Sintra – Near Lisbon

Another day trip from Lisbon is the town of Sintra.  I believe the whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

According to Wikipedia, Sintra National Palace is the best preserved medieval Royal Palace in Portugal.  The earliest surviving part of the palace is the Royal Chapel, possibly built in the early 14th century.  Much of the palace dates from the early 15th century.  Additions were made over the years and it was restored in the 1940s.

     

  

 

  

              

 

        

  

         

                

 

 

The Pena National Palace stands on the top of a hill above Sintra.  This was my favorite.  It looks like it should be in a fairy tale. 

It started as a chapel.  Then a monastery was built in 1493 but it was destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake in 1755.

 

It stood in ruins until 1838 when it was acquired by King Ferdinand II.  He built the palace between 1842 and 1854.  In 1910 it was transformed into a museum.  Over time the colors of the façade faded to gray but the palace has been repainted and the original colors restored.

 

 

  

 

        

    

  

   There was a sweet palace cat too.

 

Castelo dos Mouros, Castle of the Moors, was built in the 8th to 9th century.   We enjoyed climbing all around these ruins.

  

I think this was the ruins of the Chapel of São Pedro de Penaferrim.

 

 

 

 

         

Old cisterns

 

Not sure what room this used to be but there’s a sofa carved out of stone.

 

  A“purrfect” day in Sintra!