Visiting Lisbon - Day 3
I didn’t plan to go to Sintra until the night before. With
more than a half day free at hand before my meeting starts, I decided to search
up another place. And I was glad I did. After reading some reviews and pictures
online, I felt Sintra is a place I must go. So I was up early in the morning
and took another train to Sintra.
There are many places to go once I arrived at Sintra. I
followed the signs and went uphill. The Sintra National Palace was in view
right away because of its distinct snow-white twin peaks. But up on top of the
mountain, among the greens and behind a veil of morning fog, there stood the Moorish Castle. A few more turns along the uphill road, I spotted a rather hidden small gate on the left side of the road. That was the head of the hiking trail. Jocelyn, a girl from Canada travelling alone, happened to be at the gate at the same time. So we headed up together chatting a bit. She had explored quite some places all over the world by herself!
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| Sintra National Palace |
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| Sintra National Palace |
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| Moorish Castle |
The trail was steep at places, but it was in shade and the air was crisp with cool morning breeze. We arrived at the Moorish Castle ahead of major tourist groups. The castle spread its walls along the hill top. From above high it looked like a miniature great wall. We spent a good hour of time exploring the castle, looking up to view the Pena Palace and looking down to see the green hill extends all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
After that, Jocelyn went up the hill to Pena Palace while I headed down hill to Quinta da Regaleira, a magic and exquisite estate. The trail has become sunny and noisy with lines of school kids heading up for picnic. I took my time and enjoyed the wild flowers blooming in the sun.
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| Pena Palace |
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| Moorish Castle |
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| Moorish Castle |
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| The Unfinished Well |
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The Initiation Well
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| Regaleira Palace |
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| Regaleira Palace |
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| Inside Regaleira Palace |
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| Inside Regaleira Palace |
Quinta da Regaleira consists a romantic palace and chapel,
and a luxurious park that features lakes, wells, fountains, and sculptures.
Looking at the map I didn’t understand why the layout states 1st
floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor, etc for the park. Walking
into it I realized all the places are interconnected not only by the main
trail, but also by many hidden stairways, “trenches” on the hill, and
underground tunnels. The fun part is going behind the curtain of waterfall and
through the pitch dark tunnel reaching the wells, and then climbing up the wells.
The park is filled with lush green and decorated with various sculptures and
constructions. The Regaleira Palace is as royal as it can be, rich color and
delicate carving everywhere.
My camera cannot fully capture what I saw and felt. But
check out this website to experience the magic yourself.
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