Lisbon, Portugal Day 2

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته and good day!

We had fun on Day 1 in Belem and Cascais.

On the second day, we woke up a bit late as we were flat out last night from swimming and walking.

The first place we went to is a cafe to get some breakfast. My bestie found a cafe through Google that is located about 15 minutes from our apartment.

We had to take a bus from our apartment. To get to the bus stop, we had to walk for about 3 minutes, going down this steep road. Did you know that Lisbon is called as the 7 hills? It is very hilly.

So the cafe my bestie chose is called the Confeitaria Nacional. The cafe is more than 200 years old!

Near the cafe, it is the Arco da Rua Augusta.

The Rua Augusta Arch is a stone, triumphal arch-like, historical building and visitor attraction in Lisbon, Portugal. It was built to commemorate the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake.

Another transport attraction in Lisbon is the tram. The oldest tram in Lisbon is the number 28. 

Just across the Rua Augusta is the Comercio Square. After the earthquake in 1755, the square was completely rebuilt.

This is known as the Cais das Colunas. It has always been the noble entrance to Lisbon, including Queen Elizabeth II.

The breeze was so refreshing!

After breakfast and some sea breeze, we walked to the train station. On the way, we went to the Elevador de Santa Justa.

The elevator is from the 19th century built to go up the steep hill in Baixa.

A return ride costs €5.15, including the entrance to the viewing platform.

After taking the lift, you still need to take steps up.

The view is beautiful.

This is the classic view of Lisbon.

From the elevator, we walked towards the Rossio train station.

We walked past this plaza and I took the opportunity to make ablution.

A return ticket from Rossio station to Sintra is less than €4.50 using the Viva Viagem card.

As we reached Sintra, I could see the beauty in the city.

The purpose that we went to Sintra is to visit Palacio de Pena (Pena Palace). You should take the bus 434-The Circuito da Pena route from the train station. The bus costs €5.15 for a return trip, and you can hop on and off the bus since the bus will go through multiple attraction sites, such as the Castelo dos Mouros (The Moorish Castle). There are actually a lot of Islamic and Muslim history at the Moorish Castle. But because we have very little time, we decided to only go to one palace. We did visit the vicinity of the Moorish castle, we just didn't enter.

Pena Palace is one of the UNESCO Heritage place and one of the seven wonders of Portugal.

The view from the palace itself is spectacular.

We arrived just in time too. The palace closes at 7 pm. The tickets to the palace cost €14, which includes the entrance to the palace and the gardens. 

To go to the palace from the entrance, you can either walk a very steep walk or take a 5-minute shuttle that costs €3.

 It would be better to take the shuttle because even from the shuttle, it's a hilly and steep walk up the entrance and to go up the palace. It's quite a climb.

I wish I was holding my wand in this picture, then it wouldn't have looked so weird. =P

But it was definitely worth it!!

The palace has multiple parts for you to explore.

The inside is just as stunning. However, I do think England's royalty houses have bigger rooms. This is the dining hall.

The Duchess' room. Kind of small, don't you think?

If this was England, this room is a must. 

Another interesting room is the Arabic Room. 

Not that there are any Arabs here, it just has an Arabic influence in the design and structure.

The halls are quite short too. If I can touch the ceiling, you can imagine how low it actually is. Imagine how these tall Europeans walk through these halls.

This is the only large room accessible in this palace.

Can't get enough of the view.

This is the entrance of the palace.

After the Pena Palace, we went back to the train station to take another bus number 403 to Cabo da Roca-the end of Europe. One way tickets cost €4.15, you can't buy a return ticket. I'll tell you why at the end. The bus is actually going to Cascais. So if your trip is to go to Sintra first, Cabo da Roca, and Cascais, then you can just take this bus. The road is so narrow. There are even this tram tracks that go through people's front yards.

This is Cabo da Roca, the western most tip of Europe.

That is why they call it as the end of Europe.

This place is so remote, there's only one building around, no trains towards this place, only bus 403. 

So you need to check the timetable to make sure you will be able to take the final bus.

Since it is summer, sunset is not until half past 9. The last bus to go back to Sintra is at 9.04. At first, I thought we missed the last bus because the timetable online stated the last bus is at past 7 pm. That's why you can't buy a return ticket because you might miss the last bus. Then you will have no choice but to take Uber or a taxi.

I did manage to get a glimpse of the sunset. It was so gorgeous. 

After a busy day, we went back to pack my bags and get ready to go to the airport. Such a full and eventful day. I would love to go back to Lisbon because I didn't really get the chance to explore the city.

Until next time.