Travels in the 2nd half

  When you say you are going to visit the town of Sintra, Portugal, you will receive a lot of recommendations of things to see and do. Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle are high on everyone’s list. To me, there is one ‘must see” place - The National Palace.     The roots of the Sintra National Palace date back to the Moorish era (800-1100 CE), when it served as one of two castles in the town. Its modern formation began in the early 15th century, under the rule of King João I (1357-1433). In 1415 he began construction on a palace that included 26 rooms. The National Palace became the second home for the royal family, when they wanted to escape the heat of Lisbon.    The palace includes some amazing halls, including the Grand Hall, called the Hall of Swans. This hall was used for banquets, concerts, and public receptions. The decorations are tied to Henry IV of England, who was the brother of João’s wife, Philippa of Lancaster.     Other great halls in...

  Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, and has been for hundreds of yers. But even its royalty needed somewhere to escape to during its hot summers. That place was the mountain town of Sintra. Sintra City Hall The town of Sintra has been tied to Lisbon since Roman times, but it was the Moors, in the 8th century CE, who first built a castle to protect their claim to the land. After the Moors were expelled from Portugal in the 12th century, the area’s fertile ground drew many of Lisbon’s Catholic brotherhoods to open monasteries around Sintra to help grow food for their city brethren. While the rich and royal of Lisbon maintained castles and mansions, it was after the earthquake of 1755 that Sintra really began to grow, as they looked for safer places to live. Catching the train at Rossi Terminal The easiest way to visit Sintra from Lisbon is to take a train from either the Rossio or Oriente terminals. Both trains are local, making many stops, and used by people getting to work or scho...