Sintra, Portugal

Sintra was also high on the list of places that I wanted to visit in Portugal. It is only 40 minutes away by train from Lisbon, making it the ideal day trip. Surprisingly, there are a lot of gum trees (research later told me that they were planted for pulpwood) which was unexpected and made me think of Australia. Except the trees were thriving in the conditions as they were quite tall.





First stop was the popular Quinta da Regaleira. It was quite nice walking around the palace and the gardens and, although I thoroughly enjoyed Lisbon, it was a lovely escape from the big smoke.




There are a lot of stray cats in Portugal.

One of the much talked about portions of Quinta da Regaleira was the grotto and more importantly the initiation well. Stone steps lined the wall of the well which led down to the very bottom and opened into underground tunnels and caves. It is said that it reflects the Divine Comedy by Dante and the nine circles of Hell (since there are nine platforms). In short, it was very very cool.






I was a little disappointed with the tunnels; I thought they would be more mysterious and cooler.



Next up was Moorish Castle. Well, technically I never reached the castle (or even saw it up close) due to certain issues. I reached 3/4 of the way from the bottom of the hill and it was a very easy - although steep - "hike".


Outer wall.



Overall Thoughts
Sintra was still quite nice, however I had high expectations and thought it would be a lot nicer than what it was. Nonetheless, it is definitely worth a trip from Lisbon. Lisbon is an incredible city and is one of my favourite places that I have visited thus far. The food, the culture and the people* make the city very enjoyable.

Would I re-visit?
There are too many places I would love to visit in the world. So no. But it is still definitely near the bottom of my "no" list, therefore may possibly be a yes.

* Every time I went to the supermarket, the cashier always refused (well initially at least) to break my "larger" notes which was infuriating. It was a decent sized supermarket so I knew that they were capable. Simply unwilling. For example, a shopping trip that totaled €6.something and I attempted to pay with €20 bill.