Cork Convents

 I know I have mentioned this too many times, but the theme of Sintra as a fairytale keeps creeping up. Our first stop on day two in Sintra was to the Capuchos Convent. Founded in 1560 by 8 monks, the Capuchos Convent would be difficult to find if you weren’t looking for it. It idea of a Christian sanctuary tucked away in nature came to one of the monks in a dream. Embedded in between the Sintra mountains, the small cluster of houses and sacred spaces is made almost entirely out of cork. The doors, walls, ceiling were all soft to the touch because as the cork aged it became softer. The rooms and spaces are all influenced by the number 8, symbolizing infinity, but what is more peculiar is that every doorway and hallway is incredibly small. I felt like I was walking through the 7 dwarves home in Snow White. We were lucky we came early because we got to see the entire without any other visitors, contributing to the magic feel the place exuded.

We finished off Sintra in the early afternoon by trekking up the mountain a bit more to the Moorish Castle. It was originally built for the Moors, Spanish Muslims who escaped to Portugal. Though on a much smaller scale, the walls reminded me of the Great Wall in China. The walk, or hike (there were a lot of stairs) gave a great view of all of Sintra, and the Pena Palace. The only place we wanted to go, but were unable was the Pena Palace, but from what I hear, the outside view was the most spectacular part. Although the walk along the walls was great, with backpacks and the sun beating down on us, we decided to grab a taxi back to the train station after an hour or so. It was time to say goodbye to Sintra, and look forward to one last day in Portugal before heading back to the States.