The allures of Sintra’s palaces, castles, mountain trails and vistas, and brightly painted towns are only about 30 minutes outside of Lisbon. So, on my final day in Lisbon, I booked a day trip out to Sintra. The booking included pickup and return transportation, but you can also get to Sintra by train.
Arriving at the town center of Sintra, you can see the Moorish Castle, Castelo dos Mouros, tucked into the hilltop. Dating back to the 10th century, the castle was established by the Moors to help fortify their position along the conquered Iberian Peninsula. Some more recent excavations along the Moorish Castle have even yielded artifacts belonging to the Bronze Age period (1200 BC). So, it would seem the Moors weren’t the only ones to see the strategic advantage of the location.
If you have the time and an adventurous heart, there are three mapped hiking trails leading up to the Moorish Castle. The routes are ranked from easy to difficult, with the easiest route being the Percursio de Santa Maria. Depending on where you catch the Santa Maria, it will take you about an hour or less to arrive at the top. One of the downsides of being a part of a guided tour is that you are limited in the amount of time you have to explore; so hiking was out for me.
The Palace of Sintra, also built by the Moors, became a Portuguese royal residence after the Portuguese Reconquest. Since then, it has undergone several renovations. Glazed tiles cover the walls and inlay wood accents can be found all around the palace. Some of my favorite rooms included the Swans Hall, Magpies Room, and the Coat of Arms Tower.
Swans Hall, also referred to as the Prince’s Room and the Great Hall, is so named for the ceiling of 27 painted swans in wooden frames. Each of the swans has an upside down golden crown around its neck. According to my guide, the ceiling was painted to honor the Princess Isabella, who loved swans. Isabella was the only daughter of King Joao and Queen Philippa, and much beloved. Later in life, Isabella was married to a foreign Duke (Philip, Duke of Burgundy). Her parents were so sad to see her go, they painted Isabella’s favorite bird on the ceiling of the great hall. There is one swan for each year of her unwed life, 27 total. Upon my return home, I looked up the story of Isabella and the Swans Hall. However, I have not been able to find a historical record of this tale. Additionally, it is recorded that Isabella was married at 30, not 27. So, consider this a fun, historical fiction to explain the presence of the swans on the ceiling.
The Magpie Room’s primary function was to receive the royalty’s distinguished guests. Prominent features of the room include a ceiling painted with magpies, holding banners with the words “Por Bem” (For the Good), and fantastic glazed tiles along the walls. I couldn’t help but think that “For the Good” seemed like an odd thing for a magpie to say. Especially since I’ve only ever heard them decried as a nuisance and inclined to carry away shiny objects. The unofficial story is that the King of Portugal had been caught kissing a lady in waiting, which, as you can imagine, created a great deal of gossip. The king then had a magpie painted on the ceiling for each gossiping lady in his court.
From the Coat of Arms Tower, looking out the windows faced west, you can see the Atlantic Ocean. A large, square shaped room, the Coat of Arms includes family crests from the influential noble families of the kingdom of Portugal. Above those crests, a row of Stags creates a division between the family crests and the coat of arms for each of the children of King Manuel I and Queen Maria. On the dome of the ceiling is the crest of Portugal, with a dragon like creature sitting on top of a crown. Along the walls are murals of hunting scenes in blue tiles called azulejos.
Along the backside of the palace is a large, banquet-sized, ready kitchen. The two white, conical chimney stacks from the kitchen give the palace a recognizable landmark. Standing in the kitchen, looking up the chimney, you can see the sky. I visited the palace on a nice, clear day. But, I imagine when it rains outside, it also rains in the kitchen. Though, this may be more of a modern day problem. When the palace was in use, the kitchens likely always had a fire going. So the continual heat going up the stack may also have served to keep a lot of the water out.
Outside the palace, the surrounding town is full of restaurants and small shops. Some of the streets are too narrow for a car to get through; some were challenging enough with two-way pedestrian traffic. From one of the bakeries, I tried my first travesseiro pastry. Translated into “pillow,” the pastry can best be described as an almond puff type pastry. As you can imagine by the name, it was a nice light, flaky pastry. I was covered in sugar by the time I finished eating it, and I’m glad I only got one. If I had ordered a box of them, I would have surely eaten them all on the bus before I made it back to Lisbon.