The Iberian Jet Set (Part 6): Sintra - To the Clouds and the Edge of Europe

- November 26, 2016, Saturday.

- On my last full day in Portugal, I decided to have a day trip to Sintra. I don't normally schedule day trips on my last day in any place, usually for logistical reasons. However, after I was assured that it would be easy to go to Sintra and back to Lisbon, and because I was able to free up one day for this "must see day trip destination," I no longer hesitated.

- Sintra is a municipality west of Lisbon in the Greater Lisbon area, and is reachable by the Sintra train in the Rossio Train Station. Tickets can be bought on the spot through the ticket machines in the station, or the actual ticket booth. For those with the reloadable Viva Viagem card, the Viva Viagem card can be used too; forunately I had one and it still had some euros left in it so I was able to use it. The cost of the ticket isn't that much because Sintra is quite to Lisbon close by train; a one-way train trip from Lisbon to Sintra takes just around 30 minutes.

- Most of Sintra's landmarks open at around 10am, but I intentionally took an earlier train. Not only was it for some allowance (in case I get lost or the train gets delayed, etc.) but because I also planned to visit a far-flung area of Sintra - Cabo da Roca. From the moorish Sintra Station at around 9am, I caught the Scotturb bus 403 to Cabo da Roca. The bus stop is just outside the station, and from the bus driver, I bought the one-day unlimited pass for the Scotturb buses. Using the Scotturb buses is the main mode of transportation around Sintra. (More about the bus system later.)

- Cabo da Roca is a good 35- to 45-minute bus ride from Sintra's center, and despite the early morning showers, it was sunny and glorious by the time I arrived at Cabo da Roca. The sky and the ocean almost became one because both were clear blue. OK, nice sky, nice ocean, but why go all the way to see an 18th-century lighthouse and the sky and the ocean? Cabo da Roca is a popular tourist destination because it is the edge of Europe, literally. This means that Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of continental Europe (the part of Europe connected to the Eurasian landmass;) one can see the Altantic Ocean from the edge of the cliff. The added novelty to this trip was that a few months ago I went to see the southernmost point of continental Eurasia in Singapore (click here to see my trip to the southernmost point.)

The Cabo da Roca marker. And yes, the wind was quite strong.

CAbo da Roca - Here, where the land ends and the sea begins. The westernmost point of the European Continent.

Yes, I took this photo. This is how perfect the scenery was.

"I've been staring at the water, 'long  as I can remember, never really knowing why" - Moana. (That's the Atlanic Ocean by the way.)

- As fort he lighthouse, it is privately owned, and visitors can only enter the lighthouse during rare occasions, or some time in the late afternoon. People usually go to Cabo da Roca in the late afternoon to see the sunset, but because the 403 bus terminates operation for the day quite early, going there late might not be a good option for tourists without private vehicles or coaches. Anyway, there is a good view of the vast Atlantic Ocean even during the morning.

- A brief stay (maybe 30 minutes to 45 minutes would do) to Cabo da Roca is sufficient to appreciate the whole view. There is also nothing else to do there apart from looking at the view. There is a small restaurant/snack bar and souvenir store though, but probably the most unique souvenir that can be bought at Cabo da Roca can be purchased at the tourist information center (not the souvenir store.) People who visit Cabo da Roca can buy a specialized, personalized (the staff will write your name,) and official certificate as proof of their visit of Cabo da Roca. Of course, I got mine.

- I rode the bus back to the train station, and changed to the 434 tourist bus. In Sintra, there are two hop-on-hop-off style tourist buses: 434 and 435. The 434 bus has this circular route: train station - city center/National Palace - Moorish Castle - Pena Castle - city center/National Palace - train station. The 435 bus on the other hand, has this circular route: train station - city center/National Palace - Quinta da Regaleira - Seteais Palace - Monserrate Palace - city center/National Palace - train station. These public tourist buses are blue in color; there are formal red hop-on-hop-off buses but the prices for these buses are way higher, and as most sources would say, no one is sure how different these red buses are from the blue public Scotturb buses.

- The routes mentioned are always like that. Meaning, if someone wanted to take the 434 bus to visit the Pena Castle and the Moorish Castle, the person would need to visit the Moorish Castle first before the Pena Castle, because the bus' route goes to the Moorish Castle first before the Pena Castle. Else, if someone wanted to insist on going to the Pena Castle first before the Moorish Castle, the person can take the bus to the Pena Castle, ride all the way back to the train station, and uphill again second round. However, the bus payment is per loop. This means that if given the last situation, a person would need to pay a second time once he reaches the train station, and ride uphill once more. This is why it is quite predictable where the crowd is at the moment. People usually begin they day with the National Palace, then the Moorish Castle in the late morning to noon, then the Pena Castle in the afternoon, and so on. This is so they will only need to pay for one loop/circle. In my case, I can alter my route because my ticket is a one-day unlimited pass, and so I can ride any of the Scotturb buses as many times as I'd like for the day. This is why I went directly to the Moorish Castle instead of stopping by the National Palace first, like what tourists would usually do. By altering my route, I was able to avoid large tourist crowds.

- Being on top of mountains, I noticed that Sintra was like a floating municipality, because the municipality was as high as the clouds. For example, I was on my way to the main entrance of the Moorish Castle from the bus stop, I noticed clouds fly past me. That's how high up Sintra is. Also, the slopes of Sintra are either tiled or cobblestoned as well, making it difficult to go up and down the slopes despite the bus service (the bus can only do so much.) It was a leveled-up Alfama district, if you ask me (click here to see Alfama.)

- The Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros) was a fortress in the 8th to 9th centuries during the Islamic era of the Iberian Peninsula, until its surrender during the Portuguese conquest of Lisbon in the 1100s. Today, the Moorish Castle still stands on top of a mountain overlooking the rest of Sintra. Also, there is nothing much to see in the Moorish Castle except the fortress itself, some watchtowers, a small archaeological site, and a small chapel turned into a small archaeological museum. I also like the fort because it had a clean restroom and a small snack place (where I had my light brunch.) It also started to rain during my visit to the castle, and that's when my nightmare of walking on cobblestoned and/or tiled roads started. (Of course, it 'd be difficult to walk on wet cobblestoned or tiled roads.)

One with the clouds. (I am also not sure what castle-like structure that is.)

Silhouette of the fortress.

Nope, no locked-up princess in this castle.

Can't believe it was able to stand this long after a millennium and counting!!

The Sintra National Palace.

Quinta da Regaleira.

Great Wall of China, is that you?

Things fairytales are made up of.

Old part of the castle in the archaeological site. 

- I caught the bus to go uphill to the gem of Sintra - the Pena Castle, also called the Pena Palace (Palacio da Pena.) The Pena Castle was the location of a Middle-Age chapel for Our Lady of Pena. The chapel, later a monastery, served as a pilgrimage site for the Portuguese royalty, until the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In the 1800s, King Ferdinand II turned the monastery ruins into the colorful castle that it is today, and serves as the summer residence of the royal family.

The colorful Pena Palace.

Palace gate.

From a child's coloring book.

I have no idea who or what this is.

Knights behind me.

Romantic architecture (romantic as in the style of architecture.)

Ferdinand II.

Dining room.

Courtyard from the cloisters.

Palace church.

Moorish Castyle from Pena Castle.

Fireplace.

Jade cabinet.

Would be nice to have a porcelain violin like this, but it would be very VERY hard to keep.

Europe had a fascination for Asia, and they got a lot of artworks like statues and paintings, and fabric from Asia.

A rather unique stained-glass window.

A large kitchen.

Weird smile because the rain and wind were getting into my eyes.

- After the Pena Palace, I rode the bus back to the Sintra National Palace (Palacio Nacional de Sintra) The National Palace is recognizable for its two giant conical chimneys from the palace kitchen. The Sintra National Palace has a long history. The earliest records of a second Moorish-era castle down the hill can be found in historical records (the other castyle being the earlier-visited Moorish Castle)  However, the current castle that stands in Sintra today ws built in the 1400s, and was in use continuously until the 1800s. Yes, parts of the palace were destroyed too during the 1755 earthquake, and most parts were restored later on.

Downtown sintra from the lower ground. (You can see the Moorish Castle on the hill.)

See the cloud/s?

Hall of Swans. (Look at the ceiling. 

See the conical chimneys?

Julius Caesar tapestry.

On the ceiling.

Blazons Hall. I'd love to have a room like this. (And yes, the walls were lined with porcelain tiles.)

They got this from their trip to China.

Palace church.

What.

Royal bath.

More tiles!!

At the palace gardens.

Simple and geometric.

- The National Palace is also one of the two stops where the 434 and 435 bus both stop at (the other being the train station.) Because of this is was convenient for me to take the 435 bus directly from the bus stop in front of the National Palace to visit the famed residences of Sintra. The most famous of these residences is the Quinta da Regaleira, also called the Regaleira Palace. It was owned by the Viscountess of Regaleira, Dona Ermelinda Monteiro de Almeida, in the late 1800s. This 4-hectare "palace" is home to many mysterious, regal, and enigmatic strucutres. Examples of these include the Regaleira Well, the caves behind the waterfalls or ponds, and several towers that Rapunzel might fancy.

Regaleira Well.

There's a cave inside that goes to the well!!

Rapunzel, are you there?? (The tower's too small for Rapunzel though.)

Regaleira Tower, covered by the photobomber tree. (It was hard to get a decent photo of the tower that day.)

The chapel.

Inside the chapel.

The Regaleira Mansion. 

A bust of Luis de Camoes inside.

Boar.

Deer.

The side wing of the Regaleira Mansion.

- Behind the Regaleira Palace is the Setais Palace (they're so close that one can walk from one to the other, although both palaces have bus stops for the 435 bus.) The Seteais Palace was built in the 1700s are the house of the then Dutch consul Daniel Gildemeester. Today, the palace functions as a hotel, although the main characteristics of the palace are still apparent. However, as it is a hotel, only hotel guests can fully see the interior of the Setais Palace.

Seteais Palace; it's now a luxury hotel.

- Finally, I visited the Monserrate Palace, which is the farthest of them all (and the last stop of the 435 palace.) This should not be confused with Catalonia's Montserrat in Spain (click here to see Spain's Montserrat.) This was made in the 1800s for Sir Francis Cook, baronet turned viscount.

Romantic and moorish architectural styles rolled into one.

It looks like a Moorish palace inside.

Ceiling details.

Library.

The other side of the palace was covered by thick trees.

Fountain beside the palace.

- After punishing my legs the whole day, I rode the bus 435 back to the train station, and caught the next train back to Lisbon. I arrived at Rossio Station just in time for dinner, and decided to have my last meal in Lisbon in a Chinese restaurant near my hostel.

Orange duck and fried rice (and a glass of ginger ale.)

- My experiences in Portugal had been nothing but amazing despite the challenge of walking on uneven tiled and sloped grounds day in and day out. However, I kind of agree with one of the Portuguese scholars that I was able to talk to during my conference in Lisbon: despite the legacy of Portugal in world history, people today usually ignore Portugal and the Portuguese language in favor of Spain and the Spanish language. While I encountered many tourists during my short stay in Portugal, they weren't as many as the ones I've seen in Spain - and rarely do the tourists know Portuguese, unlike in Spain, where it is common to see tourists (from non-Spanish-speaking countries) who can speak from survival to fluent Spanish. Portugal is a wonderful country that has a lot of offer - from rich cultures, to breathtaking views from the sky to the sea, to delectable dishes (despite the three times that I craved for Asian food in Lisbon), and most importantly, warm Portuguese hospitality.

- I hope to visit Portugal again some day, but even though I wanted to reflect and think back on my experience in Portugal during my final night, I had to pack my things for my last leg in my Iberian adventures. I was about to head back to Spain and visit the capital: Madrid!! (Please don't forget to read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 7 here, Part 8 here, Part 9 here, Part 10 here, and Part 11 here!!)