5 December ’05, Monday.
If your king thought Sintra, (in Portugal) was his favorite summer retreat, then most likely (if you were a “noble”) you would feel the same way. Back in the 15th century, King John I (João), did just that and just about every king and nobleman from that time on, followed suit and built their summer palace in Sintra to be close to the King and his court. Today we had a chance to wonder through the village of Sintra, have an expensive lunch (at least for our budget), and hike and ride the hillsides to see some of the wonderful palaces of the past and present. Like most of the small villages we have been to, the streets are very narrow and the cars that do drive through them are driven by “crazy people” that are out to kill as many tourists as they can. Fortunately, most of us are quick enough to dodge out of the way at the last moment and try to live for the next village. Getting back to our lunch, we ate at a place that silver napkin holders, two dishes that you didn’t eat on, 4 glasses (3 of which we didn’t drink from), and enough silverware that we could have had our whole family with us and still had a fork or two left over. It wasn’t that we couldn’t have found another restaurant; it was that this was the only one that had anyone eating in it at the time. I started out with fish soup and then went to the main course of filet of fish. They were both really good. Louise had chicken breast stuffed with a spinach purée…it was to die for. Ok, so we eat well too… We do splurge once in awhile, but then for some reason, we get “buyers remorse” later. Go figure… Now that we have our tummies filled, we head out to get work it off. The Palácio Nacional de Sintra is written in some books as the palace of “Madonna’s Bra”, because of the unusual “chimneys” that come from the center of the building. Before this was the “Nacional” palace, it was one built by King John I (João). Then scattered throughout the hills above the town, you can see at least 10-12 more. All very individual in design, but with one thing in common…they are “grand”. The higher up the hill, the “grand-er” they get. Now we are hill walkers, but hiking these hills…we caught a bus. Let me tell you, they know that most of us want to see the other “palaces” and, they are high on the hills, and the hills are get to the top (which I now know would have taken us over an hour by foot), and then, 2 minutes to get back down. On our ride up, the driver kept his foot to the gas pedal at the floor and as we approached the hairpin corners, he would hit his horn and twist the steering wheel right and then left without a flinch…that is from him, for us, the people behind him, we flinched, held on, and at times closed our eyes. Those people that had decided to walk to the top, not only had a tough climb ahead of them, they also had to watch out for our bus. The ride down was even more exhilarating, and I would definitely walk down the next time !!! There was one couple that we came upon on the way down that ducked into a crevasse that just happened to be in a solid rock wall…I know it saved their lives. The bus mirrors were located on front of the bus, because if they had been on the side they would either be worn by the pedestrians, or have been torn off by the rocks, cars, or tree limbs we passed. Once was enough. At the top, we had two castles to see. The first one that we chose was built by the Moors in the 8th century. Built around huge rocks, it sits at the very top of the mountain, with a high wall that completely circled the top. The view from there was “forever”, and gave them the opportunity to see the “invaders” from a long distance off and thus give them time to prepare. The guard at the gate gave Louise and me a brief description of what this fortress/castle was like and then we wondered around, through, and over the total grounds. Climbing and walking along the old walls is always kind of exciting. You can let you imagination run a little (just so you watch where your next step is going…it can be quite a drop). Across to the next peak, was Palácio da Pena. This castle that was built in 1869 by King Consort (Dom Fernando II). Now this is by for the most “original” castle I have or will ever see. I really liked this one a lot. Unfortunately, we got there on a Monday…it is closed on a MONDAY. All was not lost because we were able to see the exterior, and what an exterior it was… Ferdinand was a cousin of Bavaria’s “Mad” King Ludwig (remember our trip to his castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria…, and that castle was the one that Disney took as his castle designs for Disneyland…). Well, Ferdinand liked what he saw, but also added his own flair. I think Disney missed the better of the two castles to design from. Just my opinion… OK, tomorrow…heading south…The Algarve
If your king thought Sintra, (in Portugal) was his favorite summer retreat, then most likely (if you were a “noble”) you would feel the same way. Back in the 15th century, King John I (João), did just that and just about every king and nobleman from that time on, followed suit and built their summer palace in Sintra to be close to the King and his court. Today we had a chance to wonder through the village of Sintra, have an expensive lunch (at least for our budget), and hike and ride the hillsides to see some of the wonderful palaces of the past and present. Like most of the small villages we have been to, the streets are very narrow and the cars that do drive through them are driven by “crazy people” that are out to kill as many tourists as they can. Fortunately, most of us are quick enough to dodge out of the way at the last moment and try to live for the next village. Getting back to our lunch, we ate at a place that silver napkin holders, two dishes that you didn’t eat on, 4 glasses (3 of which we didn’t drink from), and enough silverware that we could have had our whole family with us and still had a fork or two left over. It wasn’t that we couldn’t have found another restaurant; it was that this was the only one that had anyone eating in it at the time. I started out with fish soup and then went to the main course of filet of fish. They were both really good. Louise had chicken breast stuffed with a spinach purée…it was to die for. Ok, so we eat well too… We do splurge once in awhile, but then for some reason, we get “buyers remorse” later. Go figure… Now that we have our tummies filled, we head out to get work it off. The Palácio Nacional de Sintra is written in some books as the palace of “Madonna’s Bra”, because of the unusual “chimneys” that come from the center of the building. Before this was the “Nacional” palace, it was one built by King John I (João). Then scattered throughout the hills above the town, you can see at least 10-12 more. All very individual in design, but with one thing in common…they are “grand”. The higher up the hill, the “grand-er” they get. Now we are hill walkers, but hiking these hills…we caught a bus. Let me tell you, they know that most of us want to see the other “palaces” and, they are high on the hills, and the hills are get to the top (which I now know would have taken us over an hour by foot), and then, 2 minutes to get back down. On our ride up, the driver kept his foot to the gas pedal at the floor and as we approached the hairpin corners, he would hit his horn and twist the steering wheel right and then left without a flinch…that is from him, for us, the people behind him, we flinched, held on, and at times closed our eyes. Those people that had decided to walk to the top, not only had a tough climb ahead of them, they also had to watch out for our bus. The ride down was even more exhilarating, and I would definitely walk down the next time !!! There was one couple that we came upon on the way down that ducked into a crevasse that just happened to be in a solid rock wall…I know it saved their lives. The bus mirrors were located on front of the bus, because if they had been on the side they would either be worn by the pedestrians, or have been torn off by the rocks, cars, or tree limbs we passed. Once was enough. At the top, we had two castles to see. The first one that we chose was built by the Moors in the 8th century. Built around huge rocks, it sits at the very top of the mountain, with a high wall that completely circled the top. The view from there was “forever”, and gave them the opportunity to see the “invaders” from a long distance off and thus give them time to prepare. The guard at the gate gave Louise and me a brief description of what this fortress/castle was like and then we wondered around, through, and over the total grounds. Climbing and walking along the old walls is always kind of exciting. You can let you imagination run a little (just so you watch where your next step is going…it can be quite a drop). Across to the next peak, was Palácio da Pena. This castle that was built in 1869 by King Consort (Dom Fernando II). Now this is by for the most “original” castle I have or will ever see. I really liked this one a lot. Unfortunately, we got there on a Monday…it is closed on a MONDAY. All was not lost because we were able to see the exterior, and what an exterior it was… Ferdinand was a cousin of Bavaria’s “Mad” King Ludwig (remember our trip to his castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria…, and that castle was the one that Disney took as his castle designs for Disneyland…). Well, Ferdinand liked what he saw, but also added his own flair. I think Disney missed the better of the two castles to design from. Just my opinion… OK, tomorrow…heading south…The Algarve