Post by Bob
Wednesday, Mary had booked a tour of Sintra through Greenwalk’s, as recommended by travel friends. So, we made the 40-minute trip via Uber to Sintra.
Our guide, John, who was from Sintra, was quite knowledgeable in all the details about the city and its history. Our walk began through the small town of Sintra, passing the oldest hotel in Europe. Sintra had several recently created Moorish styled monuments, as a testimony to the Moors who occupied this area before being run out by the Portuguese.
Located on a mountain, Sintra has a very pleasant climate, and beautiful views. In the 1800s, the royal family built a very large summer resort called the National Palace with an unmistakable pair of cone shaped chimneys.
A Portuguese billionaire built a magnificent residence, Quinta da Regaleira. John, our guide, walked us through the gardens, the primary residence, and number of unique features built into the garden. A spectacular experience was walking down a well that went nine stories deep with stairs spiraling around it’s wall used by Masons as a ceremonial site.
We were then driven to the backside of the Pena Castle, built in the 1800s. It began initially as a monastery before an expansion by Portuguese nobility.
The park surrounding the Pena Castle had stunning views of foliage and trees from around the world. The park was a rainforest on top of a mountain in the middle of a dry Portugal.
Exiting the garden we ascended to the castle, that included a walk along the outer castle wall, with magnificent views as far to Lisbon and the Atlantic Ocean.
We returned to the hotel in time to change and go to a Fada restaurant that was a real delight. The restaurant was in a quiet quarter of Lisbon, it’s walls and ceiling must have dated back hundreds of years the original construction. There were four performances throughout the dinner service, each with either a solo or group of Fado vocalists. The music and performances were exceptional!
