Cold and windy Sintra!
This morning, Bel arrived from Madrid. We had breakfast together then left to catch the train to Sintra. We walked up to Rossio where the train station was and were able to catch the 11:01 train to Sintra - the ticket was 3,60 euros round trip, but we had to pay 50 cents for the card thing that you beep. So weird.
Sintra is actually part of the Lisbon region but not part of Lisbon city (unlike Alfama and Belem which are districts in Lisbon city). It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its Romantic architecture.
The train ride took us 40 minutes. It was colder in Sintra than in Lisbon because it was located higher up in the hills. We stopped at the municpal hall to get a map then headed off to explore. We decided to go first to Quinta da Regaleira. It's this summer estate of a wealthy family. The place was really interesting though because unlike many other summer palaces/houses I've been to in Europe, it was located on a hill. The house was actually small but the grounds were huge. There were lakes, a chapel, a park, and even these underground tunnels. We didn't go to the tunnels though, just visited the house, the chapel, and climbed up the tower. The tower offered a great view of Sintra. Sintra's such a quaint and pretty city!
Quinta da Regaleira
After we visited Quinta da Regaleira, we stopped at a small restaurant to have lunch. I'm not really a fan of Portuguese food. It's mostly seafood which I don't really like. Plus they cook meat differently here. But the lunch we had in Sintra was pretty good. Probably the best meal I had so far (and it was just carbonara and a beef burger. Haha)
We then decided to visit the Castelo dos Mouros (the Moorish castle). We initially wanted to walk up to the castle. When we asked the tourism office (before going to Quinta) if the distance to the Moorish Castle was walkable, he knd of laughed at first then said yes, but it was 30-40 minutes. Then when we confirmed again he said 45 minutes. After we had lunch we dropped by the information office and the girl politely tried not to laugh and told us that the walk would be an hour! So we just took their advice and rode the bus (4,80 euros round trip).
Well, we were pretty glad we took the bus. It wasn't actually hard to walk - the roads were actually nice, no boulders and it's not like mountain climbing or anything - but the bus trip did take a little less than 10 minutes so it really would've been a long walk. Plus on the ride up we saw other tourists walking and they didn't look too happy. Haha.
The Moorish castle from Quinta. Good thing we took the bus.
Anyways, we got to the Moorish castle and it was cold! It was one of the highest points in the city. It was also cold and windy AND I was wearing a dress. Not the best day to do so but eh, I survived. Haha.
The castle was built in the 8th or 9th century but was reconstructed in the 19th century. It was a built as a military fortress. We walked around the castle walls and took lots of pictures. Very pretty (but really cold and windy).
The Pena National Palace in the distance. It was recommended to us not to visit it, so we just took pictures from the Moorish castle. Haha.
After touring the castle we took the bus back down all the way to the train station. The train was just about to leave and we took it back to Lisbon.
We're back in Lisbon, just chilling around in the hostel. Lisbon's a pretty nice city but there really is nothing much to do! Haha. Tomorrow we're visiting the Oceanarium then I fly off to Barcelona. Bel goes back on Sunday evening and Ange on Monday morning.
Sintra is actually part of the Lisbon region but not part of Lisbon city (unlike Alfama and Belem which are districts in Lisbon city). It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its Romantic architecture.
The train ride took us 40 minutes. It was colder in Sintra than in Lisbon because it was located higher up in the hills. We stopped at the municpal hall to get a map then headed off to explore. We decided to go first to Quinta da Regaleira. It's this summer estate of a wealthy family. The place was really interesting though because unlike many other summer palaces/houses I've been to in Europe, it was located on a hill. The house was actually small but the grounds were huge. There were lakes, a chapel, a park, and even these underground tunnels. We didn't go to the tunnels though, just visited the house, the chapel, and climbed up the tower. The tower offered a great view of Sintra. Sintra's such a quaint and pretty city!
After we visited Quinta da Regaleira, we stopped at a small restaurant to have lunch. I'm not really a fan of Portuguese food. It's mostly seafood which I don't really like. Plus they cook meat differently here. But the lunch we had in Sintra was pretty good. Probably the best meal I had so far (and it was just carbonara and a beef burger. Haha)
We then decided to visit the Castelo dos Mouros (the Moorish castle). We initially wanted to walk up to the castle. When we asked the tourism office (before going to Quinta) if the distance to the Moorish Castle was walkable, he knd of laughed at first then said yes, but it was 30-40 minutes. Then when we confirmed again he said 45 minutes. After we had lunch we dropped by the information office and the girl politely tried not to laugh and told us that the walk would be an hour! So we just took their advice and rode the bus (4,80 euros round trip).
Well, we were pretty glad we took the bus. It wasn't actually hard to walk - the roads were actually nice, no boulders and it's not like mountain climbing or anything - but the bus trip did take a little less than 10 minutes so it really would've been a long walk. Plus on the ride up we saw other tourists walking and they didn't look too happy. Haha.
Anyways, we got to the Moorish castle and it was cold! It was one of the highest points in the city. It was also cold and windy AND I was wearing a dress. Not the best day to do so but eh, I survived. Haha.
The castle was built in the 8th or 9th century but was reconstructed in the 19th century. It was a built as a military fortress. We walked around the castle walls and took lots of pictures. Very pretty (but really cold and windy).
After touring the castle we took the bus back down all the way to the train station. The train was just about to leave and we took it back to Lisbon.
We're back in Lisbon, just chilling around in the hostel. Lisbon's a pretty nice city but there really is nothing much to do! Haha. Tomorrow we're visiting the Oceanarium then I fly off to Barcelona. Bel goes back on Sunday evening and Ange on Monday morning.
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