Sintra, Portugal 辛特拉
July 19, 2024: We started early today to catch a train to Sintra. Due to incorrect information displayed on the screen, we ended up on the wrong train, which was heading in the general direction but stopping at a different station. Along with several fellow travelers, we realized our mistake in the middle of the ride and quickly hopped off to catch the right train. We finally arrived in Sintra before 9 am.
The shuttle to Pena Palace (bus 434) was conveniently located outside the train station. After a 30-minute ride, we reached the palace. Our ticket included transportation from the main entrance to the palace itself, saving us a 30-minute uphill walk.
Arriving at the magnificent Pena Palace a couple of hours before our time slot to visit the interior, we spent the morning exploring the outside. We were captivated by the breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding area and the colorful exterior and eclectic architectural styles of the buildings.
As the day progressed, more tourists arrived, and the place became quite crowded. Fortunately, it was time for us to enter the palace. Having visited many European palaces before, we found that this one, though beautiful, didn’t particularly stand out for us.
Next, we walked down to the medieval Moorish Castle, dating back to the 8th or 9th century. We climbed up the walls to the highest point, which offered an incredible panoramic view of Sintra.
We combined a bus and hike to reach Quinta da Regaleira, a Gothic-style mansion surrounded by lush gardens, enigmatic grottoes, and mystical symbols. Our main purpose was to see the Initiation Well, a spiral staircase descending into the earth, which was particularly fascinating.
After our visit, we took a train to the main train station to reserve seats for our next segment. We then headed to the shopping mall next to the station for a simple dinner. The food court offerings were more akin to the fast foods found in malls in the states, lacking various seafood and tapas bars. We guessed that salted fish, grilled shrimp, and cured hams might not be part of their daily diet. Instead, we had Brazilian pork and Pad Thai. On the terrace, people of different ages were dancing to DJ music, creating a lively yet peaceful scene. They certainly knew how to dance.
2024年7月19日: 今天我们早早出发，赶火车去里斯本外面的辛特拉（Sintra)。由于屏幕上显示的信息错误，我们上错了火车，虽然方向大致正确，但火车会停在不同的车站。和几位同车前往的旅客一起，我们在途中发现了这个错误，赶紧下车换乘了正确的火车。我们终于在早上9点前到达了辛特拉。
佩纳宫（National Palace of Pena)的接驳车（434路公交车）就在火车站外。经过30分钟的车程，我们到达了佩纳宫的公园门口。我们的佩纳宫门票包括从公园主入口到宫殿的交通服务，又省去了30分钟的上坡路程。
我们比预定参观宫殿内部的时间提前了二个小时到达，正好先在漂亮的佩纳宫外面游览。我们来的早，游客还不多，比较安静。佩纳宫色彩斑斓的外墙和精美的装饰绝对是个明信片的景点。除了王宫，附近还有城堡，庄园等历史古迹。
随着时间的推移，越来越多的游客到来，地方变得非常拥挤。但这时正好是我们进入宫殿的时间。可能是我们之前参观过太多欧洲的宫殿，一个比一个奢华，好像觉得这宫内并没有特别突出的地方。
接着，我们步行前往中世纪的摩尔人（穆斯林）城堡（Moorish Castle), 建于8、9世纪。我们爬上城墙的最高点，那里可以俯瞰辛特拉的全景。
我们乘公交车加徒步来到了雷加莱拉庄园，这是一座哥特风格的豪宅，周围环绕着茂密的花园、神秘的洞穴和神秘的符号。我们的主要目的是参观螺旋井，这是一座通往地下的螺旋楼梯，非常别致。
辛特拉一日游结束后，我们乘火车来达里斯本的火车总站，为下一段行程预定了座位。然后我们前往火车站旁边的购物中心，享用简单的晚餐。美食广场提供的食物更像是我们在商场里看到的快餐，没有各种海鲜和小吃吧，没有腌鱼、烤虾和风干火腿。我们吃了巴西烤肉和泰式炒河粉。
在购物中心露台上，不同年龄段的人随着DJ的音乐跟着台上领舞的一起跳舞，场面很热闹，他们确实很会跳舞。
