Saturday, October 27, 2012

Sintra: Where Spirits Roam

Perched high above the capital city of Lisbon, Sintra is a charming town that feels more like a northern European town than something you'd expect to find in "warm and sunny" Portugal. The town is full of turn of the 19th to 20th century mansions, each of which has a chequered history. If those walls could talk, a lot of shocking stories would come out.

The compound of the main palace in Sintra is definitely a roaming ground of spirits. They say that Sintra is an entry point to another dimension the same way Mt Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are in Tibet. I couldn't help but feel the wild mood swings as we walked around the area. The statues in the compound are creepy and so are the wells, where you can climb down.

Many strange incidents have taken place in Sintra and there are many legends. There was one particular house, inhabited by evil witches and the energy from that house was strong.

After a gourmet Portuguese lunch, we were up in the magnificent garden of the Pena Palace. I felt like I was in a Brother's Grimm fairly tale. I could feel the aura of peasants and princes, carriages and witches. Such a fairy tale land did exist at one time and this garden gives one the feel.

From the highest point in the garden, you can see Lisbon and the blue Atlantic Ocean. I can't help but think that the elements can drag people away with ease by just fine tuning the frequency of the wind.

The dead of Sintra wake up at night when the Pena Palace is the only building that is illuminated. I honestly feel sorry for the security guards who have night duty there. The mind can play the most terrible of tricks and it's hard to know whether the images that flash before your eyes with a stroke of lightning are real or figments of one's imagination.

It was a beautiful moonlit night at a fortress in Sintra. Below me was the city of Lisbon and within view the westernmost point in continental Europe. Such a spectacular sight to cap off what was one of the most amazing trips of my life.

I love Portugal!

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