Victoria's Voyage

I woke up surprisingly refreshed, despite all the travelling and walking done the day before. My Tuesday in Sintra began with a gorgeous little continental breakfast buffet at the guesthouse. We were greeted with a smile and I even received a compliment on my outfit choice. Places were set around a single, large table – very homely – and on offer were all manner of breads, cakes, meat, cheese, cereals, fruit… anything you could ask for, really. I overloaded myself with too much bread in an attempt to set me up well for a long day ahead, a visit to the whole reason I first wanted to come to Sintra. Palácio da Pena.

Standing around 500m above sea level, this was not one to walk to. We headed down into the town to catch a bus, but before we could reach the ticket office, we were stopped by a super energetic tuk-tuk driver in a large cowboy-style hat. Opting to accept his offer of a ride up to the palace created a wholly memorable experience.

The driver was a little eccentric. He sped, then slowed, then sped up again, whipping around climbing bends as the seats beneath us rattled. He chatted a bit, but most of his attention was on overtaking anything he could. Mid-journey, he screeched to a stop, picking up someone he knew to get her to work more quickly. She was pleasant enough, squished in next to us, and leapt off a short while later. The man then started talking, almost to himself, until I noticed the phone in his hand as he continued whipping through the winding streets. Driving with him felt a lot like being on a theme park ride, and while there was a certain thrill there, it was equally as nice once it was over. We disembarked, moved to pay him, but we were no longer a priority. He took the cash absentmindedly, not even checking the amount, then offered no goodbyes or well wishes. Instead, he was talking to a couple of policemen, and it didn’t look at all like a jovial catch up. Asside erratic driving, we’ll never know what he did so wrong so make him pale so quickly at the sight of the officers.

The early morning mist was just about beginning to dissipate by the time we showed our tickets and headed in to the park of Pena. We started by heading up to the palace itself. Two of my party opted to walk, but a few steps up that hill was enough to convince me to abandon ship and cave in the allure of the shuttle bus instead. We reconvened at the top and honestly, the place looked exactly like it does in all the promotional pictures. The bold colours really pop against their forested backdrop, and there’s something for the eye to indulge in at every angle.

We opted for the park only ticket, which was for sure the right choice. The only thing we couldn’t do was go inside the palace buildings, and the queues to do so seemed endless. Our ticket still allowed us up on the terraces, as well as in the acres and acres of surrounding land.

Our next stop after the palace itself was even further uphill, to the highest point in the entire Sintra Hills, Cruz Alto, which translates to High Cross. The walk up was tough, but an achievement, following crude post markers and signposts to ensure we took the right of many labrynthine paths through thick shocks of beautifully tranquil woodland that made it hard to imagine all the people shuffling around the palace a relatively short distance away. The best part about reaching Cruz Alto though? We couldn’t go any higher, which meant the next part would be downhill. Hallelujah!

The Park of Pena is a complete maze, not supported very much by the folding map from the tourist information centre. Sometimes though, it’s alright to get a little lost. Especially when you’re enjoying peace and light birdsong in the woods, and stumble across one of the best views of the palace I’ve seen in my whole time in Sintra.

From the palace and gardens, we decided to work our way back down to town. The infamous tuk-tuk driver told us to take the Vila Sassetti Hiking Trail – and yeah, I wasn’t expecting what we found. In my head, I imagined more snaking roads gradually heading downward, but oh no, I should be so lucky. Instead, we had to get our hiking heads on and clamber down steep, uneven steps and over weathered rocks, challenging my already sore knees. The rough, narrow passage seemed to go on forever, until finally, a smoother, chip wood slope materialised, followed by the most stunning paved gardens of the actual Vila Sassetti, a considerably more pleasant endeavour and a better end to the voyage to swallow.

Lisbon called. So sadly, it was time to bid a fond farewell to Sintra. I’ll definitely be back someday though. Another train journey and we found ourselves back in the capital and heading to our next accommodation. Our Lisbon apartment is actually lovely, the decor suitably quirky in a super stylish way. I’m currently lounging in an attempt to help my aching feet to recover, after venturing out briefly to an Italian restaurant just five doors down from the apartment. We’ll have time to see more of the city tomorrow, after all. For right now, bed beckons, I think.