Day 41 Thursday 26 September

We both had a nice comfortable night sleeping with the balcony doors open to the fresh air in our relatively quiet neighbourhood. I am pleased to report that breakfast was the best since Polignano. The selection included freshly squeezed (in house) juices, quality nice cheese and ham, fruit paste for the cheese and excellent crunchy and warm soft chewy breads. Yoghurt, fresh fruit and three sorts of cakes, and those devine wholemeal seeded croissants I enjoyed so much in Matera completed the selection.

After breakfast we headed to a main train station which is not far away, about a 10 minute walk – had we not taken a wrong turn. With our scenic detour we arrived there in about 25 minutes, and were surprised to see a huge queue for tickets already. Feeling rather smug with our ‘green cards’ donated by the Aussies in Porto, we went directly through the turnstiles and onto the departing train to Sintra.

40 minutes later north west of Lisbon we arrived in the township of Sintra. Historically it was the escape for the city’s aristocracy; nestled on green forested and landscaped hills it was a green and slightly cooler oasis and respite from the noise and heat of the city. There are three key tourist sights here, the old palace (Pena), the National palace (still in use) and ruins of an old Moorish castle. The town is very picturesque and there are some beautiful chateau and grand homes in between the village and Pena palace, which sits as the crowning glory on top of the highest peak. We purchased return bus tickets at the station for €6.90 as that seemed good value for ascending the steep and narrow hill to the Palace.

Palácio de Pena was commissioned in the late 1800’s by Prince Ferdinand who was a contemporary and cousin of mad King Ludwig (Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria – Germany). He was also a cousin of Queen Victoria’s Prince Albert. Ferdinand was very flamboyant like his cousin and therefore had a German architect build a fantasy castle, mixing elements of German and Portuguese style. It ended up a crazy Neo-fortified smattering of Gothic towers, Renaissance domes, Moorish minarets, Manueline carvings, Disneyland playfulness, complete with a tiled – azulejo toilet for his wife (very flash for the time).

The trip on the crammed bus was fun and quite scenic winding amongst a woodland of tall trees with peeps of the valley below between the leafy branches. At the arrival bus stop we purchased entry tickets from a self serve booth and entered the lovely extensive landscaped gardens in search of a quick comfort stop before hiking the final 582 metres up to the palace. You can get a little bus transfer for €3 but we felt they had got enough money out of us already with the €14 entry fee so chose to exercise our legs and lungs instead. It is mostly shaded but very steep and a good work out that required a breath catching pause 3/4 the way up.

There were literally thousands of tourists there. This trip we are becoming a bit over the crowds. Despite our careful planning and even going late peak – shoulder season there are queues everywhere. Transport, toilet, tickets, entry after the tickets… and so the day goes on with more time spent waiting, then at the attraction. This is one of the reasons we stayed put in Porto and skipped a couple of day trips as all this waiting and pfaffing around takes the shine off the attraction.

At the palace we had to queue again to get entry to the inside the walls, and then were swept along with the flow of people like a snake moving in and out of the narrow fenced off sections to view the inside. They do not allow photo’s inside which is another grumble especially given the entry fee and that most palaces allow photography, albeit without flash. So no pictures to provide a graphic memory of the inside. In summary I would describe it as cosy, featuring some lovely dark wood and interesting moorish details on the ceilings and some walls. Despite the fantasy like exterior, it was not overly exotic inside, or furnished with an abundance of finery as we have seen in other European palaces.

After viewing the interior we did a wall circuit whilst taking in the sweeping views of the Lisbon peninsular. We could see the ocean on both sides, and the Moorish castle ruins looking like tiny lego below. Our appetites had recovered from breakfast so we had a light and late lunch in the palace cafe, sharing quiche, salad, and a Portuguese version of creme caramel crossed with creme brûlée (with nuts in the center). We enjoyed the down hill route under the cool trees back to the bus stop. On the way one tall tree was swaying and groaning – something I have never seen or heard before. It was that active that I was a little worried it would fall and hit someone.

The train trip back was a nice respite for our legs and knees that really felt the workout of the day. It’s a satisfying feeling being physically tired, knowing that the wonderful food we enjoy will not be doing as much damage to our waist lines. When we took a wrong turn this morning we walked down a very steep (lots of steep in Lisbon!) funicular pathway and when I was going down steps in the palace I got the sharp twinging pain near my knee that I have experienced before when going a lot down steep stairs. The remedy is a little rest and changing angles doing a crab walk down, and eventually it settles. The joys of ageing!

Our review on the palace at Sintra is that it was worthwhile to see something out of the city, is scenic and an interesting structure with unusual bright colouring, however, it didn’t wow us. Touted as a fabulous day trip that one mustn’t miss, we were pleased we went but would only recommend it if you have time to do it, rather than a must see. So a 3 out of 5.

Once back in town as it was before 6pm and relatively early for dining, we decided to try our luck at the restaurant we missed out on last night. You cannot book for this popular restaurant, once the tiny dining room is full, you go on a wait list and have to be there outside to hear your name called or you forfeit your reservation. It was a good decision to go when we did, as despite being early there was a 40 minutes wait. Our accommodation is nice and close being around the corner, so that gave us time to go home, freshen up and fit in a coffee and fresh brownie.

The menu at the restaurant is tapa’s style. It was not cheap totalling €44, but was one of the better meals we have had in Portugal and streets better than last nights miserable tourist rip off. We shared a spiced udon noodle and squid dish, a black pork and onions, and grilled figs with goats cheese served with a honey and reduced balsamic drizzle. The fig dish was our favourite and whilst not complicated, tasted amazing.

We managed dessert – well two of them to be precise. An olive oil chocolate mousse with salt flakes and more olive oil on top, and a Brazilian coconut custard slice with a condensed coconut milk and lime drizzle topped with fresh lime zest. Both the desserts were worth the calories. The mousse was the star as it was not too sweet, and had a wonderful velvety smooth light texture, resulting in a perfectly balanced dish. I also enjoyed a nice merlot with the meal – the Portuguese wines are very good and cheap. To complete our big day appropriately we enjoyed a complimentary port nightcap before sinking into bed.