Page 80 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION

and aahed, ducked our heads into every space, and
backtracked, oblivious to the lines.
Neuschwanstein became a public attraction soon
after Ludwig’s death, it took Pena Palace a bit
longer. After Ferdinand died, the Palace was used
by various countesses and royals until 1889, when
it was bought by the Portuguese government. It be-
came a museum in 1910.
Our route through the castle took us into rooms
and passageways, down into an expansive kitchen
area–still equipped with vintage cookware — and
around towers and battlements. (At some point, we
walked through a souvenir shop that featured
posters of both Pena Palace and Neuschwanstein.)
After a couple of hours we left the exuberant
palace for a walk through the blessedly serene and
bucolic gardens and woods at the base of the crag
— a walk that included ponds with ornate mini-cas-
tles and floating swans.
Once we reached one of the park exits, Job and I
decided to grab an Uber down to the center of Sin-
tra, while Jody and Ben opted to walk down on a
hiking trail. (You could you walk up to the castle on
this trail–if you were training for the Olympics.)
Our driver waited so long to pick up other riders
he dumped Job and me off in Sintra just as Jody and
Ben emerged from the trail. “Hey, we made it!” they
yelled as they walked down into the town.
Sintra has its own convoluted history and cata-
logue of ancient and picturesque buildings. But we
had other concerns.
After wandering a bit down through the town’s
narrow cobblestoned streets, we got to the central
square, dominated by the National Palace, a royal
residence from late Medieval times and now a mu-
seum.
At which point we grabbed an outdoor, umbrel-
laed table and ordered tapas and beer. We’d had
our fill of history, we needed lunch.

80 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2023