Pena Palace, Portugal's Summer Palace

Located more than twenty kilometers west of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is a small mountain town - Sintra, a town covered with dense forests and shrubs in the continuous mountains. Around the town are Sintra Palace, Moorish Castle, Pena Palace, Monserrate Park Palace, as well as monasteries, museums and many other attractions. This fairy-tale-like town was listed in the 'World Cultural Heritage List' by UNESCO in 1995, and 'Pena Palace' is one of them. Pena Palace is located on a mountaintop, often shrouded in clouds and mist. It has been a summer resort for the Portuguese royal family since the 14th century. Until the 19th century, Prince Ferdinand and later Ferdinand II built this Moorish and Manueline style building. In my eyes, this building feels different from other European architectural styles. Perhaps the Portuguese kingdom was not as wealthy as it was in the age of great navigation in the 19th century, or perhaps the building materials and construction techniques have changed. The entire building is no longer like the European architecture of the past, with stone as the main material and a lot of carving. Instead, it uses cement to build shapes and uses color to set off the atmosphere of the castle. Of course, this may be another style or feature. I don't feel it's as exquisite and shocking, maybe I prefer Roman columns and domes, Gothic towers and Byzantine style buildings, which seem more domineering. But Pena Palace is still popular with tourists, especially young people think it's more colorful for travel photography. Its location on the mountaintop makes it look taller and more spectacular, more imposing. From its viewing platform, you can overlook the scenery below the mountain, which is pleasing to the eye. The interior decoration, layout and furnishings, I think I like it more than the castle's exterior, it does not lose the style of the royal nobility, luxurious and comfortable. Compared with Beijing's Summer Palace, a strong sense of life comes to the face, more like a noble family's residence. Perhaps it is the summer residence of the royal family, not a place to handle government affairs. And the blue mosaic decoration and the patio arches used in the decoration have a deep Islamic style, which is closely related to the fact that Muslims ruled the Iberian Peninsula for about 400 years. Most of the visitors here are day-trip attractions, departing from Lisbon, and connecting with Roca Cape, first touring Sintra, choosing one or two attractions, and going to Roca Cape to watch the sunset at the westernmost point of the Eurasian continent in the afternoon. I think it's worth staying in Sintra for one night, because several attractions and gardens plus Roca Cape, even if you rush to check in, the time is very tight. There are many guesthouses on the mountain that have history and are very characteristic of the times. Perhaps they were once the summer villas of Portuguese nobles. The gardens in the courtyard are exquisitely maintained, and staying for one night is also a unique experience. Pena Palace and Pena Garden have a package ticket of 14 euros. Because of the navigation, I went directly to the back of the palace on the top of the mountain and walked directly to Pena Palace through a small road, skipping the garden, saving time and garden tickets. Friends who drive by themselves pay attention, I was guided by a Portuguese with a sign hanging on my chest to park in a vacant lot in the mountain the afternoon before, asking us to take a shuttle bus, 20 euros per person, feeling like a scammer, driving away, because of the one-way line Directly down the mountain, I simply visited other attractions first, and went up to Pena Palace the next day. The host of the guest house that night said that those people have been stopping tourists' cars at the intersection for a long time to deceive people. In Portugal, except for the police, you can ignore others, and if you don't let go, you can choose to call the police. Hehe🤭, I learned another trick. Travel is always encountering various emergencies on the journey, learning knowledge and gaining experience in solving problems. With some pictures, it may give you some inspiration for your itinerary.