Most of my family and friends know that when I travel I like to visit places that are listed in my book “1000 Places to See Before You Die”. When I first decided to head to Portugal, I read about Sintra, the “fairytale” village near Lisbon, west towards the coast. I quickly concluded… it was a MUST see. And it didn’t let me down! From the time we drove into the Village, along winding narrow lanes, bordered by giant ancient trees and rock walls that were covered with ivys and moss …all at least 1000 yrs old, we knew we had stepped back in time at least 5 or 6 centuries. The lush landscapes and numerous palaces built on the sides of the mountains were breathtaking. The cool, general climate had made it a favorite summer residence for the Portuguese kings for more than 500 years.

In the 1800s, King Ferdinand transformed a former monastery into the Peña Palace. He also had the Park of Peña planted with over five hundred species of trees and plants originating from around the world. The Palace of Pena was designated a National Monument in 1910 and is part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, which has been classified by UNESCO as World Heritage since 1995. Cissy and I spent most of our day admiring the palace and its surroundings. Kinda like being in fantasyland.

Exhausted from walking, we we finally sat down to eat something. Cissy was asking the waiter what cut of meat was this …pointing to something on the menu. He quickly answered “cow”… we got a good laugh.

Even in a small village like this, we learned Uber is the cheapest and quickest of all transportation. So to celebrate our final evening in Portugal, we grabbed an Uber and headed down to the coastline. After a quick stop to admire the gigantic waves breaking against the rocks, we settled in for an amazing dinner at Azenhas do Mar. The iconic restaurant is built into the cliff side…where you’re served fresh delicious seafood in a glass room jutting out over the ocean. Perfect finale to our Portugal visit. Hopping on the Marrakesh Express tomorrow… to explore Morocco.