We started the day a little bit later than we expected, but found the local bus station in Cascais and hopped a bus out northwest to Sintra. This area is home to home upon home built in the romantic style, and it was one charming chalet after castle after another. Unfortunately this area really requires a week long visit at the very least, and we only had one afternoon.
One of the tour books says that the Pena Castle looks like something out of the movie Shrek, and we agree that it’s totally got a Far Far Away look to it. It’s not nearly as old as other European castles, thanks to the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 that left everything in the area a pile of rubble. Ferdinand II had the castle built upon the grounds of the monastery that originally stood there.
I found everything about the castle quite gaudy, but irresistible at the same time. The views from every corner were spectacular, and the color scheme kind of grew on you after a while.
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