The coastal views lured me out of bed for an early morning run uphill retracing our cycle to just past Faro de Guia; with a blissful downhill return – until I got lost! So it was straight to breakfast on the old villa patio.
We escaped the building heat driving to ancient, historic, palace laden mountain town of Sintra, where the Portuguese royalty summer. After much debate, we parked in the modern lower quarter. Dodging rain we walked to the old palace, Palácio Nacional de Sintra, passing art installations as the road courted the valleys and hills. Downloading an app, we listened and read (my small ears rejected the air pods!) about the ornate palace, even seeing the bedroom the last queen Maria Amelia occupied before the monarchy was abolished in October 1910. Her younger son became king Manual II after the assassination of his father king Carlos and older brother prince Luis Filipe in February 1908. Much cooler than Lisboa, the royal family spent much of their time at their various palaces in Sintra.
Up narrow cobbled side streets we snacked on amazing mini quiches in a tiny quaint café, before walking to view the Quinta da Regaleira. Timed tickets for National Palace of Pena meant we succumbed to an animated tuktuk marketing pitch! Taking a hair-raising, entertaining, informative ride around the hillside hugging the long one-way system to the entrance, complete with stop at a bakery for the famous delicious pastel de Sintra.
Pena palace, a romanticist castle with colourful terraces and decorative battlements did not disappoint; a stunning unique blend of architectural styles, fashioned by the king Ferdinand II from an old earthquake damaged monastery on the mountain peak, inspired by Neuschwanstein. After viewing the castle we walked to the lookout at the top of the mountain, sadly mature trees now block the view. So we wandered through the park gardens passing exotic trees, follies and lakes to the exit. I wanted to see the Moorish Castle so we carried on down the hill, then walked up to the entrance, before descending through the Castle grounds, cobbled streets and back to the car. A bit further than expected with a few wrong turns meant I wasn’t popular!
Back in the car we headed to see the view from Cabo da Roca the most westerly part of mainland Europe, before heading to a famous sea food restaurant at Guincho. An amazing sunset was the best accompaniment to one of the best fish dishes/amazing local cheese!
Photos - just my snaps!
Sintra
Wanderings round Sintra
Caba da Roca
Early Morning run Cascais
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