Showing posts from August, 2011

The Magic of the Mountain

Castelo dos Mouros, the Moorish Castle, has been on top of the mountain of Sintra for over 1000 years. When Portugal had its first King, D Afonso Henriques in 1154, it was used most for vigilance - never was it used for fighting battles. As the conquerers moved more southward, its importance was less and less, and it was left to ruin. The earthquake of 1755 did a lot of damage as well to what was left of it. It wasn't until early 1800's that King Fernando the 2nd started the restoration of this castle, erecting and fixing it once again, making paths from the Santa Maria area to it so that the people of Sintra could enjoy the mountain and the romantic aura that it provides.

In my morning paths I love to walk up to the Moorish castle. A round trip from Casa do Valle takes roughly an hour - including my stops for photos and a drink from the fountain. I also usually go with a dog, so it does keep my pace steady. And what a treat it is! Passing through the sleepy village, with…

Visiting the Park of Pena Palace

This summer has been ever so busy! We have had works in the property and I have had nearly no time to write the blog! Therefor I have asked some special people and guests to write about their Sintra experiences and share some interesting hints of what to do - that is not the most obvious to all the visitors. The first people are Siiri and Elena - two students on a budget visiting Sintra. Here is their experience up in the mountain, more specifically, visiting the Park of Pena Palace.
My friend Elena and I had the most magical time in the Sintra mountain. One beautiful day, we went to the town center and bought freshly made bread from a pastry shop and decided to have a picnic in the Pena Palace gardens, which apparently most people tend to ignore, only visiting the palace itself. We found a deal in the local shop for the entry tickets to palaces and gardens in Sintra which was 20 euros for each of us to get into practically all of the major sightseeing spots, saving us 18 euros. This…