Sintra

From Lisbon we took a beautiful and scenic route to an ancient castle. We could see the beautiful coastline running parallel to the mountains and forests we drove through. It was really pretty but didn't lend itself to good pictures.
The castle was so fun! We spent about an hour exploring the ramparts and towers, and the view of Lisbon, Sintra, the coast, and the countryside was phenomenal. It was easy to see the benefits of having a castle on top of the mountain, as we could see for miles in every direction.

On our way down from the castle, we walked through the village of Sintra. It was a small little town, but I was able to meet a local artist and get a beautiful water color painting from him. He was very friendly, and between my Spanish and his Portuguese, I was able to get a little background on the painting. It's one of a little cafe in Sintra, that is apparently a local favorite. The kings of Portugal have historically dined there on their visits, as well as other political and influential people.