Sintra

We had decided that there were three places that we wanted to visit in the Sintra area and, amazingly enough, we managed to get to all of them.  We set off for an early start, to avoid the crowds but, thanks to our friendly Google maps, ended up taking a few detours throughout the day - wrong way down a narrow wide road, via the mountain that we had just spent two hours return walking and trying to take us through a track that had locked gates!  Needless to say there was some colourful language from the driver!!
The Airbnb host gave us a tip about some free parking which proved to be a perfect spot to walk from.  O
ur first visit was to the Paliacio de Pena a Romanticist cast standing high about the township. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.  The climb took just under an hour but it was interesting walking trough the residential streets as we climbed.  Unfortunately the weather wasn't kind and we had low cloud and drizzle most of the way.  As with most places in Europe, it was a heaving mass of tourists and we decided not to go inside, but walked around the walk and  visited the chapel.  The colours and style made it seem almost like a Disney castle.
Once we had retrieved the car, we decided to head out to the coast to avoid the crowds and for a picnic lunch.  We drove about 20 minutes to Azenhas do Mar which had a small sandy beach, including a pool that is filled at high tide, and stunning cliff faces.  There was a lot of development along the coast with many new houses.  Most of the older ones have been restored and looked stunning with their white paint and terracotta tiled roofs.  There were very few people and we enjoyed the sound of the waves and the sunshine in relative peace.
Late in the day we visited Quinta da Regaleira.  The decision to go late was a good one as the crowds had definitely decreased.  The property is also a World Heritage Site and consists of a palace, chapel and park, including lakes, grottoes, wells, fountains and other constructions.  The palace is also known as the Place of Monteiro the Millionaire, after its original owner.  The Initiation and Initiatic wells were stunning.  We didn't have time to walk to the bottom, but even looking down into them was amazing.  We ran out of time to see everything, but even the small part of the castle we managed to visit was beautiful.
Back to the apartment for homemade toasted sandwiches which Ella said tasted like home!  Sintra is definitely worth the visit, a stunning area.