An 8th Century Moorish Castle

Stacey took this picture when we were at the Palace of Pena.

In the background you can see on the left the 8th Century

Moorish Castle standing on top of Sintra's highest hill.

Here we are with the girls after climbing to the top.

Snaking along the mountain ridge, the castle offers breathtaking views of the beautiful area.

This is a view of Sintra from the Moorish Castle.
After walking all the way to the top, Tom carried Carys when she was tired on the way back.

Madison posing by a fountain from the Moorish Empire.

This is the highest point of the Moorish Fortification.

Carys made it to the top!

You can see Tom and Madison walking along the fortress wall.

Resting along the path with Sintra in the background.
Carys sneaking a peak of the beautiful countryside.

Tom made it to the top with Madison on his shoulders.

More Moorish ruins along the trail.

This Moorish Castle is just minutes away from the Sintra train station. We visited both the Moorish Castle and the Palace of Pena on the same day. It was quite an adventure and when we returned to Sintra we were able to take tour of all the historical sites. We rode on a cute little tour train that the kids really liked while eating some delicious pastries. We were told that when the famous British poet and traveler Lord Byron stopped by in the 18th century he wrote that Sintra is "perhaps in every respect the most delightful in Europe," and calling it a "glorious Eden" in one of his poems. He stayed at Lawrence's Hotel which is the oldest hotel in the Iberian Peninsula. I loved this magical town and would love to go back, stay at the Lawrence Hotel (if it's not too expensive) and go on the horse drawn carriage ride through the town at evening time. Doesn't that sound fun. This was definitely one of the most beautiful places in Portugal.