Sintra is a little northwest of Lisbon, about a 40 minute, above ground, metro ride. It is the home of one of the old vacation palaces and gardens, a castle that was built by the Moors, and the covenant of the Capuchins. Jared and I only had one day and since he had been to everything on his last trip 2 years ago, he suggested the palace and the gardens, and I am so glad he did! It was amazing! All our pictures are from the outside of the palace and the grounds because we were not allowed to take pictures inside. But inside was gorgeous! The funniest thing was that the “billiards room” or “ball room” (depending on which King was using it at the time) was right next to the King’s chambers and way on the other side of the palace from the Queen’s chambers! The kitchen was my favorite part! It was enormous! There was a room in the back that had 3 brick ovens, there were 2 huge stoves, and the whole place was decked out in all the old tins, moldings, pots, pans, knives, and bowls! I loved it! The gardens around the palace were beautiful! There were so many paths to choose from and a person could get wander around for a day and not see the same path twice! We choose the path that went by a bridge, a water wheel, a small chapel and the lakes. (Which were actually ponds with miniature castles for ducks!) All the paths were covered in moss and the trees were huge with random boulders everywhere! It was so much fun to just walk around with Jared. I loved it! The city of Sintra, down the mountain from the palace, castle, and covenant, is a cute little town! We took lots of pictures there too because the views, buildings, and streets were so adorable! Here are all our Sintra picture. This is definitely one of my favorite places that I have been too in my life! I loved it and we had a fabulous day there!
Evora is a town in the southern half of the interior of Portugal. It was an hour and a half bus ride there, but the bus was one of those fancy, comfortable buses and the ride was smooth and beautiful. We were able to see the countryside of Portugal with its rolling hills, neon green grasses, sheep, trees, and winery fields. We drove by the largest cork forest in the world on the way to Evora, so that was cool too. You may not know this, but Portugal is the largest cork supplier in the world. Anyway, the reason we wanted to go to Evora is because a group of monks that Jared studies were from there. The Loyos were the first missionaries in Congo and the leader of Congo, Alfonso, specifically chose them as the ones to be the first, but no one is sure why. Jared wanted to get a look at their church and old stomping grounds just for his own interest. But besides this, Evora is a pretty amazing town. It’s old wall is in perfect condition and surrounds the entire historic center of the city to this day, complete with guard towers! Also, Evora is home to the oldest Roman Temple on the Iberian Peninsula, the Temple of Diana. It dates back to the 2nd century and was magnificent to see! I mean, I have never seen anything like it! I took a ton of pictures of it! They are with the Evora photos, here. Evora also is home to “The Chapel of the Bones”. Apparently there are several 13th century chapels that were decorated in the bones of the dead, but not to the degree of this one. It was totally morbid, and at the same time, completely intriguing. The signs said that the chapel was a place of prayer and meditation on death and the transitive nature of life. I just thought of the Lord of the Rings, Return of the King when Aragon has to go to the mountain to get the dead army to fight for him. All the skulls and all the bones…anyway, there are lots of pictures of that too. Like Sintra, Evora was simply charming; every turn we took presented us with another beautiful cathedral, building, alleyway, house, or statue. I loved it there and advise everyone who goes to Portugal to take a day and visit this cute little city. (Oh, and Jared did get to see the cathedral of the Loyos, so the day was a complete success!)
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