Michael Powell's Blog, page 17

The Palácio Nacional de Sintra

The first of Sintra’s many palaces that you’re likely to spot is the one which shares its name. The Palácio Nacional de Sintra is located in the dead center of town, and everything else seems to radiate around and outward from the castle. Actually, that’s probably exactly how Sintra developed.

The first references to this palace date from the 11th century, when Sintra was under the dominion of the Arabs. Of course, a palace like Sintra’s doesn’t simply survive for over 1000 years without so...

A Week in Sintra

More from Our Trip to Sintra

Sintra | Palácio Nacional de Sintra | Palácio Nacional da Pena | Parque da Pena
Castelo dos Mouros | Chalet de Condessa | Monserrate | Convento of the Capuchos
Quinta da Regaleira | Cabo da Roca

With its castles, hills, fog and forests, Sintra looks as though it was ripped straight from the pages of a fairy tale. For centuries, this was the preferred retreat of Portuguese kings, and its beauty has been celebrated by legions of poets, painters and authors. In...

The Abandoned Restaurante Monsanto

In the hills just to the northwest of Lisbon is one of the city’s more unique viewpoints. Although the former Restaurante Monsanto has been abandoned for years, its circular shell has remained intact. You’re no longer able to order a delicious meal, but nothing is stopping you from enjoying the views.

We were surprised to see a guard stationed at the entrance to the restaurant. Visiting an abandoned site is supposed to be slightly illicit, but that’s not the case at Monsanto. The guard waved...

The Estufa Fria Covered Botanic Garden

We had been frustrated in our attempt to visit Lisbon’s Jardim Botânico, finding it closed for renovations. “Indefinitely”, as the bored girl behind the desk put it. But we had a back-up in mind: within the Parque de Eduardo VII is another botanic garden, called the Estufa Fria.

The Estufa Fria, or “Cold Greenhouse”, is comprised of three different areas, all protected from the elements by a large, permeable roof. It’s not really cold as in “refrigerated”; the name refers to the fact that it...

The Parque de Eduardo VII

Sloping upward from the roundabout of Marquis de Pombal, the Parque de Eduardo VII is a weirdly attractive green space in Lisbon. It’s simply a long hill in the shape of a rectangle, nothing outwardly special about it. But in this city, it’s all about the views, and from the top of the park is one of the best.

We’ve talked about the Marquis de Pombal before. A pivotal figure in the city’s history, he was responsible for the rebuilding of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake. He also instituted a...

Street Art in Lisbon

It didn’t surprise us to learn that Lisbon was home to a thriving street art scene. This is known as a somewhat anarchic city, with a large population of struggling, disaffected youth, and a fairly permissive culture. That’s the perfect combination for excellent graffiti: political, angry, sarcastic, weird and often beautiful. During the course of our stay in Lisbon, we’d discover something new every time we stepped outdoors.

We’ve highlighted street art in many of the locations we’ve visite...

The Praia do Ribeira do Cavalo

On the way back toward Sesimbra from Cabo Espichel, we pulled over to check out the beach of Riberia do Cavalo. After realizing that reaching the beach would require a 30-minute walk through the brush, we almost bailed; this was the final activity of our five-day road trip, and we were both tired. But we decided to tough it out… and thankfully so, because this beach was worth it.

There’s a lot to love about the Praia do Ribeira do Cavalo, from its fine yellow sand, to its gorgeous milky-blue...

Cabo Espichel

If you drive along the southern coast of the Setúbal peninsula all the way to the west, you’ll eventually arrive at the Capo Espichel, where the land suddenly ends, plunging into the Atlantic. A sanctuary and a lighthouse are found side-by-side on the cape.

Cabo Espichel currently has 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor. Just so you know. Because everything must have a rating, from restaurants to shops to cities to geographical features. Rate them all! Put them in your Top Ten! I don’t know why this ir...

Two Nights in Sesimbra

Although we spent two nights in Sesimbra, a beach town on the western side of the Serra de Arrábida, we never really had a chance to explore it in depth. We arrived late into the first evening, after touring the Arrábida National Park and sampling the wines of Azeitão. And our second day was spent driving out toward the west, to visit Cabo Espichel.

While in Setúbal, we had lived in luxury, in the boutique RM Guesthouse. But in Sesimbra, we had booked the most budget option available… and en...

The Quinta da Bacalhôa and Winery

Having completed our circuit of the Arrábida National Park, we found ourselves in the small town of Azeitão, known throughout Portugal for its fine wines and cheeses. Here, we would visit a summer palace, which was once home to royalty, and today acts as a small vineyard for the Bacalhôa wine company.

We parked at the Bacalhôa cellars, where the company’s shop and main offices are found, and signed up for a tour of the palace. There are a couple tours to choose from: you can visit the cellar...