A day trip to Sintra and the Pene Palace

So after I got up yesterday I had breakfast with the family and then did myself a quick workout. For the first time since before I left for Thailand I worked up quite the sweat, and it felt amazing to actually feel tired afterwards! It really got the endorphins going and stopped my shitty mood. It was my brother going for a run that inspired me to finally do a proper workout, so thanks bro! 

After we got ready and had our usual 11 am cup of coffee (a routine my dad has taken with him from his dad, and coincidentally, that my mum has from her mum) we took a trip up to Sintra yesterday which, for those of you who don't know, is a cute village up on a hill near Cascais. It's is also where the Castle of the Moors and the Pene Palace are located. The village was adorable with all its little crooks and narrow streets lined with little cafes, restaurants, and shops that sold beautiful ceramics and painted tiles. My brother was beside himself at all the beautiful photo locations which all had a spectacular view as Sinatra is located on a hill. This is an example of such a place (plus a pic of the family trying on pretty dashing hats): 

When we got to the top of the town we started walking up towards the Pene Palacw, then realised it was too far so we took a tuk tuk the rest of the way. It was funny to ride a Portuguese version of a tuk tuk, which was much bigger and... had seat belts!! It's was also white to it was a VERY westernised version of a Thai tuk tuk. 

When we got to the palace gates we realised we had to pay entry (of course) but we'd come all this was so no point in turning back without going in! And I'm glad we did, because the palacw was amazing!! Designed for King Ferdinand II, this Romanticist castle is a national monument and has inspirations from different parts of the world. It was so beautiful and it had a panoramic view of everything surrounding Lisbon, and you could see all the way to the sea. 

Truly magnificent place to visit and I would highly recommend anyone who visits this part of Portugal to go there! But don't go in the summer time aka mid-June to mid-September, because that's when everyone else goes, so the 15 minute trip up the mountain will take 1,5 hours due to all the traffic. And if you don't go in summer time the for God's sake wrap up, because Sintra is COLD!! And really windy!! I was not wearing enough clothes so by the end of the day I wasn't freezing anymore – I was frozen! 

I hope today is warmer – I will definitely dress warmer – because we're spending the whole day in Lisbon and I don't feel like freezing my tits aff!