“Pretty unique,” Sue said as we strolled up and down the Palacio National. She was pointing towards the chimneys which, I agree, appear pretty unique to the urban cape of the Portuguese city of Sintra. We were standing close to the kitchen area of the palace which was basically an enclosed corridor with rows of fireplaces- ancient cooking ranges. Very quaint. We also saw these gigantic racks with large utensils that were once utilized for preparing royal dishes.
Going through the 14th century palace I was particularly enamored with the Royal Court of Arms with its blue and white tiled walls. Sue, on the other hand, liked the long Swans’ Hall containing ceiling panels painted with – you guessed right – swans.
It was lunchtime by the time we repaired to our hotel in the more ancient part of the city. The Lawrence S Hotel that Sheena had booked for us is one of the prettiest and oldest hotels and is also one of the world’s best luxury hotels in the Iberian Peninsula. An ancient manor house of the 18th century it has been beautifully restored to keep up with contemporary times. The reception, bar, and lounge areas are well-designed and spacious.
Sue wanted to go out souvenir shopping in the evening. The concierge as well as hotel guests had mentioned that taking a walk in the old part of the city would prove to be very fruitful, and it did! Sintra is choc-a-bloc with quaint shops and outlets with the greatest local artwork and craft. Little alleys, nooks and corners had some amazing pieces of crockery, ceramics, tiles, even fabrics. Sue bought some lovely embroidered stuff and pieces of pottery.
Not wanting to eat at the hotel particularly we drove out to this place called Galamares not too far from the main town. I would recommend its services, ambience and food any day. Do try their duck rice, its fantastic!
No comments:
Post a Comment