It 
was interesting revisiting a city after being so impressed with it 
only a year before. Our highlights last time were the food and a small town about a hours train trip away called Sintra, so our first day we got up early and headed to Sintra. This is amazing as it is full of amazing castles, palaces and villas. We headed up the hill along rocky paths to the Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros) which provided views of the village and surrounding countryside (image 1).
was interesting revisiting a city after being so impressed with it 
only a year before. Our highlights last time were the food and a small town about a hours train trip away called Sintra, so our first day we got up early and headed to Sintra. This is amazing as it is full of amazing castles, palaces and villas. We headed up the hill along rocky paths to the Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros) which provided views of the village and surrounding countryside (image 1).Unfortunately the weather changed while we were 
exploring the castle so we got quite wet and nearly blown away (image 2). We retreated down the hill and decided to visit the Palácio Nacional de Sintra which dominates the town with its two giant chimneys. The palace was full of beautiful tile work, expensive tapestries and elaborate furniture (3).
Much to my delight Lyn and Kevin suggested
we go to the Museu Nacional do Azulejo or tile museum. The Portuguese are famous for their painted tiles and the museum had examples of Portuguese work and work for other regions spanning centuries. I was particularly interested in all the processes used. Who knows, maybe I’ll start making tiles when I get home. The museum was also a lot of fun due to full size copies of some of the works that you could put your face behind (4).
After the museum we headed to the port region to have a look around. It is very impressive with a huge sculpture in the middle of the plaza and then a huge archway that leads onto the main shopping strip (5). We caught a tram from here up to Belém, a suburb of Lisboa jam packed with galleries and museums but more importantly Pastel de Belém (Portuguese custard tarts). I had been looking forward to gorging myself on the pastries since we arrived in Portugal and they were just as good as I remembered. From the bakery we headed to the Monument of Discoveries and the large church. When we got back into town it was a little too early for dinner so Lyn and I hit the shops. Lyn did very well and has
a whole new summer wardrobe to go home with.
exploring the castle so we got quite wet and nearly blown away (image 2). We retreated down the hill and decided to visit the Palácio Nacional de Sintra which dominates the town with its two giant chimneys. The palace was full of beautiful tile work, expensive tapestries and elaborate furniture (3).Much to my delight Lyn and Kevin suggested
we go to the Museu Nacional do Azulejo or tile museum. The Portuguese are famous for their painted tiles and the museum had examples of Portuguese work and work for other regions spanning centuries. I was particularly interested in all the processes used. Who knows, maybe I’ll start making tiles when I get home. The museum was also a lot of fun due to full size copies of some of the works that you could put your face behind (4).
After the museum we headed to the port region to have a look around. It is very impressive with a huge sculpture in the middle of the plaza and then a huge archway that leads onto the main shopping strip (5). We caught a tram from here up to Belém, a suburb of Lisboa jam packed with galleries and museums but more importantly Pastel de Belém (Portuguese custard tarts). I had been looking forward to gorging myself on the pastries since we arrived in Portugal and they were just as good as I remembered. From the bakery we headed to the Monument of Discoveries and the large church. When we got back into town it was a little too early for dinner so Lyn and I hit the shops. Lyn did very well and has
a whole new summer wardrobe to go home with. One last tourist attraction on Kevin’s list of things to do was a ride on the tram up to the Fado district (6). The ride was quite entertaining as cars were parked on the side of the road and were obstructing the path of the tram. The driver had to ding his bell until someone arrived to move it. We had a look at a few bars but they all wanted €15 before you had even walked through the door. We headed back down the steep hill and called it a night.
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