We went about 30 minutes north of Lisbon to the town of Sintra, which is famous for having five major castles. Its cool, misty microclimate made it a popular summer house location for the rich and royal in Portugal’s past. Just walking through the old town area felt like walking back in time.
The whole area is made of hills. It was beautiful, but tiring.
There were lots of little towers to explore.
Did I mention the hills? There were also stairs, but some of them were the kind of stairs that beckon you to find out what treasures await at the other end.
we found a really cute, shady spot at the top of a little tower for lunch.
probably the most famous thing at Quinta de Regaleira is the initiation well. That palace was built by a Freemason, and this well was used as part of their secret initiation rights. They would have to find their way down the tower blindfolded, with a sword held close to their heart. We also found a second unfinished initation well.
After the initiate made it down the well, they had to continue, still blindfolded, through a maze of underground tunnels.
Those who made it out of the tunnels would have to cross some water by stepping from rock to rock, still blindfolded and holding their sword to their hearts.
We also came across a second, unfinished initiation well.
We spent some time walking around looking for a grotto we saw on the map. With a maze of winding pathways, it took some time and tested the kids’ map-reading skills.
Willow and I loved the tiny flowers that were growing right out of the walls, all over the grounds.
We saw the cutest little chapel on the way out. The tilework made it feel distinctly Portuguese, different from the chapel we have seen in other European cities.
We were headed to Pena Palace next, and it was located at the top of a very large hill. We were happy to hire a tuk tuk to drive us up, although there was still about fifteen minutes of walking uphill from where we were dropped off.
Pena Palace is usually considered the main attraction in Sintra, and it’s where most tour groups start. It’s definitely beautiful, and quite different from any palace we have seen. We didn’t go inside, just walked around the balconies.
The view from the palace was expansive. We could see other palaces and castles, including another Moorish castle ruin.
It was gorgeously tiled!
The palace even had an actual drawbridge.
The metro had silly little signs that said things like, “make yourself comfortable, but not too comfortable.”
