July 12 2024 

Lisbon, Portugal

Today we took a drive to Sinta to see the Pena Palace.  It was in a smaller 

bus as the roads are very narrow.  And I mean very narrow!  The traffic getting 

out of Lisbon was like every other big city during commute time.   Sinta is 1700 

feet tall and was covered with mist and clouds as it is near the ocean.  The road 

up is extremely windy and very small.  The growth of trees and bushes is very thick 

and it makes for a dark misty ride. 

The Pena Palace is remarkable as it was built in the 1500’s and of course they didn’t have the equipment like trucks,  cranes, and earthmovers.  Everything was done by human power.  Sinta is a small town that the very wealthy people would have summer homes at because it is much cooler in the summer.  

We had to take a smaller crowded bus up the steep hill.  We were standing and holding onto a bar while crammed together with others.  The driver went so fast that I was holding on with both hands, leaning against the pole and I was still bounced up and down off the floor.   It was something else.  Then we had to walk up a very steep curving hill to reach the entrance of the Palace.  

The Palace is very well preserved with even furniture and wall coverings.  There are a lot of stairs that curve all over the place.  We walked through the entire Palace and was amazed.  King Ferdinand had this place built for his wife and 11 children to enjoy.  

                                          

                                                             

                                                                     

Here is a picture of a welcoming gargoyle.  There were a lot of symbols that were built into the structure of the Palace.

                                                   

We did a lot of walking on uneven surfaces again today.  All of Lisbon walkways are made with white 3” or so squares of limestone.  They are rough to walk on and also slippery.  It’s even more fun when the walkways are wet and on hills.  

Once we got down to the city of Sinta we had free time.  Bob and I went to a quiet restaurant and had goat cheese and veal carpaccio.  It was so good! 

                                                  

   

                                                                 

Since we had more free time after our lunch we decided to find a Port store and have a tasting.  The “Bar do Binho” called the House of Port was very quaint and filled with bottles of port.  We sat in a little booth and the owner proceeded to pour us four different glasses of port.  We had white, ruby and tawny.  He was very generous in his pours!  He then educated us on everything about Port you could imagine.  It was quite an enjoyable experience.  

                                                                                          

                              

   

We got back to the hotel and promptly had a nap. That felt good!  I am still waking up around 2-3 am and not going back to sleep.  But it’s getting better.  

  

Tomorrow we have an all day trip to get to Porto where we will board our ship for the cruise.  This little side trip has been very interesting and fun.  We’re glad we did this.  Lisbon is a very nice site with lots of history, interesting sites and good food.  

Hope you are all well.  We are!  BC and GC