The Palaces (and Hordes) of Sintra

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Bom Dia,

I left Evora in the early morning, which was really pleasant because it was not too warm yet, and i was able to get a beutiful view of the stars as there is very little light pollution on the Alentejo.

I arrived in Lisbon during rush hour, which was not ideal, but after watching three metro trains pass by full, I managed to squeeze into one and get to my hostel. After meeting Joao and Jorge, two of the incredibly friendly and helpful staff, I dropped off my stuff and then ran off to the beautiful Rossio train station as I was racing off to Sintra to meet up with Daniella and Sandro, two friends I had made in Porto. After the 45 minute train ride west towards the coast, I hopped in a cab because I was trying to catch up with my friends, who I assumed were only 45 minutes or so in front of me.

I arrived at the Quinta de la Regaliera about an hour before I had to meet Daniella and Sandro so I had some time to wander around the gardens and the palace. I am pretty sure I was the only one in the palace as I wandered around the ornate building. It had beautiful flooring, sweeping staircases, and incredible architectural details throughout, and it was quite. Dead quiet. It's surreal to be the only tourist in a tourist attraction, and yet know that people used to live there 100 years before. I think the reason that no one was in the Palacio was because everyone was wandering around the extravagant gardens. The terraced gardens abound with beautiful foliage with hidden statues and grottoes at every turn.There was even a waterfall into a cave! I later learned that the gardens were designed to be a series of allegories based on Dante's Seven Circles of Hell. I guess more effort went into landscaping 100 years ago than it does now! After rushing around everything, I just had enough time to race back to the entrance to meet my friends. I arrived a couple of minutes early, making the assumption that since they're Swiss and German respectively, they would be on-time, if not early. However, this was not the case and after waiting for 20 minutes, I came to the conclusion that I might have been in the wrong place so I rushed over to the Palacio Nacional, our original meeting point. I use the term "rushed" loosely, as it's not possible to rush anywhere in Sintra. The hordes of bus tourists are so thick that getting around is like swimming through molasses when you have no arms. And no legs. And you can't bend your torso to generate enough force to move. The whole thing was an exercise in frustration and made me very worried to think what the crowds would have been like in the summer!

I arrived on the steps of the Palacio Nacional and waited for my friends because the time and location had been the original ones discussed. After sitting in the sun for 20 minutes, I realized they were not coming so I decided to go and see other things in Sintra.

I had missed much of the hiking season back home because of an injury, so I was taking every opportunity I could to hike. Fortunately, there was a very steep hill up to the Castelo dos Mouros, the 9th century Moorish Castle that loomed over Sintra. The guidebook said it would be a 50 minute strenuous hike to the summit. I read this as "a fun challenge" so I headed on up. It was more like a 20 minute steep walk than a 50 minute strenuous challenge, but I was still sweating by the top of it. I blamed the heat! My reward was to enter the castle, which was more just ramparts with some cool foundations that showed the historical inhabitants of the castles and the buildings they have used over the past 1200 years. The views from the top were sweeping, and the wind whipping around made it very atmospheric.



After circumnavigating the walls, because what else does one do in a castle, I headed over on the short walk to Palacio de la Peña. The terms "excessive" and "over-the-top" are insufficient at describing how ornate the Palacio is. It looks like three architects designed it separately and then just threw it together. The detailing is incredible, both on the facade and in the rooms, but it feels like a modern construct and is far too ornate for my tastes. That being said, the Palacio was quite something to behold! I wandered through the grounds and went a bit off trail to get some panorama shots of the building before heading back down the mountain to the train station in order to head back to Lisbon, where once again I would try to meet up with my friends from earlier on in the trip.





Things I learned in Sintra:

- Nothing angers obnoxious French bus tourists more than, after calling you an "Ignorant American" for asking them to move, responding in French "that they are blocking everyone in the street's path."

- I cannot say "Quinta de la Regaliera" properly. I am ok with the first three words, but I just can't handle the fourth.

- For all their punctuality, apparently Swiss people can visit a country for two weeks and still not realize their watch is not set to the correct time zone.

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