Page 47 - WDT MAGAZINE PORTUGAL

two ridges in the mountains above Sintra. Built by gardens of the Pena Palace (Palácio da Pena) we
the Moors in the 8th century, the castle was taken could have shaved off a couple of miles. The colorful
by the Norwegian King and Crusader Sigurd in 1108 storybook palace is one of the best examples of
while he was on his way to Jerusalem. When the 19th-century Romantic revivalist architecture -
castle lost its strategic importance, it fell into almost worth the trek up the mountain to
disrepair for centuries. Efforts to rebuild and experience.
restore it continued off and on until the 1940s. Our guide dropped us off at one of the two main
Because of time restraints, we decided only to entrances to the national park which includes the
admire it from a distance. palace. We set off on foot through the vast maze of
The rest of our tour involved lots of walking, gardens below the royal residence, studded with
although if we hadn’t got lost in the vast inclined ponds and small structures sometimes referred to

46 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2019