Casablanca Adventure: The New Normal - A long weekend in Sintra, Portugal

Olá! Continuing our travel adventures, we decided to take advantage of a a few extra days off and visit nearby Portugal. Richard and I flew into the city of Lisbon, a one-hour plane ride from Casablanca. Rather than touring the bustling capital of Portugal, we decided to spend our short trip visiting the picturesque town of Sintra. In 1995, Sintra was classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and contains many of Portugal's most important parks and monuments.

Little waterfall/fountain seen on the walk from our hotel into town

Sintra Hotel Jardim from the front

Sintra Hotel Jardim, patio

Not too shabby view from the hotel

Our three nights at the Hotel Sintra Jardim were quiet and peaceful, and a pleasant respite from city life in Casa. The residence is 150-years-old, with beautiful grounds, a pool, and a view of Sintra's Moorish Castle. The location, green and nestled in the hills, was perfect. It was close enough for a quick taxi ride to get an evening meal, but far enough from the noise of the town to seem more like a tranquil country inn. The staff was very friendly and helpful (and speak English!), and the breakfast was great. Below is some of the architecture we saw walking toward town from the hotel.

We visited the Park of Pena, including the eclectic Palacio National da Pena (The Feather Palace), which is located high over the town of Sintra. The palace looks like something out of a fairy tale, and conjured visions of Disney World in my head. Built around an old monastery, the castle is painted in many different bright colors and utilizes various architectural styles.

Castle entrance, reminiscent of the Moroccan style keyhole arch

Looks like a knights realm from a Renaissance Festival

Construction started in the 1400's, first as Our Lady of Pena Chapel and then a monastery. Lightning and the 1755 earthquake destroyed much of the monastery, but the chapel survived.

Vivid colors of the turrets and various levels of the castle

Looks like a fairytale place to me

Portuguese flag and view toward the park

Later, in 1838, King Ferdinand purchased the abandoned site, along with the Moorish Castle, which we also visited. The stunning views were the inspiration for the building of a summer palace for Portuguese royalty. The lavish, Romantic retreat was completed in 1847, and changed hands a few times after Ferdinand died. In 1889, the entire park was acquired by the Portuguese State. It is now a museum and tourist attraction.

One of the terrace views from the castle

View of the back side of the castle on the walk up the hill

The inside of the castle was not as ornate as some we have seen. But, I imagine it wasn't too tough roughing it here for summer vacation!

Window view of the valley

Bust of King Ferdinand

Dining Room

One of 4 turtles holding up a huge urn

Ornate desk

Stained glass, currently housed in the Stag Room

The Stag Room, how's that for a rack, Marc! (The head itself is fake, but the horns are real.)

The kitchen, with so much copper

Sacristy, room adjoining the former church

While Pena is likely the most popular of the palaces in Sintra, it was our least favorite. It was a bit "touristy" and too crowded for my taste. Nonetheless, we very much enjoyed walking around the terraces and taking in the sweeping views of the valley and the Moorish Castle in the distance. I wish we had had time to wander the grounds as well; maybe next trip.

Impressive view from Pena of the Moorish Castle and the valley

A short ride from Pena is the Castelo Mouros, The Moorish Castle, dating back to the early 8th century and the Moorish occupation. It was originally built by the Muslim population that occupied the Iberian peninsula. The fortress was strategically located to defend the land to the north, and the Atlantic coast and maritime access to the city of Lisbon.

After many attempts, the fortress was finally taken in 1147 by Alfonso I, the first King of Portugal. Eventually losing its strategic importance during peacetime, the medieval Castle of the Moors was abandoned. Later, King Ferdinand bought and restored the fortress and the grounds. Many other restoration projects have taken place since that time.

Burial grounds (fake skeleton)

Burial grounds covered in glass for preservation

Donkey Reserve, at the Moorish Castle

The castle and its walls wind over two ridges of the Serra de Sintra Mountains. It is irregularly built with a double set of walls on the mountainous cliffs, which requires visitors to walk up and down quite a few stairs. But, exploring the grounds and seeing the panoramic views were worth our aching legs and feet!

View of the Palace of Sintra (the Town Palace) taken from the Moorish Castle

Our favorite place to visit was the Quinta da Regaleira, located at the highest point of Sintra, and built on a cultural landscape that dates back to the early Neolithic period. The 5-story, very ornate 20th century residence combines Egyptian, Gothic, Moorish and Renaissance features. It was built by its former owner, Antonico Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, together with Italian opera set designer and architect, Lugi Manini. Masonic and Templar symbols abound, which helps add to the "mysterious, divinely magical place" the architects wanted to create.

Looks kind of spooky in this picture

This room is decorated by the portraits of 20 Portuguese Kings and 4 Queens

A trip would not be complete without a Richard statue imitation

Meandering through the woods and gardens of the estate was like spending time on the set of an old, magical story. I can't even imagine being a member of the Monteiro family and being able to summer here. The seemingly endless gardens, lakes, waterfalls, towers, grottos, wells, as well as underground caves and tunnels create an ethereal feel.

One of many tunnel entrances

A large network of tunnels links many buildings of the estate

Beautiful spring that just appeared at the end of one of the tunnels

Greenhouse on the estate

One of the spring wells, connected to the tunnels

The aquarium is built to look like it naturally exists among the rocks

The aquarium from the opposite side; can be accessed via tunnel

Portal of the Guardians, under which is attached a tunnel leading to the Initiation Well

Another underground spring

The Gods' Promenade

She's shy

Actually, he kind of looks like this god . . .

The palace chapel is built in the Neo-Manueline style. Inside, many symbols of the Knights Templar and decorations depicting the life of Jesus Christ can be seen. The crypt in the lower floor can be accessed via tunnel.

The Palace Chapel

Crypt

Tunnel exit from the crypt

Truth be told, the main reason I wanted to visit Sintra in the first place was to see the Initiation Well, located at Regaleira. There are actually two of these wells situated on the grounds, and one is unfinished.

Visitors can look into the 27-meter deep subterranean tower of the well, which is accessible by a winding, spiral staircase in its interior. This finished well contains nine platforms, possibly symbolic of the nine circles of Hell, the nine sections of Purgatory, and the nine skies, which comprise Paradise in Dante's the Divine Comedy. There is a compass over a Knights Templar cross at the bottom of the well.

Views from below

The smaller "unfinished well" has straight staircases connecting ring-shaped floors. It is said that the spacing and the number of steps were dictated by the principles of the Masonic order.

The Unfinished Well

There is not much known about how these wells were used. However, the meticulous planning that went into creating them speaks volumes about their importance. I can't help but wonder what went on there.