Day 9: Sintra

We returned to the lovely Rossio train station to take one of the earliest trains to the nearby town of Sintra. It was a short taxi ride up a steep road, followed by a short (also uphill) walk through the surrounding wooded grounds to get our place in line for Pena Palace, which luckily was behind a couple who’d hired their own English-speaking guide. While the visit was self-paced, lingering behind the couple helped me appreciate what we were seeing as we walked through the rooms and courtyards. It was built by King Ferdinand II (who married into the Portuguese royal family) using his own fortune and on the ruins of a convent destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. And as a Romantic who loved the arts, he brought in multiple architectural styles to evoke different times and places–Gothic, Moorish, Manueline, etc.. The interiors were mostly Victorian, and it was interesting to get a glimpse into what their daily lives were like in these private spaces. Attempting to take photos in the courtyard and seeing the long line as we walked out made me appreciate the early start. Overhearing another guide as we walked to the next stop, I learned that the surrounding forest included trees King Ferdinand had brought in from all over the world, making it one of the most important arboretums in Portugal. 

Pena Palace--a riot of colors and styles

Cloister of Pena Palace, reflecting it's prior life as a convent.

Grand Reception Room

Ferdinand II's bedroom

Balcony at Pena Palace

Inner courtyard of Pena Palace--note the crowds on the left trying to get their photo shoots without other people.

View towards the Moorish Castle and the ocean from Pena Palace.

Intricate carving in the Monumental Gate

Moorish Gate leading up to Pena Palace

Our next stop was the nearby 10th century Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle), with the now-familiar story of a hilltop castle built under Islamic rule until the conquest of Lisbon in 1147 when it became a Medieval town before being abandoned. The views were fantastic, and with all the steep climbs up and down the fortress walls along the ridgeline I was happy to stop often and soak it in.

The Moorish Castle--we climbed every step and wall you see here.

From there we went a bit down the hill to Quinta da Regaleira, a 20th century palace most famous for the grounds. With a flair for the dramatic, they built grottoes and fake cave networks into their hillside gardens with a maze of paths to entertain guests. The most famous part, requiring the longest line, is an “Initiation Well”, spiraling down into the ground. 

Looking up from the bottom of the Initiation Well

Fake grotto at Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira

Tile background at Sintra Palace

Sintra itself is quite small, so we didn’t stay long in the town, but I finally succumbed to all the ceramic shops we passed and picked up a pair of dinner plates to bring home. It was nice taking the train during the hottest part of the day back to Lisbon, and relaxing for a bit at the hotel before going downtown near sunset. Dinner was more Bifana at Beira Gare, and more Pastel de Nata sampling, this time at Fábrica da Nata. And capping it off, more sauna!

Arco da Rua Augusta

Sunset on the Tagus River

Another great place for Pastels de Nata

All of the metro stations had tile art; naturally the map one (also the stop for our hotel) was one of my favorites.

Day 8: Porto to Lisbon

We stopped at a nearby bakery in Porto for breakfast pastries before hitting the road for the last leg of our drive, back to Lisbon. This time, we opted to take the toll road which meant a little less local color, but compared to the winding roads and going through towns on previous legs, it shaved hours off our drive. I’d found the LDS temple was close to the airport, so we stopped by just before returning the car. It’s in a newer neighborhood that seemed quite nice, but I was surprised to see no fence around the grounds and how close it was to the street. It became a little clearer when I saw someone carrying their groceries, as locals apparently use it to cut through on foot when running errands. The roads around the airport felt chaotic, so it felt great to drop off the car. 

Lisbon LDS Temple--this is practically the view from our parking spot.

Our taxi driver waited for us to check in and drop off our bags at the hotel before dropping us off at the top of Castelo de São Jorge (mercifully saving me from another hill). While we stood in line on the narrow cobblestone streets outside the grounds, our first glimpse was a splash of color, courtesy of the peacocks that wander the grounds. Inside, this was more about connecting to ancient roots than modern splendor. The site has been inhabited since at least the 2nd century BC, and it seemed like a who’s who of ancient civilizations had occupied it before the Portuguese in the 1100s: Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors. Archaeological digs and historic interpreters in medieval garb helped to highlight this history, and after climbing a few towers and walking the walls, their museum helped connect the story through the objects they’ve found over the years. Plus, it’s hard to beat the view from this hilltop! 

View from Castelo de São Jorge. That bridge in the background is Lisbon's equivalent of the Golden Gate Bridge, and to the left is their giant statue of Christ.

Castelo de São Jorge--you can take a walk on the castle walls.

Archway in Castelo de São Jorge

Archeological dig in Castelo de São Jorge, revealing the centuries and civilizations who've lived there.

Artifact in the Castelo de São Jorge museum.

We started the Rick Steves walking tour from here and started making our way down the hill and towards the waterfront, stopping along the way for some incredible raspberry and passionfruit sorbets at a place called Alice. Arriving at Praça do Comércio, the town square on the waterfront, we were surprised to see bleachers being set up and the main statue fenced off. It turns out the Lisbon Marathon was that weekend, which would be exciting but we weren’t sure how this would affect our plans. Heading away from the water, we took a brief side trip to visit Sant’Anna, a tile company that’s been using the same hand-painted techniques since 1741. It was fun selecting a small tile to bring home to remind me of the gorgeous mosaics all over the country we’d seen.

Sé de Lisboa, (Lisbon Cathedral). You can get a tour of the city in those antique-style cars.

View from the Baixa neighborhood looking back to Castelo de São Jorge and Sé de Lisboa in the Alfama neighborhood.

Back on the walking tour’s route, the audio commentary helped me appreciate the change from the narrow, winding roads of the older Alfama neighborhood to the Baixa neighborhood’s wide, straight streets. It seems the norm in most places now, but the Baixa was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 and this approach to rebuilding (led by a guy named Pombal with a military background) was novel at the time. It’s also where I started to appreciate the stone patterns in the sidewalk, called Calçada, made of black basalt and white limestone. It was a novel and beautiful solution to all the rubble left after the earthquake. A tour stop was Confeitaria Nacional, one of the oldest pastry shops in Lisbon, and it was fun perusing all the cases for a selection of cookies and pastries to sample later.

 

Our next stops were more somber, including the Igreja de São Domingos church, built in 1241 but rebuilt after a fire in the 1960s, and a small monument outside the church marking the massacre of Jews there in 1506. Just up the block was Rossio train station, only built in the 1800s but in the intricate Neo-Manueline style evoking Portugal’s glory days in the 1500s. On a quiet side street just around the corner from this bustling area, we ate delicious rotisserie chicken with piri-piri sauce for dinner at a place called Bonjardim. 

Rossio train station

Bonjardim's rotisserie

After dinner we walked to the nearby funicular with the lofty name Ascensor da Glória, and rode it up to Bairro Alto for the view and to stroll that neighborhood and continue the walking tour. An important stop was Manteigaria to sample their Pastel de Nata and watch how they’re made. Hot, fresh, and with an extra dash of cinnamon it was hard not to be impressed! Back at the hotel, I was delighted to discover their pool also included a sauna and a bade pool (think hot tub with different jets to target different muscles). Such a fat and happy end to the day. 

Ascensor da Glória

Sunset view over Lisbon's hills from the botanical garden

Tiled facade in Barrio Alto

Watching them make Pastel de Nata at Manteigaria

Day 7: Picturesque Porto

Our day in Porto started at the train station, with its gorgeous tiled arrival hall depicting idealized scenes from Portugal’s history. 

Loved these "modern" train panels reflecting the era when the train station was built.

One of the numerous murals in the Porto train station.

Even with timed tickets, a crowd had already formed our next stop to get in the moment it opened. Livraria Lello bookstore opened in 1906, and is the self-proclaimed “most beautiful bookstore in the world.” It was definitely beautiful, with the architecture looking like something out of Harry Potter. Indeed, I learned JK Rowling was teaching English and living in Porto when she came up with the idea for the Harry Potter books, so it’s not so coincidental after all. They charged admission just to see the inside, but counted it towards a purchase, so I carefully selected their printing of “The Little Prince” (in English)--a beautiful story that would also be relatively light in my purse the rest of the day.  

The outside of Livraria Lello (the line to get in queues across the street).

Inside Livraria Lello

The staircase in Livraria Lello

Livraria Lello's whimsical architecture

After getting our fill of the inside, we stopped for pastries at a nearby cafe before beginning the day’s walking tour ala Rick Steves. An early stop was the Chapel of Souls, most famous for its blue and white tile mural on the outside walls.

We stopped here for breakfast

Was struck by the vibrant color of this fountain's griffins.

Side wall of Chapel of Souls

Porto's town hall (and an amusing queue of people insisting on not having anyone else in their photos)

Then the big climb of the day came from Torre dos Clérigos, a church built by the Brotherhood of the Clerics. At 225 narrowly winding stairs, its tower had a commanding view of the city–and some very impatient tourists behind us once we got to the top. Coincidentally, we left the tower just as the church started an organ recital in their chapel, providing a live musical accompaniment to the pink and frilly baroque decor.

Torre dos Clérigos

Chapel in Torre dos Clérigos, just before the organ recital

Normally I try to eat at local places when I travel, but we had to make an exception for lunch at McDonald’s Imperial. The chain took over a grand coffeehouse from the 1930s and kept the decor when it opened in the 1990s, so it’s the fanciest McDonald’s I’ve ever visited. They had a fairly conventional menu, but I opted for something we don’t have on the menu back home: soup.

Entrance to Imperial McDonald's

Interior of Imperial McDonald's

Golden soup at the golden arches.

After purchasing timed tickets and a short stroll along the waterfront, we returned to Palacio da Bolsa, their former stock exchange and commercial association headquarters. That might sound drab, but the interior was gorgeous, highlighting Portugal’s trade partners over the last century, and indeed felt like a palace.

Interior of the Stock Exchange; the gold squares at the top are Portugal's major trading partners in the 19th century.

One of the rooms in the Stock Exchange, highlighting industry and the trades.

The Arab Room, still used to impress distinguished visitors.

Detail of the Arab Room.

I’d heard Porto’s cathedral was where religious pilgrims walking the Camino from Portugal to Spain start their journey, so we rode a funicular up to the hilltop church. It was nice, but honestly by that point we’d been spoiled by so many churches and so much architectural beauty that it felt just average for the country. 

Porto Cathedral

On the other hand, the double-decker bridge Ponte Luís 1 and its views were so beautiful that we walked across both decks. From the upper deck it was a short walk on the other side of the river to Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, which was closed but had great views overlooking the town. Unfortunately it also had some of the least-talented street performers I’ve ever heard–never been so tempted to take the mic just to help them with lyrics.

Ponte Luís 1

Homes along the Porto waterfront

Crossing back to the north side of the river, we walked to a place called Conga to try Bifanas, a Portuguese sandwich made with thin slices of pork and their signature sauce. The restaurant was basic, but the service was good and the food even better!

Our sandwiches were so delicious that I forgot to take a photo, but here's the place mat.

Dessert was a nice stroll away at Majestic Café. It would’ve been worth a stop just for the gorgeous interior and delicious pastries, but coming back to JK Rowling this was allegedly one of her favorite spots during her time in Porto. And with hot cocoa and an ambiance like that, I don’t blame her. It was a lovely end to the day.

In front of a cafe frequented by JK Rowling

Interior of the Majestic Cafe