By Millie Midwinter
Pena Palace and its surrounding garden stands high up in the hills overlooking Sintra just to the west of Lisbon. The site originally housed a small chapel dedicated to to Our Lady of Pena, built during the middle ages, and later monastery, constructed in 1503 on the orders of King Manual I. Unfortunately the 1755 Lisbon earthquake severely damage the monastery and it was left to decay. The colorful Palace today was designed by and constructed on the orders of King Ferdinand II- known as the the King-artist for his love of art, design and architecture. The Pa,lace is a fusion of Gothic Manueline, Moorish and Romantic styles.
I also have a love of beautiful, intricate and unique architecture, partially why I chose to visit Sintra and Lisbon. To reach the Palace I arrived through the Lake entrance, after climbing up narrow pathways in another garden before. I realized this was not the main entrance used by most tourists who came to visit on a day trip (I was staying in Sintra for a few days to try to see everything). Immediately, I was greeted by a small castle like structure in the center of a lake. More lakes followed, families of ducks ambling across the shimming surfaces. There is is path to the palace, this is consistently marked, as well as other attractions within the gardens, such as the Chalet of the Countess of Edla and Cruz Alta. Its easy to get lost in these magical gardens, which contain a wide array of exotic plants and tress imported by Ferdinand II from across the world.
While the walk from the Lakes was a tranquil experience, cool due to the unique micro climate of of Sintra, the Palace itself was incredibly busy. To enter the palace you have to buy a ticket online or at the gate with a specific time slot. I really enjoyed the central courtyard area, with beautiful pastel blue and green geometric = tiles covering two floors. The rooms themselves each had a unique artistic theme to them, and were vibrantly and colorfully decorated across all walls and ceiling, with decorative and practical furniture the King had curated.
After eating the the Palace’s cafeteria I wondered though to a large courtyard with signs advertising other attractions in the park. I was drawn to visiting Cruz Alta, and figured as I had walked up so high to get here, I may as well make it a proper trek .It is a large stone cross at the highest point int he area at an altitude of 529 meters. The trek to get there was exhausting, albeit though more gorgeous woodland scenery. The Panoramic views were well worth the effort.
While heading back down towards the Lakes entrance,I spotted a tranquil garden area, with a greenhouse and arbor. Unfortunately I found the gate at the Lakes entrance had been locked, which I was not aware would happen. I had to climb over the wall to get out!
The next day I planned to visit the other two attractions within the hills – The Chalet of the Countess of Edla, and the Moorish castle .
