Sintra City and Pena Castle

There is this wonderful castle about an hour outside of Lisbon up in the hills.  It is very Moorish in design and we were able to go through it, although no pictures were allowed inside.

I was fascinated by the walls that look like they are covered in spikes.

 

When I think of a castle this is what I have in mind. 

This is the first impression as you arrive.  It was a Monastery first and added onto when it became the quarters of the Royal Family.

As you can see, there is a view all the way to the ocean from Pena Castle.

This is a view of the city hall in the town of Sintra.

First Time in Portugal

 

We took a short Spring Break and flew to Lisbon for three days.  We really had no idea what to expect--first time for both of us.  One of the first things we discovered was that there are no "really old" buildings in Lisbon because a devastating earthquake leveled the city in 1755.  Next, I think I had forgotten from my history classes, that the history of Portugal is all about Navigation and Discovery.  This beautiful Belem Tower sits on a river which flows out to the Atlantic Ocean.  It used to be on an island in the river.

At the front of this monument to Portugal's navigators is Henry, the Navigator.  Then they had to choose only 32 of the other significant Discoverers to depict with him--not the least of these, Vasco de Gama.

This is the gateway into the city from the water. Every street and sidewalk that we saw was of tile.  Better wear flat shoes.

We were happy to take one of these cable cars up the many steep hills whenever we could.

Panoramic view across the city to Sao Jorge Castle.

I'll finish our trip to Portugal next post---