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Up early as today we are off to the town of Sintra. Sintra is a picturesque Portuguese town that is set amidst the pine-covered hills of the Serra de Sintra. This hilly and slightly cooler climate enticed the nobility and elite of Portugal, who constructed exquisite palaces, extravagant residences and decorative gardens. We boarded a train for the 45 minute journey. Once in Sintra town we caught a bus to our first destination, Quinta da Regaleira palace, which is a decorative stately home but for us the main attraction was the elaborate grounds. The gardens are filled with mystic symbolism and hidden features which include secret tunnels, Gothic towers and stone fortified walls. Our first objective was to get to the Initiation Well before it got to busy with other tourists. The well is 27 metres deep and resembles an inverted tower and depending on the direction you choose, either a journey down into the depths of the earth, or a climb out of the darkness into the light. We succeeded in being amongst the first to arrive, and had a great time taking photos and exploring the well and all the adjacent underground tunnels.
After exploring Quinta Regaleira we
had lunch in Sintra before catching another bus to Pena Palace.The colourful Pena Palace is thought to be the standout attraction of Sintra and is an example of the Romanticism style of architecture. The exterior of the palace is painted and tiled with vivid colours, while statues of mythological creatures adorn the walls. The interior of the palace was restored to how it was left in 1910 when the nobility of Portugal fled the country due to the revolution. We were not fans of this palace as it was a bit too "Disneyland" for us.
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