Portugal 2016 - Lisbon and Sintra


Amarelo da Carris, Lisbon Portugal
    
To save money I took the bus from Málaga to Lisbon via Sevilla. It was an eleven hour trip in total and by the halfway point I wished I'd forked out the extra few euros for a flight. Arriving in the early evening, the first bar I discovered was Pensão Amor. With its decadent vintage decor it's an interesting, sumptuous setting. The risqué artwork in the R. Nova do Carvalho entrance hints at the neighbourhood's colourful history and might even dissuade the fainthearted from entering. In the morning I rode the Gloria Funicular up into the Bairro Alto to take in the views from Miradouro de são Pedro de Alcântara, and spent the next couple of days wandering through the historical centre seeing the hotspots. To get a better feel for the wider area I walked along the Tagus out to Jerónimos Monastery, passing under the Ponte 25 de Abril en route. Although the outside of the monastery was gorgeous, I didn't get to see the inside because the queue was huge. So I headed over to the nearby Padrão dos Descobrimentos which offers panoramic views of the district. After a good look around the capital I took a day trip to Sintra. It's a pretty little town surrounded by lush countryside, and the region boasts a number of palaces and castles. I visited the Quinta da Regaleira and enjoyed the fairytale gardens despite the overcrowding. Then on to Pena Palace, which again was nice from the outside but had a queue so long I chose not to hang about to see the inside! The last stop was Cabo da Roca, the most western point in mainland Europe and an amazing place to watch the sunset. Overall it was an excellent trip, but I'd like to return outside of high season to try and beat the crowds.

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