We started off to Sintra later than I would have liked, as it was quite a way from Lisbon. We passed through the city itself first, which I wished we had more time for as it looked very nice. We saw a very cute tiny car on the roads. It was something you could rent. It has four wheels, and could seat two people one behind the other.
When we got to the actual park, there were a lot of parking spaces, but as the weather was nice and it was a weekend in July, a lot of people trying to find a space. It took us almost an hour to actually put the car down finally.
There was a long line at the ticket office as well, but meanwhile I got a map and plotted out the route we should take. Once inside, we were hungry, and had a sandwich at the buffet. That's when we began the long trek to the Chalet. It's a nice route. Took us through the Valley of Lakes, a part with horses, and some nice streams.
We finally reached the Chalet, but needed to pay extra to get in. It was interesting to read about the history of the building downstairs. It almost completely burned down, but thanks to donations, it was being built back up. There were some rooms still being done, but it was beautiful. I really loved the ceilings and walls with the wooden inlays.
Then came the long climb back up to the castle. However, it was worth the climb, as I really loved it. The colours are great, and some of the wall is covered by tiles. We went up to the buffet for a bite. It was very dirty up there, with a lot of trash. However, the view was lovely, so if it was cleaned up better, it would be a lovely place to sit.
Then we went around, exploring the castle. Going through the inside was slow going, as there was an Asian group that we couldn't avoid. I generally really dislike groups, as they always manage to stand just in front of things that I want to take a picture of, or hold me up, or something like that. This was sort of okay, I guess. Outside, the weather was getting worse. The wind was picking up, and there were dark clouds coming.
We left the park, and got back into the car, off to Cabo da Roca. That is the Westernmost point of Portugal. The weather was getting worse, and I wished I had brought longer trousers. By the time we got the point, it was really bad. The wind was blowing, and the sand was going everywhere. It was in my eyes, my mouth, my nose. Little rocks pelted my exposed legs to the point that it actually hurt. I only wanted to take a few pictures and then be on my way. Of course, that wasn't the case. However, I did end up discovering that if you went into a little restaurant in the resting area, by the souvenir shop, then that was protected from the weather, and had nice views.
Soon after we finally went back to the hotel. I was exhausted and not really in the mood for dinner.
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