Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 621

May 15

1) Onto our second day in Lisbon. Woke up bright and early, before boarding the train to Sintra - considered part of the Portuguese Riviera, and another registered UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had breakfast at Cynthia Snack Bar, before taking the bus all the way up to our first stop - Palácio da Pena (Pena Palace). Known as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal, the castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains, and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th century Romanticism in the modern world.

2) We then walked to The Castle of the Moors - a hilltop medieval castle built by the Moors in the 8th or 9th centuries, as an important strategic point during the Reconquista. Its location on top of a hill afforded a beautiful panoramic view of the municipality of Sintra. We finished our morning trek by taking the bus down to Palácio Nacional de Cintra (Palace of Sintra), a present day historic house museum. We stopped by Casa Piriquita, as famous for its travesseiros (puff pastry with almond cream filling) as Pasteis de Bélem would be for its pastel de nata. The taste is simply indescribable - one should experience it first hand XD

3) Afterwards, we walked down to the train station to return to Lisbon. My dad had found a hidden gem for us to have lunch (Ristorante Zé da Mouraria) - one that is privy only to locals - somewhere in Praca Martim Moniz. We had huge portions of salt and pepper ribs, accompanied by beans and rice, chips, and salad. It was a huge and filling meal after a tiring day's walk. But our day was not complete yet. Our next stop after lunch was Castelo de São Jorge (São Jorge Castle), another Moorish castle occupying a commanding hilltop, but overlooking the city of Lisbon and the River Tagus.

4) After taking our fair share of photos, we proceeded to Lisbon Cathedral - the oldest church in the city, which began construction in the year 1147. Along the way, we stopped by Miradouro de Santa Luzia - famous for its romantic terraces against a backdrop of houses, churches, and the River Tagus. As evening was fast approaching, we hurriedly took a ferry across the River Tagus, with the intention of visiting Cristo Rei (Sanctuary of Christ the King), which was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Unfortunately, admission had closed by then, so we could only take pictures from the outside. Upon returning back to the mainland, it was time to walk back to our accommodation, capping yet another (extremely) tiring yet enjoyable day. But not before we had savoured the gelato at Amorino, located along Rua Augusto. One medium-sized cone was enough to melt all the fatigue away!

5) That's all my tired fingers can type for this blog update - thanks very much for visiting my blog, and have a lovely day ahead. Cheers! :))

P.S. As usual, a lot of photos so do enjoy... <3