Second stop in Sintra.
As I said before, our time in Sintra felt like one of those old Choose Your Own Adventure paperbacks. After finishing The Adventures of the 9th Century Moorish Castle, we traveled further along the bus route to Pena Palace. It was time for The Tale of the 19th Century Portuguese Palace.
Pena National Palace is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and a very popular spot with tourists. I mean, look at it. The color alone is enough to get my attention. According to Wikipedia, the palace is one of the best examples of 19th Romanticism in the world. That’s pretty impressive. This is also where I wish I knew much more about architecture.
The palace was constructed by Ferdinand II during the mid 19th century. His aim was to build a summer residence for the royal family. Well done. Personally, I think I would be quite happy spending a summer or two in the palace. Currently, the palace is used as a venue for state occasions by the government.
In addition to visiting several rooms in the palace, visitors are also welcome to stroll throughout the surrounding Pena Park. This would have been lovely on a warm summer’s day, but not so enticing on a chilly late March afternoon.
It was walking back to the train station that I started to notice I really wasn’t feeling well. I just could not get warm. However, it took me being bundled up in our hotel room later that evening to realize I had the chills… and a dreaded fever. I spent the evening trying to speed along my recovery by watching Blue Bloods cozy in bed. It didn’t work!
xo, jill
Nooo! I hate getting sick on trips.
The last time we went to India I came down with a cold on the airplane. The rest of the week I was a real mess. No fun!