I left my liver in Lisbon
Jul 6th, 2022, 01:58 PM
#83
An Aqueduto, skulls and a spectacular cathedral
UNESCO listed Evora lies in the heart of the Alentejo, halfway between Lisbon and the Estremadura region of Spain and is considered a “museum city” with roots dating back to Roman times.
Our first full day in Evora brought rain and a very cold wind. We sought out and found the Aqueduto da Água de Prata, dating from the 1530’s, surprised to see buildings tucked within its walls and even more surprised to discover that the area directly beneath it was also a carpark; an incongruous sight.
Aqueduto da Água de Prata
Aqueduto da Água de Prata
Aqueduto da Água de Prata
Aqueduto da Água de Prata
We next visited Igreja da Sao Francisco, the Convent and Church of Sao Francisco, best known for the Chapel of Bones, built in the 17th century, its walls and pillars covered with thousands of bones and skulls. Gruesome, but fascinating.
Our €5 entry also included the museum and the collection of nativity scenes.
Igreja da Sao Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco/Capela dos Ossos
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Views from the roof of Igreja de São Francisco
Views from the roof of Igreja de São Francisco
We then aimlessly wandered the streets of Evora, passing a fast food vending machine (had we seen it yesterday I might have given it a go out of sheer desperation).
We ended up at Docas, one of the few places open for lunch on a Monday. Caprese salad and sangria for me, grilled black pork cheeks, fries, salad and wine for Bill. The place was really busy, which I suspect had more to do with them being open than popular. The food was okay, nothing special (€28).
Docas
Docas
Next we visited Sé Catedral de Évora, the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal, perched up on a hill overlooking town (€4.50). Just wow; what a fabulous place, crummy weather notwithstanding. We visited the chapel and the treasury, admired the fabulous high ceilings, climbed hundreds of steep steps, wandered the ramparts, wound up and down spiral staircases and soaked up those wonderful views. Definitely the highlight of our time in Evora.
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Views from Sé Catedral de Évora
Views from Sé Catedral de Évora
Views from Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
One of many spiral staircases, Sé Catedral de Évora
Then we visited the nearby Roman temple, also known (wrongly) as the Templo de Diana after Diana, the ancient Roman goddess.
Templo de Diana
We wandered through the narrow streets, soon sidetracked by Páteo, an outdoor wine bar and tapas restaurant tucked away up a small alley, where we settled in at a table for port tonics and a snack of bread, olives, seasoned butter and some spectacular olive oil (€13).
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Praça do Giraldo
Praça do Giraldo
Páteo
Páteo
Later we returned to Evora Taste; an encore black pork burger for Bill, vegetable soup for me, and a shared bottle of their house red, surprised once again at how good random house wines had been thus far – €24. Our bill seemed too low, so I asked the waiter to check it – he informed us that we’d received a discount for booking via The Fork again. Sweet.
To be continued...
UNESCO listed Evora lies in the heart of the Alentejo, halfway between Lisbon and the Estremadura region of Spain and is considered a “museum city” with roots dating back to Roman times.
Our first full day in Evora brought rain and a very cold wind. We sought out and found the Aqueduto da Água de Prata, dating from the 1530’s, surprised to see buildings tucked within its walls and even more surprised to discover that the area directly beneath it was also a carpark; an incongruous sight.
Aqueduto da Água de Prata
Aqueduto da Água de Prata
Aqueduto da Água de Prata
Aqueduto da Água de Prata
We next visited Igreja da Sao Francisco, the Convent and Church of Sao Francisco, best known for the Chapel of Bones, built in the 17th century, its walls and pillars covered with thousands of bones and skulls. Gruesome, but fascinating.
Our €5 entry also included the museum and the collection of nativity scenes.
Igreja da Sao Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco/Capela dos Ossos
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco
Views from the roof of Igreja de São Francisco
Views from the roof of Igreja de São Francisco
We then aimlessly wandered the streets of Evora, passing a fast food vending machine (had we seen it yesterday I might have given it a go out of sheer desperation).
We ended up at Docas, one of the few places open for lunch on a Monday. Caprese salad and sangria for me, grilled black pork cheeks, fries, salad and wine for Bill. The place was really busy, which I suspect had more to do with them being open than popular. The food was okay, nothing special (€28).
Docas
Docas
Next we visited Sé Catedral de Évora, the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal, perched up on a hill overlooking town (€4.50). Just wow; what a fabulous place, crummy weather notwithstanding. We visited the chapel and the treasury, admired the fabulous high ceilings, climbed hundreds of steep steps, wandered the ramparts, wound up and down spiral staircases and soaked up those wonderful views. Definitely the highlight of our time in Evora.
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Views from Sé Catedral de Évora
Views from Sé Catedral de Évora
Views from Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
Sé Catedral de Évora
One of many spiral staircases, Sé Catedral de Évora
Then we visited the nearby Roman temple, also known (wrongly) as the Templo de Diana after Diana, the ancient Roman goddess.
Templo de Diana
We wandered through the narrow streets, soon sidetracked by Páteo, an outdoor wine bar and tapas restaurant tucked away up a small alley, where we settled in at a table for port tonics and a snack of bread, olives, seasoned butter and some spectacular olive oil (€13).
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Praça do Giraldo
Praça do Giraldo
Páteo
Páteo
Later we returned to Evora Taste; an encore black pork burger for Bill, vegetable soup for me, and a shared bottle of their house red, surprised once again at how good random house wines had been thus far – €24. Our bill seemed too low, so I asked the waiter to check it – he informed us that we’d received a discount for booking via The Fork again. Sweet.
To be continued...
Jul 7th, 2022, 11:12 AM
#90
Jul 7th, 2022, 12:14 PM
#91
An urban walk, kebabs, wine and more wine
We’d found our hotel to be comfortable and convenient with a no-frills, albeit sufficient breakfast, for which guests were required to wear plastic gloves.
Our room was spacious, with a nice rain shower and abundant towels. It was a bit stuffy though; the air conditioning not yet turned on for the season. Opening the window helped, but the noise from the atrium below - a handful of raucous well-lubed guys one night and a guy watching soccer on his phone until late another night - disrupted what would have otherwise been a quiet stay.
Wanting some exercise and having already hit the highlights of Evora, we decided to walk around the exterior walls.
We detoured to a majestic large yellow building, which turned out to be the Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás).
Tight parking, inside the walls
Evora
Outside the walls
Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás).
Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás).
Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás).
We also wandered through an outdoor market with a strong police presence; vendors were selling clothes, purses and kitchen goods, energetically calling out to potential customers. It felt a bit Middle Eastern to those of us who’ve lived there. It was very much like in this video:
Market
Market
Market
Market
Market
The walk was pleasant in some areas, deafening in others due to the proximity of cars speeding past on cobblestones. There was a lot of horn honking – something we’d also noticed in Porto and Coimbra. Portugal seemed to have more than its share of impatient drivers, and we frequently looked over our shoulders worried about oncoming cars.
Walking outside the walls of Evora
Fire station
Evora walls
Evora walls
Evora walls
The walk took just under two hours with our diversions. It served its purpose, but it’s not something I’d recommend.
Back in the city center we followed a sign for kebabs which led us up a narrow passageway to Kebabino. The proprietor didn’t speak English and of course our eight word Portuguese vocabulary was of no use, but we muddled through and managed to order lunch. A few other English speakers stumbled in and it was entertaining to watch them do the same. We had to wonder if they too, were not loving Portuguese food.
It was time for some wine. We’d passed the family owned Ervideira yesterday and decided to see if they offered wine tastings. It was raining when we arrived at the small shop, where we asked about a tasting and the possibility of purchasing a glass of wine afterwards.
We were offered two seats in a small back room, where we watched a video of their operations (surprised to learn that they age their wine submerged in a lake!) and shared a €6 tasting of three wines. The tasting led to a glass of wine, and then to another, and then to the purchase of some tomato jam. The place wasn’t really set up for wine drinking, but the woman manning the shop seemed more than willing to accommodate us while we waited out the rain. Really nice reds here.
We wandered the streets for a bit, eventually stumbling upon the Church of Noosa Senora da Graca and its 16th century façade.
Se de Evora
Se de Evora
Igreja da Sao Francisco
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Church of Noosa Senora da Graca
We then sought out a venue for late afternoon libations, which was oddly hard to find.
We eventually popped back into the now empty Docas, where the mother and daughter who run the place were eating their lunch and watching a talk show. I stuck my head in, apologized for interrupting their meal and asked if they were serving wine; they generously welcomed us in.
We whiled away the afternoon here, drinking wine, eating olives and watching Portuguese talk TV, guessing what the show was about, the women clearing the tables from lunch and preparing for dinner.
A few locals came and went, one for espresso, one for beer and another for port. Evidently crashing a closed restaurant in the late afternoon in Evora isn’t unheard of.
This, in all its simplicity, sums up what we've come to love about travel, those experiences that one can't plan for, but merely stumbles into.
We try to avoid two night stays when we travel, but we probably could have gotten by with one less night in Evora. Had we been traveling by car, we’d have probably gone to Monsaraz the second day.
To be continued...
We’d found our hotel to be comfortable and convenient with a no-frills, albeit sufficient breakfast, for which guests were required to wear plastic gloves.
Our room was spacious, with a nice rain shower and abundant towels. It was a bit stuffy though; the air conditioning not yet turned on for the season. Opening the window helped, but the noise from the atrium below - a handful of raucous well-lubed guys one night and a guy watching soccer on his phone until late another night - disrupted what would have otherwise been a quiet stay.
Wanting some exercise and having already hit the highlights of Evora, we decided to walk around the exterior walls.
We detoured to a majestic large yellow building, which turned out to be the Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás).
Tight parking, inside the walls
Evora
Outside the walls
Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás).
Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás).
Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás).
We also wandered through an outdoor market with a strong police presence; vendors were selling clothes, purses and kitchen goods, energetically calling out to potential customers. It felt a bit Middle Eastern to those of us who’ve lived there. It was very much like in this video:
Market
Market
Market
Market
Market
The walk was pleasant in some areas, deafening in others due to the proximity of cars speeding past on cobblestones. There was a lot of horn honking – something we’d also noticed in Porto and Coimbra. Portugal seemed to have more than its share of impatient drivers, and we frequently looked over our shoulders worried about oncoming cars.
Walking outside the walls of Evora
Fire station
Evora walls
Evora walls
Evora walls
The walk took just under two hours with our diversions. It served its purpose, but it’s not something I’d recommend.
Back in the city center we followed a sign for kebabs which led us up a narrow passageway to Kebabino. The proprietor didn’t speak English and of course our eight word Portuguese vocabulary was of no use, but we muddled through and managed to order lunch. A few other English speakers stumbled in and it was entertaining to watch them do the same. We had to wonder if they too, were not loving Portuguese food.
It was time for some wine. We’d passed the family owned Ervideira yesterday and decided to see if they offered wine tastings. It was raining when we arrived at the small shop, where we asked about a tasting and the possibility of purchasing a glass of wine afterwards.
We were offered two seats in a small back room, where we watched a video of their operations (surprised to learn that they age their wine submerged in a lake!) and shared a €6 tasting of three wines. The tasting led to a glass of wine, and then to another, and then to the purchase of some tomato jam. The place wasn’t really set up for wine drinking, but the woman manning the shop seemed more than willing to accommodate us while we waited out the rain. Really nice reds here.
We wandered the streets for a bit, eventually stumbling upon the Church of Noosa Senora da Graca and its 16th century façade.
Se de Evora
Se de Evora
Igreja da Sao Francisco
Streets of Evora
Streets of Evora
Church of Noosa Senora da Graca
We then sought out a venue for late afternoon libations, which was oddly hard to find.
We eventually popped back into the now empty Docas, where the mother and daughter who run the place were eating their lunch and watching a talk show. I stuck my head in, apologized for interrupting their meal and asked if they were serving wine; they generously welcomed us in.
We whiled away the afternoon here, drinking wine, eating olives and watching Portuguese talk TV, guessing what the show was about, the women clearing the tables from lunch and preparing for dinner.
A few locals came and went, one for espresso, one for beer and another for port. Evidently crashing a closed restaurant in the late afternoon in Evora isn’t unheard of.
This, in all its simplicity, sums up what we've come to love about travel, those experiences that one can't plan for, but merely stumbles into.
We try to avoid two night stays when we travel, but we probably could have gotten by with one less night in Evora. Had we been traveling by car, we’d have probably gone to Monsaraz the second day.
To be continued...
Jul 10th, 2022, 08:25 AM
#92
Bring on the madness
Knowing the train station was some distance away, and me being tired of dragging my luggage over cobblestones, we’d arranged a taxi through our hotel the previous night (€5). Good choice, as it was even a longer haul than I’d expected.
Evora train station
Evora train station
Evora train station
We’d purchased our tickets and reserved seats on the Intercidades from Evora to Lisboa Sete-Rios online before leaving home (€7 each, promotional fare).
Once at Sete Rios we bought a train ticket to Sintra (€2.30 each + .50 for the Via Viagem card). While waiting with the luggage, I was approached by the same panhandler who’d hit me up for money at the Sete Rios bus station a few days prior, mumbling something about needing to get to Ukraine (huh?).
The train was very busy, yet we seemed to be the only tourists. I’d read that Sintra is a small town located about 30 km west of Lisbon, so we were expecting a distinct change between the two, but the train ride took us through what felt like a never-ending city, one suburb to the next.
We arrived to mass confusion – lots and lots of people milling about and lining the streets seemingly waiting for various modes of transportation, yet it was unclear where to stand for which service.
Sintra train station
Sintra train station
I sought out help at the information office and was told to go back across the street from which I’d come. We finally found the taxi stand (or so we thought); but no taxis. Eventually a driver pulled up and offered us a ride as he’d noticed we were first in line, albeit the wrong one.
He drove us up hills and through narrow streets, all the while telling us our apartment was only a few minutes flat walk from the station, but that to get there by car was another story altogether. He complained about how busy Sintra is, and said there was a shortage of drivers, mentioning that he’d been working flat out since 7 am, attributing the crowds to Easter week and visitors from Spain.
Note: We didn’t realize until after we’d booked our trip that we’d be traveling over Easter, and even then we were more concerned about closures than crowds. It never occurred to us that Easter week would be busier than normal, as it’s pretty much a non-event in our world. We live, we learn.
During his running commentary, he told us the National Palace is the real gem of Sintra, yet Pena Palace gets all the hype. He also recommended a few restaurants (unfortunately he was hard to understand) advising us that the majority of restaurants frequented by tourists weren’t very good.
We were both a bit dazed by the overwhelming mass of humanity swarming the center of Sintra on this Wednesday mid-April afternoon.
A few minutes and €5 later, he deposited us at our apartment, which was located near the busy historic center, yet down a quiet one way street.
We’d booked Apartment Adraga, one of several apartments offered by Casas da Biquinha (€222 for three nights).
The apartment was spacious and comfortable and while very convenient to the sights of Sintra, that short stretch of street turned out to be a wonderful buffer from the madness of town. We had access to a yard and garden, which were frequented by two friendly cats.
View from our apartment garden
After getting settled we walked up the hill towards the historic center, popping into the second restaurant we came to - Romaria de Baco – hoping it was still serving food at this hour (3 pm) and hoping it might be one the taxi driver had recommended.
It was busy, but seemed to be winding down from lunch, and lucky for us they were still serving food. Here we shared a lovely bottle of local wine that our waiter recommended (€13.40), and had a long leisurely meal – slow cooked black pork with smashed potatoes for Bill (€15.80), vegetable curry for me (€11.30) and a shared dish of chocolate mousse (€4.50). The restaurant was tiny, the food excellent.
Slow cooked black pork with smashed potatoes
Vegetable curry
Excellent wine
Afterwards we walked up the hill towards Quinta da Regaleira in an attempt to get our bearings. The street was teeming with other tired-looking tourists, most walking in the opposite direction. At Quinta da Regaleira we witnessed an unsettling scene, a crazed English speaking woman cussing out the guard for closing the gate at 5:29 instead of 5:30. Wow.
Wandering
Wandering
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Wandering
Wandering
We continued walking up towards the Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel - immediately taken with how incredibly green it was – my camera just sort of took over. We wandered the beautiful grounds and took in the views of all that spectacular greenery below.
Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel
Views from Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel overlook
Pena Palace as seen from Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel
Braille parking
Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel
Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel
I’ve since learned that the Seteais Palace was originally built between 1783 and 1787 on the orders of the Dutch consul Daniel Gildemeester, on land granted by the Marquis of Pombal. It was built overlooking the landscape of the Sintra hills. The Portuguese government purchased the site in 1946 and the Seteais Palace has been used as a luxury hotel since 1954.
Then it was back towards the historic center, which was still teeming with people - every outdoor table at every restaurant seemed to be occupied.
Sintra
Sintra views
Sintra views
National Palace
National Palace
National Palace
Sintra
The draw of Sintra is immediately obvious, but the graffiti etched into the ancient walls near Quinta da Regaleira - the ugly tourist incident, the overflowing trash cans near the National Palace, and the overwhelming number of people who descend on this town, left me feeling very conflicted, ashamed to be a tourist and guilty for contributing to the problem – and I’d just arrived.
We popped into the Information Office to enquire about logistics and were told that there was a strike planned for Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Pena Palace would be closed; Quinta da Regaleira would not.
So, it was tomorrow or nothing for Pena Palace. I enquired about transport and was given a phone number for a taxi service.
https://www.moveaveiro.pt/en/les-tra...edi-a-dimanche
Back at the bottom of the hill, we saw our waiter from lunch overseeing some outdoor tables down the street from Romaria de Baco, so we pulled up a chair and ordered more of that wonderful wine, while people watching and mulling over our plans for the next day.
Later I returned to the historic center to seek out food for tomorrow's breakfast at Fábrica da Nata, where the pastéis de nata were flying off the shelves.
I called the taxi service that evening to arrange a ride to Pena Palace for tomorrow, but my inability to communicate with the operator made that impossible.
To be continued...
Knowing the train station was some distance away, and me being tired of dragging my luggage over cobblestones, we’d arranged a taxi through our hotel the previous night (€5). Good choice, as it was even a longer haul than I’d expected.
Evora train station
Evora train station
Evora train station
We’d purchased our tickets and reserved seats on the Intercidades from Evora to Lisboa Sete-Rios online before leaving home (€7 each, promotional fare).
Once at Sete Rios we bought a train ticket to Sintra (€2.30 each + .50 for the Via Viagem card). While waiting with the luggage, I was approached by the same panhandler who’d hit me up for money at the Sete Rios bus station a few days prior, mumbling something about needing to get to Ukraine (huh?).
The train was very busy, yet we seemed to be the only tourists. I’d read that Sintra is a small town located about 30 km west of Lisbon, so we were expecting a distinct change between the two, but the train ride took us through what felt like a never-ending city, one suburb to the next.
We arrived to mass confusion – lots and lots of people milling about and lining the streets seemingly waiting for various modes of transportation, yet it was unclear where to stand for which service.
Sintra train station
Sintra train station
I sought out help at the information office and was told to go back across the street from which I’d come. We finally found the taxi stand (or so we thought); but no taxis. Eventually a driver pulled up and offered us a ride as he’d noticed we were first in line, albeit the wrong one.
He drove us up hills and through narrow streets, all the while telling us our apartment was only a few minutes flat walk from the station, but that to get there by car was another story altogether. He complained about how busy Sintra is, and said there was a shortage of drivers, mentioning that he’d been working flat out since 7 am, attributing the crowds to Easter week and visitors from Spain.
Note: We didn’t realize until after we’d booked our trip that we’d be traveling over Easter, and even then we were more concerned about closures than crowds. It never occurred to us that Easter week would be busier than normal, as it’s pretty much a non-event in our world. We live, we learn.
During his running commentary, he told us the National Palace is the real gem of Sintra, yet Pena Palace gets all the hype. He also recommended a few restaurants (unfortunately he was hard to understand) advising us that the majority of restaurants frequented by tourists weren’t very good.
We were both a bit dazed by the overwhelming mass of humanity swarming the center of Sintra on this Wednesday mid-April afternoon.
A few minutes and €5 later, he deposited us at our apartment, which was located near the busy historic center, yet down a quiet one way street.
We’d booked Apartment Adraga, one of several apartments offered by Casas da Biquinha (€222 for three nights).
The apartment was spacious and comfortable and while very convenient to the sights of Sintra, that short stretch of street turned out to be a wonderful buffer from the madness of town. We had access to a yard and garden, which were frequented by two friendly cats.
View from our apartment garden
After getting settled we walked up the hill towards the historic center, popping into the second restaurant we came to - Romaria de Baco – hoping it was still serving food at this hour (3 pm) and hoping it might be one the taxi driver had recommended.
It was busy, but seemed to be winding down from lunch, and lucky for us they were still serving food. Here we shared a lovely bottle of local wine that our waiter recommended (€13.40), and had a long leisurely meal – slow cooked black pork with smashed potatoes for Bill (€15.80), vegetable curry for me (€11.30) and a shared dish of chocolate mousse (€4.50). The restaurant was tiny, the food excellent.
Slow cooked black pork with smashed potatoes
Vegetable curry
Excellent wine
Afterwards we walked up the hill towards Quinta da Regaleira in an attempt to get our bearings. The street was teeming with other tired-looking tourists, most walking in the opposite direction. At Quinta da Regaleira we witnessed an unsettling scene, a crazed English speaking woman cussing out the guard for closing the gate at 5:29 instead of 5:30. Wow.
Wandering
Wandering
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira
Wandering
Wandering
We continued walking up towards the Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel - immediately taken with how incredibly green it was – my camera just sort of took over. We wandered the beautiful grounds and took in the views of all that spectacular greenery below.
Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel
Views from Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel overlook
Pena Palace as seen from Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel
Braille parking
Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel
Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel
I’ve since learned that the Seteais Palace was originally built between 1783 and 1787 on the orders of the Dutch consul Daniel Gildemeester, on land granted by the Marquis of Pombal. It was built overlooking the landscape of the Sintra hills. The Portuguese government purchased the site in 1946 and the Seteais Palace has been used as a luxury hotel since 1954.
Then it was back towards the historic center, which was still teeming with people - every outdoor table at every restaurant seemed to be occupied.
Sintra
Sintra views
Sintra views
National Palace
National Palace
National Palace
Sintra
The draw of Sintra is immediately obvious, but the graffiti etched into the ancient walls near Quinta da Regaleira - the ugly tourist incident, the overflowing trash cans near the National Palace, and the overwhelming number of people who descend on this town, left me feeling very conflicted, ashamed to be a tourist and guilty for contributing to the problem – and I’d just arrived.
We popped into the Information Office to enquire about logistics and were told that there was a strike planned for Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Pena Palace would be closed; Quinta da Regaleira would not.
So, it was tomorrow or nothing for Pena Palace. I enquired about transport and was given a phone number for a taxi service.
https://www.moveaveiro.pt/en/les-tra...edi-a-dimanche
Back at the bottom of the hill, we saw our waiter from lunch overseeing some outdoor tables down the street from Romaria de Baco, so we pulled up a chair and ordered more of that wonderful wine, while people watching and mulling over our plans for the next day.
Later I returned to the historic center to seek out food for tomorrow's breakfast at Fábrica da Nata, where the pastéis de nata were flying off the shelves.
I called the taxi service that evening to arrange a ride to Pena Palace for tomorrow, but my inability to communicate with the operator made that impossible.
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Jul 10th, 2022 at 08:31 AM.
Jul 10th, 2022, 09:37 PM
#95
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Regaleira: the dream of a sad man thinking that money would allow him to be an "inniciated" at least. 1st mistake he did: too ovbious. 2nd: hiring a cenic theatre director to create the new arquithecture. Maçons do existed in those days in Portugal, but he was never accepted. It's a sad story, but at least he, Mr. António Carvalho Monteiro, was able to create a kind of disneyworld in Sintra. The poor man (I mean, rich but yet poor), raised in Brasil and with lots of money, never understood that money was not enough. He could have invested in some culture for himself, yet he decided he knew everything of the ancient knights, and created a big mess of signs, symbols, paths, etc. But... tourists love it! Wich is good for economy.
Jul 11th, 2022, 05:57 AM
#97
Helena - your post piqued my interest, so I looked up António Carvalho Monteiro for a few more details:
From wikipedia:
The land that is now Quinta da Regaleira had many owners over the years. It belonged to the Viscountess of Regaleira, a family of wealthy merchants from Porto when it was sold in 1892 to Carvalho Monteiro for 25,000 réis. Monteiro was eager to build a bewildering place where he could collect symbols that reflected his interests and ideologies. With the assistance of the Italian architect Luigi Manini, he recreated the 4-hectare estate (known as The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire).
Born to Portuguese parents in Rio de Janeiro António inherited a huge family fortune, which he enlarged in Brazil by selling coffee and precious stones, which soon made it possible for him to leave for Portugal. He received a degree in Law from the University of Coimbra, and was a well-known collector and bibliophile, with a superb collection of the works of Camões. His cultural interests certainly influenced and guided the mysterious symbols and iconography of the palace that he had built on his estate nestled in the mountains of Sintra, the Palácio da Regaleira.
From wikipedia:
The land that is now Quinta da Regaleira had many owners over the years. It belonged to the Viscountess of Regaleira, a family of wealthy merchants from Porto when it was sold in 1892 to Carvalho Monteiro for 25,000 réis. Monteiro was eager to build a bewildering place where he could collect symbols that reflected his interests and ideologies. With the assistance of the Italian architect Luigi Manini, he recreated the 4-hectare estate (known as The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire).
Born to Portuguese parents in Rio de Janeiro António inherited a huge family fortune, which he enlarged in Brazil by selling coffee and precious stones, which soon made it possible for him to leave for Portugal. He received a degree in Law from the University of Coimbra, and was a well-known collector and bibliophile, with a superb collection of the works of Camões. His cultural interests certainly influenced and guided the mysterious symbols and iconography of the palace that he had built on his estate nestled in the mountains of Sintra, the Palácio da Regaleira.
Jul 11th, 2022, 10:58 AM
#98
Trying to beat the crowds
I’d never used Uber, but had installed the Uber app before leaving home, suspecting that we might need it in Sintra.
Up and out early, we walked to the top of the hill near our apartment, ordered an Uber and watched its progress on the app. After 10 minutes it disappeared and another driver was sent with a new arrival time. And then that one disappeared and a third was sent. Some 30 minutes later a car finally arrived and we were on our way up to Pena Palace, where we arrived just before 9 am (€7).
A line had already formed (the grounds open at 9 am, the palace opens at 9:30). We purchased a ticket for the grounds at the ticket kiosk (€7.50 each) and walked up the hill to the palace. One can also purchase a ticket for a shuttle up to the palace, but we chose to walk.
Wow.
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
We explored just about every inch of the exterior, chuffed to have it pretty much to ourselves. Most people were behind us, either waiting for the shuttle up the hill or for the interior to open at 9:30. I could not take enough photos of this Disneyesque palace. The sun was shining, the views excellent. A great day for photos.
After a coffee and pastry at the palace, we set out to explore the gardens. We walked up to the High Cross (the highest point in the Sintra Hills), explored the gardens and the chalet of the Countess of Edla, the farm and stables, the greenhouses and the Little Birds Fountain and Valley of the Lakes, covering all the main trails of the park. Evidently a shuttle runs through the grounds, but it wasn’t operating today.
No matter, we would have chosen to walk anyway. This was our kind of place, peaceful, green and beautiful, enjoyed all the more as we had it pretty much to ourselves.
Pena Palace gardens
Pena Palace gardens
Otherworldly - Pena Palace gardens
Pena Palace as seen from the gardens
Chalet of the Countess of Edla
Chalet of the Countess of Edla
Chalet of the Countess of Edla - interior
Chalet of the Countess of Edla - interior
We eventually exited the park and walked the trail towards the Moorish Castle, but the crowd was pretty thick by now, and having already logged many miles we opted to turn back. We then followed the Vila Sassetti trail, the pedestrian super highway that leads down to Sintra; part hiking trail, part cobblestones, and rather steep in spots.
It’s always interesting to see what people wear on hiking trails and today was a riot; we saw a lot of temporarily white sneakers, a pair or two of high heels and a guy pushing a stroller, amongst other things. We warned the guy with the stroller that the trail ahead wasn’t stroller friendly, but he insisted it was built for this type of terrain. I’m curious if he made it to the top.
It was nice to be going down, while everyone else was going up. On the roads below Tuk Tuks filled the air with noise, but the park grounds had been blissfully quiet.
Vila Sassetti trail
Vila Sassetti trail
And there it is, Vila Sassetti
Vila Sassetti
Vila Sassetti
National Palace
Once back in the historic center, we revisited Romaria de Baco for an encore lunch of black pork and vegetable curry, dining outside this time (€26 with one glass of wine each).
We then whiled away the afternoon in the garden of our apartment, sipping the remnants of a bottle of wine, eventually gathering the energy to explore, wanting to see if the train station really was a short, flat walk from the apartment.
Once again the historic center was packed to the gills and a flurry of activity – horse drawn carriages, tuk tuks, pedestrians, taxis, alfresco diners, and countless pedestrians.
Historic center, Sintra
Historic center, Sintra
Historic center, Sintra
Sintra
In an attempt to find a grocery store we first followed the GPS, which led us on a meandering route up and down endless steps and through narrow passages to a tiny market. We didn’t find what we were looking for, but it was an interesting trek through the labyrinth of the historic center.
After making a few enquires, we were told to walk to the Sintra station and then keep walking to the next station (Portela de Sintra), where we’d find a large grocery store.
The walk between the historic center and the train station was further and less flat than our taxi driver had led us to believe. It was also crazy busy, lined with pedestrians walking up from the station, street vendors, busses, taxis, you name it. We eventually ended up in what I can only describe as lower Sintra (?), surprised at how big and how busy this ‘small town’ really is.
The GPS had failed us again. We finally gave up and turned around, popping into a bakery for tomorrow’s breakfast, and Café Saudade, which I’d read good things about, but they were about to close, so we moved on.
Dinner found us at Bengal Tandoor near our apartment. All the scaffolding around the building had led us to believe it was closed, but further investigation revealed it was indeed open, just a bit tricky to find the entrance. Our meal here was excellent – chicken Jalfrezi, dahl Makani and fantastic garlic naan (€25). We were the only people in the place at just after 6 pm.
Then back to the apartment, to discover that we had no hot water!
To be continued...
I’d never used Uber, but had installed the Uber app before leaving home, suspecting that we might need it in Sintra.
Up and out early, we walked to the top of the hill near our apartment, ordered an Uber and watched its progress on the app. After 10 minutes it disappeared and another driver was sent with a new arrival time. And then that one disappeared and a third was sent. Some 30 minutes later a car finally arrived and we were on our way up to Pena Palace, where we arrived just before 9 am (€7).
A line had already formed (the grounds open at 9 am, the palace opens at 9:30). We purchased a ticket for the grounds at the ticket kiosk (€7.50 each) and walked up the hill to the palace. One can also purchase a ticket for a shuttle up to the palace, but we chose to walk.
Wow.
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
Pena Palace
We explored just about every inch of the exterior, chuffed to have it pretty much to ourselves. Most people were behind us, either waiting for the shuttle up the hill or for the interior to open at 9:30. I could not take enough photos of this Disneyesque palace. The sun was shining, the views excellent. A great day for photos.
After a coffee and pastry at the palace, we set out to explore the gardens. We walked up to the High Cross (the highest point in the Sintra Hills), explored the gardens and the chalet of the Countess of Edla, the farm and stables, the greenhouses and the Little Birds Fountain and Valley of the Lakes, covering all the main trails of the park. Evidently a shuttle runs through the grounds, but it wasn’t operating today.
No matter, we would have chosen to walk anyway. This was our kind of place, peaceful, green and beautiful, enjoyed all the more as we had it pretty much to ourselves.
Pena Palace gardens
Pena Palace gardens
Otherworldly - Pena Palace gardens
Pena Palace as seen from the gardens
Chalet of the Countess of Edla
Chalet of the Countess of Edla
Chalet of the Countess of Edla - interior
Chalet of the Countess of Edla - interior
We eventually exited the park and walked the trail towards the Moorish Castle, but the crowd was pretty thick by now, and having already logged many miles we opted to turn back. We then followed the Vila Sassetti trail, the pedestrian super highway that leads down to Sintra; part hiking trail, part cobblestones, and rather steep in spots.
It’s always interesting to see what people wear on hiking trails and today was a riot; we saw a lot of temporarily white sneakers, a pair or two of high heels and a guy pushing a stroller, amongst other things. We warned the guy with the stroller that the trail ahead wasn’t stroller friendly, but he insisted it was built for this type of terrain. I’m curious if he made it to the top.
It was nice to be going down, while everyone else was going up. On the roads below Tuk Tuks filled the air with noise, but the park grounds had been blissfully quiet.
Vila Sassetti trail
Vila Sassetti trail
And there it is, Vila Sassetti
Vila Sassetti
Vila Sassetti
National Palace
Once back in the historic center, we revisited Romaria de Baco for an encore lunch of black pork and vegetable curry, dining outside this time (€26 with one glass of wine each).
We then whiled away the afternoon in the garden of our apartment, sipping the remnants of a bottle of wine, eventually gathering the energy to explore, wanting to see if the train station really was a short, flat walk from the apartment.
Once again the historic center was packed to the gills and a flurry of activity – horse drawn carriages, tuk tuks, pedestrians, taxis, alfresco diners, and countless pedestrians.
Historic center, Sintra
Historic center, Sintra
Historic center, Sintra
Sintra
In an attempt to find a grocery store we first followed the GPS, which led us on a meandering route up and down endless steps and through narrow passages to a tiny market. We didn’t find what we were looking for, but it was an interesting trek through the labyrinth of the historic center.
After making a few enquires, we were told to walk to the Sintra station and then keep walking to the next station (Portela de Sintra), where we’d find a large grocery store.
The walk between the historic center and the train station was further and less flat than our taxi driver had led us to believe. It was also crazy busy, lined with pedestrians walking up from the station, street vendors, busses, taxis, you name it. We eventually ended up in what I can only describe as lower Sintra (?), surprised at how big and how busy this ‘small town’ really is.
The GPS had failed us again. We finally gave up and turned around, popping into a bakery for tomorrow’s breakfast, and Café Saudade, which I’d read good things about, but they were about to close, so we moved on.
Dinner found us at Bengal Tandoor near our apartment. All the scaffolding around the building had led us to believe it was closed, but further investigation revealed it was indeed open, just a bit tricky to find the entrance. Our meal here was excellent – chicken Jalfrezi, dahl Makani and fantastic garlic naan (€25). We were the only people in the place at just after 6 pm.
Then back to the apartment, to discover that we had no hot water!
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Jul 11th, 2022 at 11:03 AM.
Jul 11th, 2022, 11:51 AM
#99
Uh oh...But really good weather! TBH I tried to avaoid through that intersection in Sintra, it always looked like that. I was at first going to stay at Casa de Biquinha but changed to Casa da Pendôa around the corner from the Bengal Tandoor. The apartment was supplied with assorted goodies and port with fresh bread in the morning so I didn't need to shop for supplies (only one night in Sintra ).
Jul 11th, 2022, 12:12 PM
#100
Casa da Pendôa looks really nice! We were given some coffee and tea but could have used more. Fresh bread and port would have been a nice perk.
Trying to find a grocery store in Sintra was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Thank goodness for all the bakeries.
Trying to find a grocery store in Sintra was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Thank goodness for all the bakeries.
Last edited by Melnq8; Jul 11th, 2022 at 12:14 PM.
