We spent a delightful day yesterday on a bus tour to the village of Sintra, about one hour north of Lisbon. After crossing the Sintra mountains we drove through the village and arrived at Pena Palace, a 16th century palace perched on the top of one of the highest peaks. It looked like it was straight out of a fairytale with very colourful and ornate turrets and other fortifications - including a drawbridge. The palace rooms were smallish, as was fashionable at the time. There was a mix of cultures, Arabic and European, in the decore and furnishing styles but all were beautiful. The king's bed was short, to reflect the custom of sleeping partly upright so that you would not wake up dead in the morning. We had an enjoyable and relaxed meander through the village, together with a substantial lunch at a local hotel. We then travelled to the Colares region and boarded another tram for a short ride down the hill, then rejoined the bus and travelled to Cabo de Roca, the western-most point of continental Europe, 140 metres above sea level and the wind almost blew us away. So now we have stood on the border between Asia and Europe, in Istanbul and also achieved the other extreme, standing at the western end of Europe - and have a certificate to prove it. We drove along the coast on our way back to Lisbon, visiting the upmarket beach resort of Estoril and this completed a most enjoyable day. Next - a bus tour to another Portugese village this afternoon, then back to Madrid on the overnight train, a day in Madrid, then off to Abu Dhabi via Brussels.
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