PORTUGAL! Sintra, A Charming Town Outside of Lisbon (July 21st)

What can I say, but I fell in love with Sintra! So unlike Faro and Tavira in the Algarve region, this charming (and very touristic, understandably!) town was cool, green and absolutely lovely. Situated in a mountainous area, it was so pleasantly surprising to be able to get there by train, from Lison, in just 40 minutes. I took another free walking tour--this time with Carlos, an expat from Costa Rica (who confirmed for me what I suspected--Costa Rica is prohibitively expensive now!) The tour was a little too slow for  my taste, but we did get introduced to the key attractions (palaces, castles...) and some history. Being that I (typically!) remember little of it, I am going to to cheat and use the wikipedia description: 

 "Sintra is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654.  A major tourist destination famed for its picturesqueness, the municipality has several historic palaces, castles, scenic beaches, parks and gardens. 
The historic center of the Vila de Sintra is famous for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture, historic estates and villas, gardens, and royal palaces and castles, which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
Sintra's landmarks include the medieval Castle of the Moors, the romanticist Pena National Palace and the Portuguese Renaissance Sintra National Palace. Sintra is one of the wealthiest municipalities in both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole. It is home to one of the largest foreign expat communities along the Portuguese Riviera and consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Portugal." 

Could I potentially see living here?!?! Yes... I could! First place I have seen in Portugal where I would, in fact, consider this! 

When you see these photos, you will understand why....! 

A charming old home, clearly residence to one of the many wealthy families that settled in this area. 


The area, like much of Portugal, was first settled by the Moors (Muslims) who built mosques and fountains, such as this one, for bathing before entering and starting their prayers. Oddly, this fountain was moved from its original location, so nothing but trees are behind it now! 


Ornate, detached part of one of the palaces... 




Because of time constraints and long lines,  I did not go into this palace (Quinta da Regaleira)
...yet! But hope to return on Sunday to do so. 







I do not recall the name of this other palace... no photo of the front because it was too expansive to photograph, and unremarkable besides! As with the others, the tour did not go in, so participants like myself just took photos from the outside...here, you see one of the lovely garden and view beyond, into the very verdant valley...


The arched entryway to the unnamed palace referred to above.


The National Palace, now a museum... 






Great view of the town center from the palace gardens... 


Strange but interesting sculpture in the palace garden. 


The symbol of the strange double chimney you see here is considered an icon of Sintra, and one sees it everywhere in the town. 


As with every charming European town and city, there is much beautiful old architecture at its center. 




A "small" palace... there were dozens in this town, but sadly, many were abandoned, according to Carlos, because the upkeep was prohibitively expensive. Many were taken over by the state... but many were not.








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