We are now in the fairytale town of Sintra, Portugal. Home to castles extraordinaire located 50 minutes northwest of Lisbon. We really like the change of scenery from a noisy city to a smaller town nestled in the forested hillside. While castles and palaces crown the top of the hill, quaint, colorful restaurants and art galleries line the cobblestone streets under the warm glow of the lamp posts below. We didn't realize how much we have been missing our conifer and deciduous friends. Being surrounded by trees and hearing the sound of crunchy fallen leaves underfoot is a pleasant reminder of home. This has been our first taste of a fall that is familiar to us.
After we unpacked our bags in our new place, we headed straight to the Quinta da Regaleira, an enchanting palace that looks like it would house the Addam's Family. This palace is an infant in European castle years having only been built in 1905, but it looks like it has been around for centuries. The mysterious property has had many owners, but today's structures were the vision of Carvalho Monteiro. He was a wealthy eccentric Free Mason and entomologist who dedicated many years of his life studying insects in Brazil and Europe. His pentagon-shaped property contains a maze of wooded trails leading to a palace, chapel, lagoons, grottos, towers and an extensive underground tunnel system that connects two multi-story underground wells.
While exploring the property, we went down the eerie Initiation Well, which leads you through nine platforms representing the nine circles of Dante's Inferno. As we descended the spiral staircase, the temperature dropped and soon we found ourselves in an underground tunnel. It felt like our family was transported into an episode of Scooby-Doo with our (cellphone) flashlights in hand. We were surprised we didn't see an unmasked entomologist yelling, "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!!!" Very little is known about how the well was used and what exactly went on there, but it is clear to see that great effort went into its planning and construction.
I was feeling so happy and content as we were walking through the woods, discovering all of the hidden fairytale structures. The early evening breeze was warm and there was a floral scent in the air. Then I heard a child of mine grumble in my ear, "Whhhyyyy do we haaaave to see sooo many castles?!??"...sigh... You win some, you lose some.
We made it out of the underground tunnel.
Kate pretending she's Rapunzel trapped in the castle.
