastry”, a melt-in-your-mouth Portuguese pastry and to the Cantinho for a shot of Ginja in a chocolate cup. Now, we have sampled this local liquer and enjoyed it, but nothing beats this. The young lady in the little shop has us select white chocolate or dark (dark please!). Then she has us hold our tiny chocolate vessel under the tap of the urn of Ginja and fills the cup… bottoms up, then eat the cup.  The combination of the sweet cherry flavored liquor and the chocolate is sinfully delicious.

We wander the steep and narrow cobblestone passages, poking into little shops laden with Portuguese handicrafts and souvenirs.

Then over the main square for a peak at the National Palace there.

 

We pile into our air-conditioned van and Andre hands us a welcome bottle of cold water as we head to our next stop. We wind along the Atlantic coastline, rugged cliffs with crashing waves below. It is unseasonably hot – hovering around 30 degrees – and locals and tourists alike are taking advantage of the weather.

 

As we wind up higher, we stop at Cabo do Roca (Cape of Roca). Here, on the rocky cliff sits a towering cross. This is the western-most point of mainland Europe. And, Andre tells us, if you drew a straight line from here across the Atlantic you would arrive at New Jersey, the exact same latitude.

Here, the rugged Atlantic surf crashed against the towering cliffs, the water a brilliant azur. It is dizzying drop down to the sea and we hug the narrow pathways above, feeling the cool Atlantic breezes in our hair.

One final stop as we wind into the resort town of Cascais. Beautiful snow white hotels line a wide meandering square along the harbour. Fishing boats bob in the water, sunbathers lounge on the sandy shore and the more energetic play volleyball on the beach.

We are treated to the infamous Santinis’s ice cream (coconut of course) and head back to Lisbon.

Portuguese for a Day is a small local tour company run by musician Andre Marinho and his lovely wife Filipa. Both native Portuguese, they spend their days sharing their beloved country and its history with visitors in small intimate groups. This is no cookie cutter tourist attraction with lumbering buses and audiophones. Andre and Filipa are the local family member who takes you around and shares their stories. They provide you with options of what you would prefer to see and sufficient time to wander about and explore or take photos as well.

And at night, Andre becomes the musician again, a professional bass player and session musician who has played with the likes of Elton John, Norah Jones and One Republic.

If you (or anyone you know) are planning a trip to Lisbon, get in touch with them. You will have a fabulous time.        mailto:info@portugueseforadaytours.com


As we wind down our three week visit to Spain and Portugal, stay tuned for one more recap of our time in Lisbon.... Come With Me.