Blogs from Sintra, Lisbon & Tagus Valley, Portugal, Europe - page 2

We are starting to wonder if the weather gods might just be planning against us when it comes to visiting the ‘big’ attractions as we awoke this morning to steady light rain and a rather grey, sullen sky. Time first then for some administration and once breakfast was over it was time to tackle the front loader washing machine in the hope that we choose a cycle that won’t take half the day to complete. Mila obviously had her spot inside the back door where the washing machine was when it was raining. The hot water boiler was also there and it was nice and warm as well as dry. The only problem she is a big dog and Gretchen needed to share the space in getting the washing into the machine. While Gretchen is not ... read more

Having caught the bus back to our starting point we joined the rather long queue for the bus to Monseratte Palace. The queue stretched along the block and past the train station. Rather than four bus stops the one had to cater for those doing the Pena Castle loop, the trip to the coast at Cabo Roca, the bus to Cascais and the one we were waiting for which was the bus for Monserraz. We checked the timetable and the arrival time came and went with no sign of our bus. Eventually it turned up and we were two of a handful going to our destination. On our way we passed the Reghleira Palace. built at the start of the 20th century and was the brainchild of its owner Monteirio and the Italian architect Manini. Full ... read more

This was an enjoyable day trip from Lisbon. It's very touristy but has some beautifully manicured gardens, nice walking, and good photo ops. It's low key and requires little energy. ... read more

I woke up this morning sweating, with an awful headache. I chugged down some water and took a nice, cold shower. It was super refreshing and helped. I got ready for the day, trying to be really quiet because some people were still sleeping. What I have found out it that when I try to be really quiet, I end up being super loud. After I finished waking up everyone in the room, I made my way to breakfast. It was my first real breakfast while I have been traveling because it was included with my room price. I decided to go to Sintra today, which is about 30 minutes away from Lisbon. So I got my things and headed towards the direction I thought the train station was in. After asking for help, I found ... read more

Sintra (Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a town in Sintra Municipality in Portugal, located in the Grande Lisboa subregion and the Lisbon Region. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its 19th century Romantic architecture. It has a population of c. 33,000 inhabitants. Sintra has become a major tourist attraction dow to the fabulous Pena Palace (19th c.) and the Castelo dos Mouros (8th or 9th century, reconstructed in the 19th century) with a breath-taking view of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, and the summer residence of the kings of Portugal Palácio Nacional de Sintra (largely 15th/16th century), in the town itself. The Sintra Mountain Range, one of the largest parks in the Lisbon area, (Serra de Sintra) is also a major tourist attraction. In 1809 Lord Byron wrote to his friend Francis Hodgson, ... read more