Ciao Readers!

So, if you’re anything like me, you get back from a nice vacation with the “real world” already knocking on your door – whether in the form of a nasty cold, tons of voicemails, or a new home repair task…..

Before I totally lose the magic that was Portugal, I wanted to share some photos of a super quirky, beautiful, eclectic site – Pena Palace in Sintra (about a 45 minute train ride from Lisbon). I think this website describes it aptly: “The palace is a hedonistic mix of vividly painted terraces, decorative battlements and mythological statues, all of which stand at stark contrast to the lush greens of the Parque de Pena forest.”  The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its existence goes back to the Middle Ages. I will spare you the entire history here – but what started off as a chapel, turned into a monastery – which was then battered by all sorts of things, including lightening and the great quake of 1755 (which destroyed much of Lisbon) –  and was eventually acquired and greatly added to by King Ferdinand in the mid 1800’s. It was commissioned to be a summer palace for the Royal family and was modeled, in part, on castles likely seen in Germany. Just to be quirky they decided to add some Medieval, Islamic, and other decorative elements to the palace (notice the Moorish tiles, the minaret-ish tower, the Triton gateway…..). We had read that the outside was much more the draw than the inside, so we bought tickets to the surrounding park (which also lets you access the scary-thin terraces surrounding the palace) and wandered around marveling…..returning down the very steep hill by tuk tuk (with a driver that knew where we live – Albuquerque  – through Breaking Bad – “Ah, Sim, Pollos Hermanos!!!”), for just a few euros more than the packed city buses.  All in all, a lovely last full day in Portugal: