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| First glimpses - approaching Sintra from the Railway Station |
Sintra (pop. 385,654) is only 25 Kilometres from Lisbon and
takes about 40 minutes to reach by train from Lisbon’s beautiful breezy Rossio station.
I left at around 10 a.m. but the two lovely girls I’d met at the hostel had to work
until 12, so they went by Uber and by the time I had walked from the station to
the main square, we arrived at about the same time.
I fell in love with Sintra at first sight. When I saw its lush
vegetation – some of it subtropical, including palms, and its abundance of big trees,
I realised what I had been missing in Lisbon. The ratio of trees to buildings
was decidedly reversed. Through a quirk of geography – it too is built on very
hilly ground, but is protected from wild Atlantic weather by a ridge of
mountains, it retains a pleasant moist climate all year round, and makes it much greener than most of the rest of Portugal. Mists swirled around half hidden castles in the mountain tops, giving them a mysterious air.
Its buildings too were much grander, the tiles on the buildings sparkled and the streets were clean. This is is in some ways not surprising since it became a royal retreat in the C12th and remained a favoured summer residence of Portuguese Royalty ever since. The whole town has been UNESCO Heritage listed since 1995 because of its landscape and historical values.
Traditionally the home of Portuguese Queens, the buildings
here are much more decorative than those in Lisbon and having been in Moorish
hands from the C8th to the C11th there were still many
Moorish elements to be seen such as the Moorish gate and the ornate towers on
the National Palace which overlooked the square where we met. Even the tilework - called Azulejos, seen on many buildings in Portugal owe their origin to Moorish occupation because they brought with them the technique of glazing ceramic tiles and many of the geometric patterns associated with them. The purpose of the tiles is not purely decorative. They also protect buildings from the salt laden air.
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| Town Hall, Sintra - Crenellations, shutters and decoration may also be relics of Moorish occupation |
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| The Moorish Gate was part of the Moorish Castle complex and dates from the C8th or C9th century when Sintra was occupied by the Moors |
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| Typical Tilework and patterns on a cafe in the square |
I had heard that the gardens at the National Palace had recently been restored so we had a look at those first but they proved a little disappointing. Still, it’s not as if there was a shortage of palaces to choose from. The most popular one was undoubtedly the stunning Pena Palace with its colourful exterior and sumptuous gardens, but as we hadn’t booked we were unlikely to get in, so we headed for the remains of the Moorish Castle and hoped we might catch a glimpse of Pena Palace afterwards as they were in the same direction. Perhaps they’d have a cancellation.
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| Moss and Mist on the track to the Moorish castle |
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| Sophia and Lorena atop a rampart while I am enjoying a quiet rest on a (wet) mossy rock |
Even though it drizzled
throughout the walk and I couldn’t make it for the final assault on the castle
walls, it was lovely to be out of the the busy bustling city for a while and stepping back in time. Towards the end of our walk the
light drizzle turned into a deluge, putting an end to thoughts of afternoon tea and further explorations in Sintra.That, my friends, as we know all too well in these parts, is the price of all that greenness and lushness.
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