Portugal 2023

While in Portugal, we stayed in in a nice two-bedroom apartment known as Casa Alegre XIII. Here you can see the apartment and some of the immediate neighborhood.

We were staying in Sintra, a beautiful town just outside of Lisbon. It's known for it's climate and majestic castles. It was the summer destination for the Royals and Upper Classes for a long time. On Monday we took a walking tour with Francisco. He was super friendly, and his passion for his country and it's history really made for a great day!

Quinta da Regaleira is a quinta (Portuguese for estate) located near the historic canter of Sintra, Portugal. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra". The property consists of a Romantic palace and chapel, and a luxurious park that features lakes, grottoes, wells, benches, fountains, and a vast array of exquisite constructions. The best part though is the Initiation Well. Thought to be used a part of Templar Initiation Ceremonies, the well contains a 27-metre spiral staircase with several small landings. The spacing of these landings, combined with the number of steps in the stairs, are linked to Tarot mysticism. Other references may be to Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism or Knights Templar rituals. The smaller well contains straight stairs that connect a series of ring-shaped floors to one another. This well is also called the 'Unfinished Well'.

The Castle of the Moors (Portuguese: Castelo dos Mouros) is a hilltop medieval castle located in the central Portuguese civil parish of Santa Maria e São Miguel, in the municipality of Sintra. Built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries, it was an important strategic point during the Reconquista, and was taken by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147. It is classified as a National Monument, part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of course the only cloudy day of our entire visit, so visibility was a little too low to see all the way to the sea.

The Pena Palace (Portuguese: Palácio da Pena) is a Romanticist castle in São Pedro de Penaferrim, in the municipality of Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera. The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials. All of that being said, this one was kind of a bust for us. We were told that the interior of the castle wasn't worth the hours of waiting, so just get tickets for the grounds so we can see the outside of the castle. Evidently things have changed so the tickets we had only let us see the grounds, but not get anywhere near the castle itself. Live and Learn!

Only a quick 40 minute train ride from Sintra is Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. We spent two days there. The first day we did another walking tour, this time with Crespo who was just as entertaining and informative as Franciso in Sintra. We got to see the Guiness Book of Records certified oldest operating bookstore in the world, the Arch, the Elevator, and had some great homemade Ginja along the way!

Day 2 in the Capital. Did some shopping, had lunch in a great local place recommended by Crespo (you know it's good when the local cops all eat there!) and did some more sightseeing.

A collection of the snaps we all took while walking around.

More snaps from around town!

“Azulejos” is the Portuguese word for tiles. Its origin is Arabic, and it means “small polished stone”. Initially, all these tiles would be cut into geometric shapes and painted with very neutral tones. While we were walking around we took pictures of just a small sampling of these beautiful tiles, which cover just about every building you see. From simple patterns, to entire scenes depicting the lives of saints, or famous people, the Azueljos are everywhere. Usually hand-painted, the artistry is absolutely amazing.

Was able to find a pretty active Craft Beer Culture in Portugal. VIlla Beer & Bread in Sintra, and Crafty Corner in the Alfama Section of Lisbon both had some really nice stuff. Surprising since we were clearly in wine country.