After reading the article about Monserrate, I felt inspired and went to Sintra in a Sunday afternoon. We left the car near the Town centre, and started our walk up the mountains. We decided we would visit Pena Palace and for some time we regretted not going by car, but given the exercise, the view and the aromas it was worth it. We arrived at the ticket office and chose a pass valid for 30 days, which includes the entry in Pena Palace, Capuchos Convent, Moorish Castle and Monserrate Palace. Past the entry gates of the Pena Palace, hunger striked, so it was necessary to reestablish the energy deposit, and since there weren’t many options, we went to the Palace cafeteria.
Big, simple, harmless colors, a pretty view, the prices less attractive… After charging the batteries we entered the Palace. With its romantic, at times gothic, architecture, we were really surprised with the state of conservation, from the tiniest detail of the wall paint to the furniture and the silverware. A labyrinth of chambers, each with its function, the Palace seems to have preserved the smell of past lives.
One wing in particular caught my attention: the Deer Room, circular, white, empty. The only elements of decoration were the diffferent deer heads stuck to the wall. This hall had the function of welcoming the party guests and was never used for that purpose, altough at the present it is possible to rent it for events, exhibitions, etc.
After seeing the inside it was time to check the outside. We looked into every terrace in every possible perspective. It is possible to reach, right there at the end of the horizon, the far off-lands, the yellow of the beach sand, the infinite blue of the sky, and the luxurious green of the mountains.
The afternoon passed by in a hurry and since the park closes at 6pm we rushed to the exit. Even so, it still allowed for a quick glimpse of the fauna and flora of the gardens: lots of fuchsias and hortensias fill the space and we even found some newts in little lakes of stagnated waters.
The walk downill was refreshing and invigorating. To warm us up we went to Estrada Velha once we arrived at the centre, to drink lemon tea and eat a big french toast.
And this was how we opened the hiking season.
Pena Palace
4 km distance of the historical centre, inside Pena Park.
Estrada da Pena
2710-609 Sintra
Phone: 219 105 340
Estrada Velha
Adress: Rua Consiglieri Pedroso, 16
Sintra
Phone: 219 234 355
