Lisbon's Manueline Architecture - Jeronimos Monastery & Sintra

Day 2 turned out to be a fairly busy day since I packed in more than I anticipated. We begin by making our way to the Jeronimos Monastery located about 20mins west of Lisbon city centre. Mentioned in almost every article I read about things to do and see is Lisbon, it was a must do and rightly so. A short bus ride later (or if you wish to take a tuk tuk for 15) we reached the monastery to find ourselves at the end of a very long queue. But don't let that deter you from seeing this place as it is worth the wait and truly the line does move quickly. 

This massive monument took over a 100 years to completed having begun in the 16th Century by replacing a Church that played host to Portugal's famous Vasco Da Gama before his expedition to the Orient. A world heritage site and one of Portugal's most prominent examples of Manueline style of architecture, I highly recommend a visit here when in Lisbon. 

Entering into the cloister, you are taken aback by the intricate work unique to the Manueline style where columns, arcades, windows are adorned with complex ornamentation. There is a sense of piece when you walk along the corridor and can imagine the contemplative monks strolling along secluded and peaceful listening to the sound of a fountain and perhaps some soft music. 

A good hour later, thirsty and bit hungry we head over for a restful lunch in Belem (Portuguese for Bethlehem). I really wanted to try Enoteca De Belem a small, hidden and popular spot, unfortunately though we couldn't get a table so I do recommend making a booking if you have planned a trip to Belem. Nonetheless we had a lovely meal at Floresta de Belem, their grilled fishes are the best bet coupled with a cold beer and you are refreshed as ever from the summer heat. 

Not having a clear plan for the rest of the day and being very much in the mood to see and explore more, my quick research tells me exactly where I am to head next - Sintra! Oh Sintra - the photos alone were enough incentive for me to make a long journey there. And even though I knew I may not have time to see a lot of this fairytale land, I still wanted to take the risk. So I take my leave of my friends (who wanted to have a more relaxing afternoon) and I hop on a bus and then on a train and land in Sintra. 

I had no clue how I would make my way around this town with only half a day to explore, but fear not, they are very well prepared for tourists, I have a group of kids ready outside the station eager to explain how I can explore this Royal Escape in the time I have. Now there are many many villas and castles to see in Sintra and I would totally recommend staying in the town for a night or at least dedicating a full day to it so you can explore more but hey I'll take what I can get. So buying my 5 euro ticket, I wait for the Hop-on / Hop-off bus that takes you around the castle circuit.

I knew the one palace I had to see even if I couldn't see the others and so Pena National Palace is where I head. Now, all the castles and villas are spread across a hill which is also a national park, so as the bus starts its journey from the station, I get to see the town centre at the foot of the hill before its starts its winding journey up. It's a gorgeous view, every turn you take you catch a glimpse of some massive structure peeping out from behind the forest covered area. 

Passing through the Sintra National Palace, the Regaleria Palace (the one I was debating between) and via the Moorish Castle I finally reach the Pena Palace literally 10 mins before the ticket counter closes (6pm). Short of time I pay the extra 3 to get into a buggy that will take me directly to the entrance of the castle. Hidden behind the many loops of the road leading up, my breath is literally taken away when I first set eyes on this multi-coloured enormous castle. I kid you not, it is literally out of a Disney / Grimm brothers story, see for yourself below because no matter how I explain this, it wont do it justice. 

Walking through the interior of the castle, you see the amazingly decorated rooms, the cloister from the old monastery is still intact and you have to do the walk of the fortress which takes you all around the castle with some absolutely stunning views of the hills, the Moorish castle in its view as well as the town of Sintra far below. 

After spending the full 2 hours that I can, I am forced to leave as its closing time. The journey back was no easier than the way here, but I made friends with two New York girls and that made the trip back a lot more fun. We had to walk all the way down to the station cause the queue for the hop-on bus was mental and well I had to get back to Lisbon to catch up with the girls. A good 30 min walk down hill in flip flops along cobbled streets got us there with a half hour to spare before the next train, which only means its time enough for a quick glass of vino. Finally we are on the one hour train ride back to Lisbon. 100% totally worth making the trip even if I only got to see one of the numerous castles and it took forever to get there and back :) 

I caught up with the girls in the apartment, a quick shower later we made our way to this adorable restaurant they had spotted - Canto da vila. I think this was my favourite meal - delicious green wine, chilli garlic prawns and their cod fish main. And so our 2nd day came to an amazing end and I was totally prepared for a relaxing beach day.