We headed for the train station around 10am. Trains left for Sintra every 15 minutes or so. It was like a commuter train and it was about a 40 minute ride, but it made 12 stops. So Sintra isn't that far away. We got our tickets (round trip only 9 euros for both of us) and headed for the train. We were all loaded and then someone from the station got on the train and said something in Portuguese. Not sure what it was, but everyone got off and started running to the next train. So what does a good tourist do? Follow the crowd! Apparently another train had pulled in behind our train and it had us blocked. On the ride to Sintra, there was no scenery really to speak of. Just a lot of city suburb views and a lot of graffiti.
We saw the Palace before we got to our stop. It is already breathtaking. From the station in Sintra we walked to the city center. We did just a bit of shopping and Guy investigated about a bus up to the Palace. We had read that you can walk, but you are mentally ill if you do. Ha ha. So we bought tickets for the bus and off we went. How this great big city sized bus made it around all these tiny tight switchbacks I have no idea, but Guy says they obviously can't put the newbie bus drivers on this route! When we got to the top, we bought our tickets for the Palace of Pena and the Moorish Castle. It was still an intense 15 minute walk up to the Palace from there. We walked slowly and when we got to near the top the photo ops began. What an amazing place. The Palace of Pena also has a large park surrounding it. Guy read online that it takes some people 4 days to see everything in Sintra. Anyhoo...here is what we saw in one day....starting with a bit of history about the Palace. In medieval times it was a 12th century chapel. In 1503 Convent of Our Lady of Pena was donated to the Order of the Hieronymites by the King Don Manuel I. In 1755 the Monastery suffers serious damage from a great earthquake and falls into decline. In 1838 the Monastery was purchased by Don Fernando II. In 1885 Don Fernando II dies and the property is left in his will to the Countess of Edia. In 1889 the state purchased the Palace and Park and in 1912 it was converted into a museum. Whew. The funny thing was when Guy and I were walking from the Palace, a guy said to his wife "I'll bet when they built this thing they said, someday this place will be a giant tourist trap". I don't think that is what they were thinking when they built it, but his comment was hilarious. Enjoy the photos. There are lots of them and similar shots, just different angles. This place was a photographer's dream.
From the Palace we walked through part of the Park. We had a map of it, but there was no way we could have covered the entire thing. So from the park we went to the Moorish Castle. It was a fort built around the 10th century by the Muslim people that occupied the area. It acted as a control tower for the Atlantic Coast (which you can see in some of today's photos) and the land to the north. It served as an outpost for the city of Lisbon. The 135 steps down to the beach the other day in Albufeira were childs play compared to the steps we walked today. The Moorish Castle has two sides. We hit the tallest section and our feet forced us to call it a day. We had some great photo ops from the top and a great view of the Palace. The sun was in the wrong spot in the sky to get a great photo of the Palace, but that is ok. The best shot of the Palace could really only be done from a helicopter. We took a bus back down to the city center where I shopped a bit and had a gelato (it was okay - but not real gelato). After a short break we walked back to the train station and caught the next train back to Lisbon. On the train, we both promptly fell asleep.
Attached to the gorgeous exterior of the train station (I'll try to get a picture of it tomorrow) is a Starbucks. I needed to get a "Portugal" mug and with that purchase we could get some free wifi to locate a place for dinner. We talked about coming back to the hotel for a nap first, but we both knew if we did that we'd be too tired to get back out and would eat some kind of pizza delivery. So Guy asked me what sounded good and I said "to be honest, a big plate of pasta". So we Trip Advisored Italian Restaurants and came across the Limoncello that was only .2 miles away. We pulled up the map on the iphone and we could see where we were and the pin of the restaurant. Not too far away. So I kept the phone on because I knew when we walked out of Starbucks and the wifi ended, the map would stay. It did, but the dot that showed where we were moved with us. I'm not sure how, but I was a bit paranoid and double checked that our cellular data was turned off, because if it were accidentally on - that would be costing us a fortune. It was off, but the dot moved with us all the way to the restaurant.
When we arrived, the employees and owner were eating. Guy asked if they were open yet and the guy said no, but for us to come on in and they'd give us some bread. Guy told them to enjoy their dinner and we'd be back. They told us about 30 minutes. So exhausted, I suggested we go across the street to the bar and have a Coke, just to get off our feet. But Guy wanted to explore the area a bit and we walked around. We stopped to watch some street performers dance and did some window shopping. We came across a mall and I found a pair of sandals that I bought. So it would have been cheaper for us to have gone across the street for a Coke! Ha ha.
Probably 45 minutes or so later we went back to the restaurant and the gentleman at the door said to go upstairs. The server, Jono, had reserved us the best seat in the house. He thanked us for being so understanding and he appreciated the fact that we actually returned. His English was impeccable and he was really talkative (all night) which was fun. They brought out a starter of olives, olive oil and tuna spread. He said the cost was 1.70 per person if we wanted it. Strange way to do things, but it worked and we kept it. We were going to order bruschetta, but since we kept this instead we only ordered our entrees. Guy got the Veal Scallopini Limone and I got spaghetti marinara. I know that is boring, but that is what I was craving. The food came out promptly and it was all delicious. For dessert we ordered Tiramisu and it, too, was fabulous. Maybe the best we've ever had. He brought us complimentary limoncello and we sipped it down. We can't tell you how wonderful this place was. Everyone was so nice and treated us very well. The service was outstanding and even the owner came by the table to ask if everything was good. ;) We told them we'd "like" them on Facebook. They'll be sure to get a good review from Guy on Trip Advisor as well. What a great way to end a really spectacular day.
Tomorrow we will do the city tour by Hop on Hop off bus. There are two routes that take an hour and a half each, so at least we get to sight see sitting down tomorrow. I'm afraid it may be too cold to sit up top, but I can tell you my jacket today was worth every euro!
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