Oh, Sintra. What a beautiful and magical place. We pretty much loved everything about this region.
Sintra is lush and green. At the heart is a historical town filled with palaces and crowned with a Moorish Castle.
Our first stop was Palacio Nacional da Pena (Pena Palace), built by King Ferdinand II in the 19th century.
The woods around Palacio Nacional da Pena are filled with gardens, water features and plant specimens selected by King Ferdinand II.
Part way through our walk through the woods we scrambled up a few boulders and found a perfect spot for a picnic.
And then continued just a little ways more and found ourselves in a cloud and at Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors).
The fog made it extra mysterious, but we did miss out on what would have been some amazing views.
The next day we took a break from the castles and palaces and went to the beach.
Within 30 minutes in multiple directions from the palaces are several beautiful beaches. We chose Praia da Adraga.
The boys were ready for some serious play.
And we found a perfect spot for another picnic.
Then it was back to the palaces. There are so many in this region and we just didn’t have enough time for all them. We decided to make Quinta da Regaleira The last one we’d see in Sintra.
This mansion sits on an enormous piece of property with extensive gardens filled with endless surprises. At first Oliver was not particularity interested in seeing another historic building. That quickly changed.
Everyone’s favorite part was the pozo iniciático, the inverted tower.
And the tunnels and caverns that led from the bottom.
But there was so much more to love.
Look carefully in each tower
We had three full days in Sintra, but I think we could have used a week, or maybe a lifetime.
Adrift in Andalucía 
Brilliant coverage. Really fun to read and learn about your trip. And the pictures are fantastic. Love it. !! Dad
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