Sintra and Farewell to Lisbon

This was the last day of our month-long odyssey in Portugal and Spain, and we spent it well by devoting most of the day in Sintra, a well-known resort town in the foothills 45 minutes from Lisbon by commuter train. Sintra has been a royal retreat for Portugues kings and their courts since this region was recaptured from the Moors in the 1400s, and for the rest of us since the middle of the 19th century. There is archeological evidence of bronze-age settlements in the area dating back to at least 3000 BC.

We left the train station a little after 9:00am and arrived in modern Sintra some 45 minutes later. It's a pretty good walk up to the historic town center, and a major climb up the mountain to the major historic sites, so we bought a bus tour and tickets to three of the famous castles and palaces--one in the historic town center, and the other two high on the mountain overlooking the entire region. I won't go into the details other than to say it was a day well spent and one that will remain in the ol' memory bank for a long time.

 
Pena Palace panorama.

We took the return train back to Lisbon in time for a shower and short rest before going out for our final dinner at one of the many sidewalk cafes in this delightful city. After dinner, we enjoyed one last stroll down to the riverfront before coming back to our hotel to pack for the long flight home tomorrow.


A selection of whimsical pastries in a sidewalk window.