Magical Land of Sintra
Trip Start
May 01, 2006
1
21
51
Trip End
Ongoing
Sintra, Portugal
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Its history in long and varied, but fascinating. Early Iberians made it a centre of cult worship, the moores built a castle upon the nearby hill(now fabulous ruins to explore), while the middle ages produced monasteries.
In town the Palacio Nacional de Sintra was first constructed in 1261, and then expanded thoughtout the 15 th and 16 th centuries.
My highlight of Sintra was the Palacio Nacional da Pena. Im sure this is where Walt Disnet visited as a child and got his inspiration from. If i didnt know this palace dated to the 16th century, long Before Mr. Disney was around, i could swear he created it for one of his movies. The palace was occupied by royalty until 1910 when Portugal became a republic. It rises up to the peak overlooking the town of Sintra, and is a fairytale land within itself, with towers, turrets goblin statues, drawbridges and arches.
