One last day trip this weekend was to Sintra, emblematic of a fairy-tale, with a massive castle on a hill and everything! If you haven’t been, it is well worth the trek, but fair warning, it will cost you! A cheap day-out in the country, this isn’t. The bus ticket alone (roundtrip from Cascais and includes the local Sintra bus to the major sites) is 15 euros, while the combination ticket for the 2 castles will set you back 21 euros. And we haven’t even gotten to lunch and a snack!
While there are actually multiple castle-like structure in Sintra, only 2 are called out as such: Castelo dos Mouros and Palace of Pena. The former was built by the Berbers (Moors from North Africa) in the 9th century, but was left to ruins in the 1100s during the conquest. It was essentially a watchtower, with sweeping views of the palace, town, surrounding forest and the coast, if you could see it; my timing stinks, as it wasn’t the clearest day.
The second is a fantastical structure, with vibrant hues, hedonistic sculptures and mosaic tiles everywhere, in every color. It’s someplace you would expect to find Shrek! The construction of the palace began during the middle ages, but wasn’t completed until the 19th century. Historians consider it an outstanding exemplification of the Romantic style. I just thought it was a bit mad!
All in all, a good day out, despite the hordes of tourists. Here’s a few from the town centre:
Susan S. Singh Art 
Leave a comment