We left our campsite in Vila de Nova Milfontes and traveled north to our next House Sitting assignment in Colares. Colares is famous for its great wines and situated 30 minutes drive west of the Portugese capital Lisbon.
The Road Trip
What we thought would take us a couple of hours drive turned into seven. Final weekend in August everyone is heading back to the capital after summer holidays. So we crawled most of the way up the A2 motorway.
House Sitting Colares Lisbon
House sitting beautiful pets so owners can travel gives us lots of pleasure and allows us to explore the surrounding areas at leisure. Our three furry companions where two Havanese called Harry and Gus and one Golden Labrador called Lucy.
Colases is known for its wine industry, one of my favorite subjects. The region owes its fame to the amazing wines produced in the sandy soil so close to the ocean. We love our wine and loved the local price also at 7.90 euros for 5 ltr cardboard cask.
It’s also the western-most wine region in continental Europe and played a major role in overcoming the plague that wiped out most European vineyards in the late 19th century. And so Colares became the wine savior of Europe during this time.
As seasoned travels with our caravan we tend to stick with tried and true. Brittany Ferries travels between the UK Ireland and Europe. When traveling around Portugal and Spain we use the Santander-Portsmouth route.
The Pena Palace and Moorish Castle, Sintra
The Pena Palace in Sintra is a major attraction with many tourist visting from all over the world. The old town has been relatively protected with plenty of beautiful street scapes and buildings to visit.
A Little of the Palace History
In 1838 king Ferdinand II decided to acquire the old monastery. He then set out to transform the remains of the monastery into a palace that would serve as a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family.
After the death of Ferdinand the palace passed into the possession of his second wife, Countess of Edla. She then sold the palace to King Luis, who wanted it for the royal family, and thereafter the palace was frequently used by the family.
In 1889 it was purchased by the Portuguese State, and after the Republican Revolution of 1910. it was classified as a national monument and transformed into a museum. The last queen of Portugal, Queen Ameila, spent her last night at the palace before leaving the country in exile.
Moorish Castle
The moorish castle not far from the palace was built in the 8th and 9th century but handed voluntarily back to Christian forces in the 11th century. It fell in to ruin and was neglected before king Ferdinand completed some repairs but mainly used by the royals as a garden to exercise in.
Cascais Portugal
Cascais is a short drive from Colares and its history dates back to Moorish times 8 and 9th centuries. Chrsitian forces built a fort there in the 12th century and it was a strategic port for the defence of Lisbon. Today Cascais is better known as a tourist destination.
Lisbon Portugal
The weather in Colares during the first two months of our stay was lovely with sunshise most days and temperatures in the mid-twenties. However the day we planned to visit Lisbon turned out to be one of those wet and dry days albeit wet most of the time. Regardless of the rain we had a great time wandering around the main square, markets and surrounding streets. Well worth a visit.
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Tours
There are lots of recommended tours starting at Lisbon and traveling to Sintra, Colares and Cascais. You can also catch the train from Lisbon to Sintra. Outside the train station you will find tuk tuk tour guides. Most offer a 1 hrs tour of the historical Sintra sites for 30 Euros pp.
Trip Advisor is worth a visit as they offer some great local tours around Lisbon and spreading out to Colares, Cascais and colares.
