Dear Commons Community,
Elaine and I arrived in Sintra this afternoon. It is a beautiful, small, Portuguese town that has a significant history. While formally chartered in the 12th century, the Sintra area has had human habitation dating back to the Iron Age.
We are staying at Lawrence’s Hotel which opened in 1764, and is reputedly the oldest, still-functioning hotel on the Iberian Peninsula. Lord Byron stayed here in 1809. There is a winding staircase named for him that leads to an exterior courtyard. It also has feature that I have never seen before in a hotel. There are no room numbers. Each guest room has a name. Ours was Tradução.
Sintra is full of small winding streets and is home to a number of castles.
Lawrence’s Hotel and its immediate surroundings provided a great start to our visit.
Tony
Lord Byron’s Staircase at Lawrence’s Hotel
View from the Balcony in Our Room