Today is our day trip to Sintra, Sintra is a short train ride away and has always been where the elite of Lisbon escape for some fresh air. It is a place of fanciful castle and palaces set amid lush gardens and mountain landscapes.

Lucky for us, the train to Sintra leaves from the Rossio train station, so we literally walked 20 feet to the train. The Lisbon Card included train transport to/from Sintra, so we didn't need to buy a ticket. Unfortunately the morning dawned misty, foggy and drizzly, so we weren't sure how that would impact our trip.

We boarded the train shortly after 8am, and by 8:45 were at the Sintra train station. The train was very clean and comfortable -- again, Portugal has impressed us with its great transportation infrastructure. From the station it was about a 20 minute walk to Sintra town from where, theoretically, it was possible to walk up to the major sites of the Moorish Castle and beyond that to the Pena Palace. However, from the train station we could see the Moorish Castle way up on the mountain top, and could only imagine how much more effort it would take to get to the Pena Palace which was even further up in the mountains, completely out of view from the train station. So, we decided to wait for the first circuit bus that for a little over a euro takes passengers up to these sites.

We had time for a quick cafe con leche and soon we saw a Korean tour bus group get dropped off at the bus station. We joined them for the white knuckle bus ride up through the town, past the Moorish Castle, and finally to the Pena Palace. We bought our discounted ticket and boarded another small bus that for 1 euro took us from the ticket office up to the entrance. It was another steep climb, so well worth the 1 euro!

The Pena Palace is as magical and whimsical as a castle should be -- bright red and yellow turrets jutting high up from the highest hills above Sintra. The palace was constructed by the same architect who build the zany Neuschwastein Castle near Munich in Germany. The palace is a mesh of Moorish, Gothic, Renaissance and Manueline architecture and is really quite a challenge to describe. Look at the pictures! We toured the inside of the palace including the courtyard, displaying opulent and luxurious furnishings.

Unfortunately it was still quite grey and drizzly, so the pictures of the palace from outside don't do it justice. However, later on in the day we were lucky and got fabulous views in the sunshine from the Moorish Castle, which was our next stop.

After the Pena Palace we toyed with the idea of buying an umbrella, but decided against it and walked downhill through some pleasant gardens to the Moorish Castle entrance. After a reasonably tough uphill walk through lush forests, we reached the entrance of the castle. From here, we were free to climb up on the walls and ramparts and check things out. We totally lucked out and the rain cleared and the sun emerged -- so views from the castle over Sintra, up to the Pena Palace, and out to the sea were magnificent. We got a lot of practice taking panaramic shots with our cameras!

When done we decided to walk down from the palace to the center of town where we would visit the National Palace and get something to eat. The walk DOWN was very very tough on our knees. We saw many poor souls walking UP to the castle from Sintra -- they really should have sprung for the 1 euro bus!

By the time we reached Sintra it was after midday, and hordes of tourists had descended on the town. A far cry from when we were there several hours earlier. We were really hungry so we stopped for lunch at Piriquita Cafe. The service was blah but it was here that we had our first introduction to a Portuguese specialty -- bacalhau. Bacalhau is dried and salted cod and although it doesn't sound too yummy, it holds a special place in the hearts of the Portuguese. Here we had it in a crepe and it was simply delicious!

After lunch we strolled down to the gorgeous National Palace. We saw this from above at the Moorish Castle -- the 2 white chimneys are unmistakable. This is the oldest surviving royal palace in Portugal, and although we first balked at the steep entrance fee, we were very glad we ponied up the 10 euro each. The rooms in the palace are characteristic and very interesting -- first the swan room, then the magpie room. There was a nice courtyard followed by the magnificent King's bedroom and the very memorable Stag Room (also known as Heraldic Room) with its incredibly beautiful ceiling. We were told that this is the western most room in the western most palace in Western Europe. Pretty cool.

Although after the National Palace visit we were really tired and our feet were starting to ache, there was one place we wanted to try and see before heading back to Lisbon. About 1 mile west of Sintra is the Quinta da Regaleira. At first we were going to take a bus, but realized it was pretty close and decided to walk.

Quinta da Regaleira is a gothic mansion built in the early 1900s that includes a huge and mystical garden with water and tunnels running throughout. The highlight is bottomless well that we descended down and then exited to another part of the garden using the underground tunnels. A great place to explore and feel a bit like Indiana Jones (except for the hoards of other tourists there).

Finally we made our way back to Sintra town and since we had nearly an hour before the train left, decided to walk the pleasant 20 minute walk to the train station. This was an incredibly long day with lots and lots of walking, so we were definitely starting to feel the effects on our poor feet! And the day isn't over -- this evening we have reservations at 8pm to take in a Fado performance.

The train ride back was uneventful, and we had just enough time to take a shower before heading to Sr. Fado's in the Alfama. This place was highly recommended on TripAdvisor for a great home cooked meal and a lively fado performance. Fado is a genre of song that describes the woeful fate of the Portuguese. Women would typically sing these songs when their husbands were out at sea. The singer is accompanied by a 12 string Portuguese guitar. We were very much looking forward to the performance.

To get to Sr. Fado, we walked to the 28E tram and took that to Largo Santa Luzia and then used the GPS to find our way to Sr. Fado. The very gracious host Duarte took our order (we opted for the fish stew) while Marina cooked away in the back. Duarte and Marina's daughter helped with the serving. Reservations are essential as there are only 12 tables. The food was delicious and after everything was served, the Fado began. Only at this time did we realize that Duarte, Marina, the daughter and a male cousin were the singers! Duarte played the Portuguese guitar and also did some singing. The daughter and the male cousin were excellent, but Marina, after finishing all the cooking, came onto the floor and belted out the fado like there was no tomorrow. It was a truly amazing experience and should be a must-do for anyone visiting Lisbon.

By the time we left Sr. Fado it was almost midnight (they were still singing!), and it seemed the metro had stopped running. So we made our way to the main St Appollonia train station and found a cab who took us home. Although it was late, we fancied a little snack, and stopped at the nearby Liberty Cafe for some drinks and live music. The band was singing classic American tunes and served as a nice contrast to the fado we heard earlier in the evening.

We slept well after an incredibly busy day. We have another early start tomorrow as we head out of the Lisbon area to visit the town of Evora.