Chapter Seventeen: Stuck Inside of Lisbon with the Sintra Fado Again o Sintra y Barrio Alto

 
After a break from walking and a nice banana pancake breakfast, I began the next morning with a walk to Lisbon's Rossio train station. I sat inside the beautiful 19th century building, snapped a few photos of the surrounding area and the São Jorge castle, and waited for the train to the historic suburb of Sintra. The train pulled into what looked like a typical suburb with small buildings, few people and plenty of space... until I looked up and spotted a castle on one of the surrounding mountains.

We took a bumpy bus ride to the Moorish Castle, originally built around the 10th century and restored in the 19th, which was engulfed by a forest high in the Sintra hills. After a short hike with various ruins lining the path, castle walls appeared. We entered the castle, passing by different storage areas and a cistern, before realizing we could walk along the fort's walls. The walls offered what was the best view I'd had so far during the semester and were fun to walk on. I took a different path to the top of the fort, from which I could see the Pena Palace, another of Sintra's historical landmarks.

The Pena Palace seems to be the Portuguese version of the Hearst Castle, but with Moorish style architecture. Constructed in the 19th century and filled with tons of impressive rooms, it offered a look into the upper class lifestyle and taste.

After a lovely lunch in Sintra, we went back to Lisbon, strolling through a large plaza and by the river. Following a questionable suggestion from a hostel employee, we walked by where the sewage meets the river. As the hostel employee had said, there were fish swarming in the sewage water and birds eager to grab them. A disturbing sight, but interesting in some way.

We walked back through the city center by the stylish Santa Justa elevator and made our way to the Barrio Alto. Passing restaurants serving cod (Portugal's specialty) and Fado (Portuguese blues) lounges, we settled with a tapas and wine bar for dinner. There we were served fried potatoes, shrimp in a garlic sauce, sangria, a flaming sausage, and cheese.

While flying back, I considered the atmosphere of Lisbon. It's a much more southern city than Madrid, in the same sort of way that Sevilla is. It had a laid back way about it with the chestnut vendors roaming the streets and the slightly decaying buildings. As I shuffled through the thoughts and images I associated with the city - the trams, roasting chestnuts, castle views, tainted river, and confusing streets - I listened to Lisbon resident Panda Bear's album Person Pitch, drifting in Lisbon daydreams as we left the Spanish style roofs and tile works behind.