Back to Sintra

A few weeks back, we took a trip to Sintra with a guide to get an overview of all the UNESCO World Heritage sites in this town. Yesterday, we went back with our guide to tour the wonderful Pena Palace. Perched high a top a mountain, Pena was the summer home built by King Ferdinand on the ruins of a monastery. He purchased the monastery in 1838, then expanded the footprint significantly, and most of the construction was completed in 1847. In the pictures, the red part is the old monastery and the yellow part is the newer part.

An interesting fact about Sintra is that it has a microclimate. Almost every day, there is a long cloud that sits on top of the mountains. It is referred to as Sintra's hat or helmet. We arrived around 10 a.m. and the palace was still in the cloud. From the parking area, when you looked up you would never even know the palace was there. It gave a very mystical vibe.

From the parking area (open only to guides with a tourism license), we took a bus up to almost the top of the mountain. I say almost, because the last climb up to the palace entrance just about kicked our butts. From there, we enjoyed a great tour of the interior with our guide filling us in on all the history, architecture, and symbolism.

Pena is the most visited site in Portugal. We were lucky that we got there early. We were not alone and the crowds built steadily when we were inside. As we were leaving, the cloud was starting to lift and the sun was coming out.

The following pictures show: just how hilly this place is, the queue for tickets as we were leaving, and our wonderful guide Andre. Anyone who comes to visit us will certainly meet Andre. He is wonderful.