And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Tag: #sintra

Pure magic- Part 2

June 7th, 2025

We wake and have a good nourishing breakfast before heading out to the UNESCO World Heritage Pena Palace that apparently inspired Disney’s fairy-tale castles… and is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. We have tickets for this one so as not to wait in long queues as this is what the majority of people come to Sintra to see. There are huge crowds everywhere bustling for position to try to get the perfect picture… or two… or hundred 🙄.

The Palace is of course located high on a hill and stands out for its bold colours and whimsical shapes… an eclectic blend of Neo-Gothic, Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Islamic styles and from its location provides a wonderful lookout point.

The colourful eclectic terraces are a highlight of Sintra- all the dreamy pictures I had seen while researching this place, came to life right there on the terraces of Pena Palace.

The terraces uniqueness is due to the colourful and unusual palette mix of yellow, red, blue and white.

There were pretty yellow arches…

…exquisite onion domes and a plethora of interesting sculptures…

… a very crowded chapel with stunning details…

… plus gorgeous views of the valley and the Moorish castle. And did I mention crowds?

It was cold and windy being so high and so we continued on down and walked some of the stunning and huge palace grounds and then up again to Cruz Alta… from where Google had said you get a good view of the palace. Wrong! There are only glimpses through the trees…

…but there was a lovely view and a large cross marking the hill.

There is always more to see but limited time and limited leg power… yes I was really feeling it today after our big day yesterday. So instead of exploring the gardens further, we moved onto our final destination… the Castle of the Moors… and inevitably it is VERY high on a hill. Built in the 10th century by the Moors, this castle was once a strategic viewing point. We hiked up through stunning huge boulders and greenery

… to the fort walls and the views were just amazing.

I found a second wind to climb right to the top… which was at this stage, very difficult but worth the effort. Wow!

Stunning views of the valley, rolling hills and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. And Pena Palace.

And then the climb down… kind of scary and very hard on the knees with so many stairs.

We make it back to the entrance and try to get a Bolt home but it seems impossible so we decide to walk down. I know I joke about everything being uphill both ways but for anyone with bad knees you will know that the downhill is actually much harder than the up… and the walk down is much more full on than we realised. I really struggle although we do walk through a stunning garden full of climbing roses and other blooms… and gorgeous views.

When we do finally reach Sintra town, Anne continues on to our B&B to pick up some medication and I find a find a lovely family run restaurant for a nice long lunch. We had passed and commented on this place yesterday and I realise that it is also on my list of recommendations- Tascantiga. I sit with a wonderful glass of wine and peruse the traditional tapas menu while I wait for Anne to return. We are hoping for a long late lunch as there is nothing else planned for this town… so I am disappointed when the owner tells me they close at 4… which is in about 40 minutes… and Anne isn’t back yet. When she does arrive we enjoy an excellent authentic meal of Portuguese tapas with a creative take and wine. Exactly what we needed… if a little rushed.

Sintra- a place full of history, beauty, mystery and pure magic. And of course any magical place has the danger of over tourism… which sadly really is an issue here with traffic jams everywhere and wall to wall people at any of the main tourist locations, which can be uncomfortable, frustrating and overwhelming. Despite this, it really is magical in many ways… a fairytale land perhaps more than anywhere I have been… nothing quite seems real and it’s definitely worth the negatives that inevitably come with visiting tourist destinations like this one.

And so we move on…
Pure magic- Part 1

June 7th, 2025

One of my goals when I left home was to write my blogs with fewer words as they take so much of my time. Well that’s been an ultimate fail! And I have a feeling this might be a long one- so… apologies in advance. 😂🤷🏼‍♀️

How many times can I say wow! Beautiful. Amazing. Spectacular. Stunning. Picturesque. Breathtaking. There’s not enough superlatives for this place. Sintra.

Less than an hour by train from the Lisbon, Sintra feels like another world… a magical fairytale world rich in history, filled with imposing, colourful castles, misty forests, charming cobblestone streets, centuries old monasteries and strange, historical mansions with exotic hidden gardens… all framed by mountains, where steep cliffs drop down to the Atlantic Ocean. Sintra truly is one of the most stunning places I’ve ever laid eyes on. A real-life fairytale.

We took a Bolt from Lisbon and arrived early enough for a full day of exploration. Dropped off our luggage at our beautiful rustic 19th century manor house B&B…

… and headed straight off as we had a big day planned. We walked to our first stop Quinta de Regalia and the first thing we notice is, just like Lisbon, everything is uphill. Both ways.

We go straight to the ticket office only to be informed that there are no tickets left for the next few hours so we purchase tickets for late in the afternoon and change our plan. You have to be flexible. We head to Palacio De Monserrate- an elegant and exceedingly stunning palace with a unique and whimsical mix of Gothic, Indian, and Moorish architecture, surrounded by exotic botanical gardens and set in lush, forested hills. It really did defy the imagination. OMG we loved this place and spent way longer here than we expected… wandering the serene lush garden where species from all over the world grow…

…filled with birdsong and the sound of water. I felt like they were playing one of those relaxation rainforest soundtracks except it was real.

There is a water lily filled pond…

… several springs and waterfalls…

… fountains and grottoes, and the most delightful chapel ruin that seriously felt like it was a fairy’s playground. It reminded me of a small version of Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia with the overgrown vines and tree roots taking hold of the foundations. I couldn’t believe how enchanting it was.

We were reluctant to leave the garden but did eventually make it to the palace … and were completely in awe. It’s hard to imagine that people actually owned this amazing place but it was the traditional summer resort of the Portuguese court… built from the ruins of a former palace.

The details were so extraordinary I have no words to explain… rose marble columns…

and patterned plaster… on all the walls.

Wandering around the many rooms, we ooo’d and aaah’d at the gorgeous intricate decorations adorned with gold…

… carved archways…

…marble relief and the most stunning ornate decorative ivory ‘lace’ arches.

The ceilings we all ornate and absolutely stunning.

Seriously there are no words. My kind of heaven…

… all combined with gorgeous panoramic views overlooking the Lawn and wider estate..

And just to make it even better I discovered an interesting fact- Monserrate Palace is completely self-sufficient and uses 100% renewable energy produced through wind power, hydropower, and solar power. I love it when heavily touristed places are doing their part to mitigate the footprint of all of those travelers!

But what really astonished me is that this place is frequently overlooked by visitors to Sintra in favor of some of the more renowned (but not nearly as captivating) attractions. Ironically, it’s one of the least visited palaces in Sintra!

As we dragged ourselves away, our plan was now to take a path through the beautiful forest between Monserrate and the Capuchos convent… a humble 16th century monastery nestled in the forest offering a serene contrast to Sintra’s grand palaces. I was looking toward to this but found out that a big storm a few months ago had closed both the track and the convent. So we headed into the historical town centre of Sintra.

The historic center is small but nice, with lots of restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops…

… street musicians, horse-drawn carriages… and crowds… and the National Palace in the center of the main square.

We wandered the narrow cobbled streets. It is bustling with tourists with many of the shops selling tourist crap but still charming.

Even the street signs are beautiful hand painted tiles.

A quick trip back to our B&B and we were off again, walking uphill back to the mysterious Quinta de Regalia where we had attempted to visit first thing this morning. This is a historic home dating back to 19th century, built in a fusion of architectural styles…

… and as soon as we stepped into this place it felt like entering a secret world… filled with interesting sculptures, stunning towers everywhere looking like something out of Romeo and Juliette or maybe Rapunzel…

… fountains, benches…

… grottos…

…lakes…

… paths that lead to nowhere… twisting tunnels.

Hidden doors, moss-covered walls and of course the famous mysterious (super crowded) initiation well- where every step down feels like unravelling a mystery.

It was quickly dark and wet and is a little unnerving to realise that these wells were never used for storing water.

Was it for secret rituals connected to tarot mysticism, Templar myths and Freemasonry? A passage to another realm? No one really knows but the magic here is undeniable as the winding Gothic spiral led us deep below to underground galleries and a beautiful enigmatic garden. Sintra is full of beauty… but this place? Its pure mystery and wonder.

The gardens were spectacular… like walking into the Fern Gully movie!

The sun was shining through the canopy and there was beautiful greenery all around us. Flowers were blooming…

… lily pads, moss covering all the rocks, and the sound of running water everywhere. A gorgeous chapel…

… and, as always, stunning views.

I’ve been watching the many influencers around Lisbon and Sintra and think I’ve become pretty good at capturing Annie looking gorgeous. I think she needs to get onto social media- don’t you think? 😂

We walk back to Sintra town to a little bar with a panoramic view over the National palace and stunning villas all around, and have a wine before finding a traditional restaurant where we could sit inside out of the cold (yes the weather is very different from the conditions we arrived in Lisbon to) and then back to our B&B and a long hot bath for me. My body is really feeling every year of my age with 22,485 steps today… on cobbles… all uphill. Definitely in need of a good nights sleep.