This morning we took off for two palaces - Queluz and Sintra. Sintra is the better known of the two, and is in a charming town.

However: the first palace is the more opulent of the two. It is only a 15 minute ride from Lisbon proper. The buildings begin dating from the mid-1600's with most of it being completed in the 1700's. Parts of it are still used for official business. The palace was actually only used by the monarchy for about 100 years. The rooms are stunning and the gardens are beautifully rennovated. Would you believe?? you can rent the palace for 10K for a wedding!! LOL ...
Photos here: The Palace; The ballroom (Grand Hall) - reminds us of Versailles! The The Dining Room and The Garden (with the beautiful ceramic tile "channel" built specifically for rowing!)

We went from here to Sintra (only another 15 minutes) and enjoyed the tour of the National Palace of Sintra. One of the fabulous ceilings has a swan motif which is a symbol of the House of Lancaster.
Also of note: the ceiling with the magpie ceramic tiles. Because? it was one of thr king's rooms, and being womanizer, the ladies of the court were always gossiping about him. Hence "magpies"!
The photo of the town of Sintro is taken from the steps of the palace through one of the arches (thanks, Ellen!) The final photo is a new acquisition - a state bed of ebony and inlaid silver!