In the spring, Elva and I sailed to England to join a tour
of Wales. You may remember that we had
one day in Lisbon then and we chose to go to Sintra. Perhaps a mistake since it was the anniversary
of the 1974 Carnation Revolution and parades and parties were everywhere in
town. We didn’t know. At that time another visit was not in the
works. Also on that vast we only toured
the town and did not have time to go to the Pena Palace. So this time, making sure the Palace was on
the agenda, Ruth and I booked the optional tour.
I am so very glad we did.
Sintra is a suburb of the 2 million plus metro Lisbon city. Green lushness and cool mountains are a striking
contrast to the heat and congestion of the urban area. Palacio National de Pena
is a must see when you are nearby. The fairy
tale summer residences of Portugal’s Kings and Queens is a mix of Moorish and
Medieval architecture, as are many of the old town highlights. It was a respite and sanctuary from the summer
heat. When last I was there we went by
way of the scenic Estoril Coast stopping in Cascais, but this time we drove
right through the heart of Lisbon during rush hour traffic which was mercifully
heading into town. Still there were
backups on our side of the road.
Once we reach the Sintra environs we did not drive through
the city, busses cannot. The curving
road with many hairpin turns were designed for horses not 30 passenger coaches! If everyone had chosen to go I am not sure a
larger bus would have managed. Once we
reached a drop off area at the entrance we once again climbed a hill to a tram
stop. We all, 28, crammed onto the
standing room only space of the open top green transport. After leaving that we walked, up, up, up to
the palace entrance and climbed up a further ramp to the second level.
Here Nina met us after taking the injured Alex and some
others to an elevator. The domicile was constructed in the mid-19th
century by Ferdinand Saxe-Coburg-Gotha who as King of Portugal was known as Dom
Fernando II. The ‘artist king’ was much
like his cousin Prince Albert of England, Victoria’s husband and loved nature,
art and new inventions. All is
encompassed here. The childlike exuberance
of the palace is evident at first glance.
Inside it remains much as it was when still the residence of the
family. The extravagant, elegant Palace
of Pena was finally completed in 1885 and coincided with Fernando’s death. He did not see his lifelong dream completed.
Inside the bright pink, or yellow, or red towers which are either
round, or square or both, there is a collection of original and reproduction furniture
that is stunning. My favorite was the enormous
two part, traveling secretary. The
golden drawers and doors all locked and many with different keys! Much of the trompe l’oeil wallpaper was
painted by the King himself. Ornate
sculptures might be marble or faux marble.
Rooms with beautiful wood paneling have no wood in them at all. Heavy mahogany furniture is balanced by
delicate Dresden figurines. It is simply a stunning must see when you are in
the neighborhood!
Montserrat (of Portugal) is crowned by the magnificent
toyland structure but the gardens below are equally amazing. We viewed the
English gardens from above but did not have time in a half day tour to walk
through them. Refreshing enough was the
mountain itself with trees of full growth and wide variety. The Parque de Pena
surrounds the palace and hides the chalet the Dom had built for his second and
last wife Elise Hensler. This American
Opera singer followed Dona Maria II of Germany.
Elise inherited this palace and forced the disappointed children to buy
it back from her. This was true of
several palaces, convents, and gardens.
I think she must have been a really good singer, don’t you!
We would have liked to stay longer and explored more but
many wanted to for sure see the town.
Since I had seen that before I led our little group of four to the patio
of the church where we sat on the wall, away from all the hubbub, to enjoy a
quiet lunch. Then it was already time to
return to Lisbon.
In the afternoon there was an optional tour of the Baixa
district. After taking an hour to
regroup and recharge of phones/cameras Dorene, Dorcelia, Ruth, and I set out on
our own with our map to explore this district as our hotel sat right at the top
of it. We walked the cobbled street past
cafes and shops. On the main street
there were ‘living statues’ much like on Las Ramblas, in Barcelona. One was especially good. A cavalier who then posed with the Dors. A bride statue was really bad at it. Never stopped moving. I imagine it is a hot and boring job,
especially when the excellent gentleman is just beyond you and in line of
sight!
Beyond the arch that marks the beginning of Praca do Comercio
the broad plaza has been returned to some of its importance and is no longer a
parking lot. It is here that the palace
of Lisbon once stood right at the edge of the Tagus River in the glory days
before the earthquake of 1755. Now The
Atlantic is farther downstream and the land has been level. The new constructions on three sides of the
square were warehouses and offices for international trading. Now they are mainly offices for very type of business. Skateboarders practiced their skills, and most
need a lot of practice, horse drawn carriages invite you to ride as do the
tuk-tuks. We walked along the river’s
edge and spotted the Silhouette docked right where it had been las April. Ruth pointed out the forward cabin they had
below the bridge while Elva and I had been in the center aft balcony. No, we weren’t all on it at the same time.
I would have loved spend more time in the warm October sun,
watch the small boats go by and see the children playing. To stroll along some more and contemplate how
fortunate I am to be able to travel, see new places, experience new things and to
make new friends. But we were getting hungry so made our way back along
different streets and alleys. Dorene likes to shop and was looking for the wine
with which the hotel had welcomed us. I
was fascinated by being on a street that had a hint of 7th Avenue in
New York’s Garment District. A shop of
just buttons, or laces, or fabric, or yarn.
Bridal shops and knock off shops right across the street. So much fun to see and wander through.
Somewhere along the way we lost track of the girls and
headed back on our own. It is easy to
navigate the parallel streets and recognize the parks and squares in only one
visit. Our hotel name shown above the
builds in Figures Square so was easy to find.
We had thought the four of us would dine out together as a sort of
celebration but we did not meet up again.
After a while when we hadn’t heard from them we decided to go to the
Rooftop Bar for a drink and a good view of the Castle Sao Jorge as the daylight
faded and city lights began to sparkle. Some buildings even already had their
Christmas decorations lit.
We set out for the adventure of finding the rooftop. It was on 8 and 9! We got off the elevator on eight but after
going in each direction, did not find an entrance so we went up to nine. Again, although by the elevator there was an
arrow pointing, in one case in both directions, we did not find a door or
staircase labeled Rooftop Bar. We went
through an open Emergency Exit and believe it or not, that was the entrance to
a stair case that went up another flight to the 360° view from the roof of the
Hotel Mondial. No seating was available
so we went around a couple of corners and found a couch with a beautiful view
of the castle which I then photographed so that Ruth and I could pretend it was
a crown. I did this, and my Vodka
Gimlet, tall with ice, wasn’t even served yet!
The warm breezy summery night was perfect for looking back
over the journey we have been on. As
always all the people are very nice most of the time. This group was exceptional in that only twice
was anyone late to the bus. One group
was shopping and another misunderstood the departure time because it was so
different from every other day.
After about an hour we reluctantly went down to nine to go
to the Rooftop Restaurant. We didn’t eat
there because they wouldn’t be open for nine more minutes and they didn’t want
us to wait at the door. Weird. Down on one we had dinner in the Restaurant
Jardim. It wasn’t a garden although it
did have a potted plant to one side. The
staff was the rudest of anywhere I have been for dinner in what should have
been a nice place. But the food, the food was indeed adequate!
We were one of only two tables of people and were seated by
the kitchen door. I commented I would
prefer not to be there. The maître D’
said. “Oh no, Madam that is not the kitchen.”
He would not seat us elsewhere.
As the restaurant got more customers coming in and we could see tables
for four by the window with two people.
In one case they never looked up from their phones for the view, each on
their own device. And the door - it opened and closed continually as waiters
brought the dishes from the kitchen.
Next to this door was a large window where Ruth spent the evening
watching the chefs cook! When the meal
was over the waiter came and said, “Are you done?” He began to take up the plates. Then as he turned to leave, as an
afterthought, he asked did we want dessert. No, we did not. We wanted to be away from here as fast as
possible. We had waited so long for our
food that we almost left before it was served, and it was not well
prepared. Most of the Portuguese food we
found to be not seasoned even with salt!
We listened to music back in our room and YouTubed old songs
by certain artists that had come up during our walks and talks. Read our books, laughed a lot, and went to
sleep.
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