castelo de são jorge

After the tricked out palaces of Sintra, the shell of Castelo de São Jorge – or St. George’s Castle – is a bit of an architectural come down.  (Although it must be noted that this former fortress has borne witness to the entire sweep of Portuguese history: from the Iron Age through to the Phoenicians, Romans, and Moors.)  Occupying the highest hill in the city, the views from the citadel survey the wide expanse of Lisbon, as you’d expect. That alone makes it worth the climb. That and the peacocks.

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cascais by night

By the time I left Cabo da Roca the light was fading fast, so it was no surprise when the bus dropped me off in Cascais in total darkness.  My guidebook, alas, neglected to highlight this little seaside town, so I was in the swim without a map, so to speak.  I had heard that Cascais was practically a suburb of Lisbon; a charming Hampton-esque escape for the moneyed classes.  But in the dark – without a map or a clue – the charms of town were difficult to pin down.  After a few minutes walk, I stumbled across the train station and yippie: a large map was posted on a billboard outside.  Thanks to the trusty iPhone I was able to snap a picture and use it to navigate my way towards the seafront and the pedestrianized part of town.  There I had the fresh fish dinner I’d been craving:  a whole snapper baked in salt, along with two bottles of amazingly cheap – and delicious – wine.  Belly sated, my curiosity for Cascais, however, wasn’t exactly satisfied. One day I’ll have to return and see it with the lights on.

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cabo da roca

The area around Sintra is blessed with great public transportation – thankfully, since I don’t drive.  From the center of town I was able to catch a bus out to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of both mainland Portugal and continental Europe. There’s not much here, save a lighthouse, a cafe, and a gift shop that sells official looking diplomas certifying your visit to what 16th century Portuguese poet Luis de Camões described as the point “where the land ends and the sea begins.” (Yes, thank you – I bought one.) And of course, there’s the ocean:  in every direction and as far as the eye can see.  Staring out at the water it’s quite easy to imagine how people once believed the world was flat.  Or that there couldn’t possibly be anything out beyond the great expanse of water.  During the great age of Portuguese discoveries the Cape was known as the Rock of Lisbon – the sheer rock face rises dramatically out of the Atlantic Ocean – and served as a landmark for Vasco de Gama returning from India, and Ferdinand Magellan after circumnavigating the globe. As luck would have it, I arrived just in time to catch the last of the daylight  – after half an hour the sky turned a flurry of pink and lavender as the sun set over the ocean.

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life’s too short to drink bad wine

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on the steps of the palace

The only surviving Portuguese palace which can be traced to the Middle Ages, the National Palace of Sintra is smack in the heart of the historic town. It’s two distinctively over-sized funnel chimneys distinguish an otherwise unprepossessing exterior.  (At first glance I mistook the building for another, wondering why a handful of tourists were lined up in front of the local power plant.) It’s provenance can be traced to the time of Islamic domination thanks to a historical reference by an Arab geographer in the 10th century. Unlike the Moorish castle up the hill which was used for defensive purposes – not Pena Palace but another one called Castle of the Moors; Sintra, didn’t I tell you?, is coming down with palace castles – the National Palace was built as the official residence for the governors of Lisbon, hence it’s demure exterior. When Lisbon was reconquered in 1147, Sintra surrendered and the Palace became the property and residence of the Kings of Portugal, who built and rebuilt for 800 years, adding towers and extensions up until the monarchy was dumped in the early 20th century. It’s a hodgepodge, to be sure; but a beautiful one, with jewel box interiors that belie its simple facade. The painted vaults of the Swan’s Room are a perfect example of the Portuguese baroque, or Manueline, style.  Off the central patio is the theatrical Bath Grotto, a sort of cold room that was later decorated with tile panels and rocaille stucco that holds an ingenious system of water spouts hidden in the grouting seams. The Coast of Arms room is one of the most important heraldic rooms in Europe:  the peak of the eight-sided vault is a clear allegory of King Manuel’s power, showing the Portuguese coat of arms surmounted by a winged dragon and flanked by the arms of seventy-two families of Portuguese nobility.  Tradition has it that fleets setting out or returning from Africa, Brazil or India could be seen from this room, which has a westerly view over the Atlantic. On the lower level is the 13th century Palace Chapel, one of the first additions made by the returning Kings. The ceiling is a magnificent combination of tile paving and frescoes.  As was customary in attempting to avoid the risk of fire, the kitchen was at a safe remove from the other rooms.  Some six hundred years later those funnel chimneys are still up to code, moreover, and the kitchen continues to be used for official banquets.

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they call it ginja

We interrupt our sightseeing for a quick beverage break – yet again. Ginja is a Morello cherry liqueur popular across Portugal as an aperitif or midday pick-me-up.  Here in Sintra I found it served in a chocolate cup, although typically it comes in a shot glass with an alcohol-soaked piece of fruit at the bottom. Tastier than Robitussin, you’re still not going to find it taking up precious space on my liquor shelf.  As a taste of Portugal, however, I’ll raise a toast to anything served in dark chocolate.

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pena palace

Consort to Portugal’s Queen Maria II – and cousin of Bavaria’s “mad” King Ludwig – Don Fernando II built Palacio Pena in the 19th century atop a ruined monastery perched on the summit of the highest hill in Sintra. Overlooking a vast expanse of countryside, the view – on a clear day – extends all the way south to Lisbon.  Influenced by the romantic and eclectic tendencies of the time, the Don oversaw the creation of a revivalist palace incorporating artistic styles from antiquity to the Renaissance, while entwining art of the Far East with Arab-style domes and minarets.  In short, he built himself the ultimate over-the-top fantasy castle; a worthy rival to Neuchswastein. Almost as dramatic as the castle are the surrounding gardens; a remarkable project of landscape transformation Lord Byron likened to “a wonderful Eden.” Initially barren at the time, the hill was turned into a 200-acre arboretum of historic gardens, grottoes, fountains, and lakes, imbued with the same Romantic taste for the exotic so evident in the palace.  It’s all terribly dramatic and hauntingly beautiful; a testament to the Romantic ideal of man’s supremacy over nature. Pena has spoiled me, I think.  It’s what I always imagined a fairytale castle should be.  And more.

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piriquita, chiquitita

Among the cafes and pastelerias in Sintra, tiny Piriquita is a legend. It somehow manages to accommodate a non-stop bustling trade in the center of town while maintaining a relaxed and congenial atmosphere.  Most visitors opt to get their pastry to take away, but I sat at a table to watch the parade of people  – and a random pigeon that flew in looking for table crumbs – come and go. It’s also a bargain:  two cortado and two queijadas for a whopping 3 euro left me with enough change to try the almond pastry, travesseiros, and a walnut-topped mystery ball that tasted like farina soaked in honey. I got the feeling they would have let me nurse my espresso for hours, had I desired. But enough with the coffees and pastries – there’s still far too much to see.


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smitten with sintra

Sintra is hands down one of the most beautiful towns in Portugal.  A mix of sumptuous royal palaces and beautiful landscapes, it’s beyond picturesque; breathtaking views over the countryside stretch all the way to the coast. Primitive Iberians were so bewitched by the area’s natural wonders that it became a place of cult worship – christened Sintra, Mountain of the Moon, after the Celtic goddess. The summer escape for Portugal’s crowned heads, Lord Byron described it as “a garden of the earthly paradise.” Also known for its wine growing and marble quarrying, Sintra has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. However, the town’s real treasures are also its most unassuming: the many cafes – little oases of  daily repast – and their traditional confectionery, like queijada de Sintra, bite-sized cheesecakes made from queijo fresco, a kind of cottage cheese. Sightseeing has never been so restful – nor tasted so sweet.

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a monastic moment

From my balcony at Penha Longa I can see orange trees in the foreground and the lone figure of Michael, the Archangel, atop a cupola. Yet it’s not some distant church, I discover; it’s the Monastery of St. Jerome on the grounds of the hotel. The history of Penha Longa and the Monastery is inextricably linked with the history of Portugal.  Founded by Friar Vasco Martins in 1355, the historic structure was built in 1390 when King Joāo sponsored the purchase of the site for the burgeoning order of Hieronymite – or hermit – monks. The small monastery thrived, increasing its domain thanks to the grace and favor of various Kings and Princes who often stayed for long periods, preferring the cooler micro-climate of Sintra to the heat of Lisbon. In the 16th century, King Manuel built a small palace next to the Monastery as a weekend getaway for the royal family.  The Manueline style, a late-Portuguese Gothic which we’ll see a lot more of once we get to Lisbon, can still be seen in the buildings that survived the great earthquake of 1755: the Sacristy and the main entrance to the Convent, and in both the arched ceilings and twin portals of the Palace. In 1584, the Monastery played historic host to the first European visit by a Japanese delegation. (Two tiles, recently unearthed on the property, depict the visit and can be seen in the hotel’s lobby.) With the expulsion of all religious orders from Portugal in 1834, however, the compound’s days as a functioning monastery ended. The property was abandoned and left to its fate, before being purchased at auction by Viscount Olivais, Count of Penha Longa.  It passed through a shifting series of private hands until it became part of a newly built hotel in the 1990’s. Now it’s one of the more unique highlights available to guests at Ritz-Carlton’s Penha Longa property. (I mean, come on, how many hotels come with their own monastery?) The soaring spaces house majestic conference and banqueting facilities, acres of rejuvenated palace gardens with fountains, reflecting pools, and dovecotes make for inquisitive strolling, and in the former royal palace you can still get the king’s treatment at the luxurious Six Senses Spa.

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bom dia, portugal

It’s Mediterranean Month here on the site, with March trips to both Portugal and Spain. (Technically, I guess that makes it Iberian Month, but that’s not nearly as euphonious, n’est-ce pas?) Curiously, this is my first trip to the Iberian peninsula, so I am excited to see what’s in store:  the food and fado of Portugal, the art and architecture of Spain.  And of course, all that glorious Iberian ham.  For now, I think I’ve made the right choice in eschewing the city to start my travels in the lush Sintra countryside at Penha Longa, which traces its origins back to the 14th Century.

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