Traveling Disers are lost and adrift somewhere?

[goofy4tink]

Well done CG!!!! Very nice. And Portugal..I've always wanted to go there. My father loves it there. What fun. They don't have pirates in Portugal do they? what do we do first?

 

[edcrbnsoul]

Very nice [color=6495ED]castlegazer[/color] That was one of the selling points of the house we bought, we liked the house any way but when we went down stairs it has a bar (sold me)and a craft room (sold my DW)

 

[castlegazer]

Oh my God, I am just baffled at the array of choices for us - its an architectural drem to be in Lisbon and Portugal. Let's start in Lisbon.

Lisbon - Spreading out along the right bank of the Tagus, its downtown, the Baixa, is located in the 18th-century area around Rossio. East of the arcade Praça do Comércio, are the medieval quarters of Alfama and Mouraria, crowned by the magnificent St. George's Castle. To the west lie Bairro Alto and Madragoa, with their typical streets, and on the western extreme is Belém, with its Belém Tower, (the sentinel over the Tagus river that protects the entrance into Lisbon), the Jerónimos Monastery (masterpieces of Manueline architecture and classified in UNESCO's International Heritage list) and the Cultural Centre of Belém.
Museums: Ancient Art, Chiado (Contemporary Art), Tile, Archaeology, Ethnology, Coach, Costume, Theater, Maritime, Military, City, Gulbenkian, Modern Art Centre, and the Ricardo Espirito Santo Silva Foundation. Palaces open to the public: Ajuda and Fronteira. Churches: Cathedral (with Treasury); São Vicente de Fora; Conceição Velha (Manuelina), São Roque and Sacred Art; Madre Deus; Santa Engrácia Pantheon (Baroque), and the Estrela Basilica.
Shopping: Downtown; Avenida de Roma, Praça de Londres, Avenida Guerra Junqueiro, and Amoreiras.
Nightlife: Bairro Alto and Avenida 24 de Julho.

Boasting springtime temperatures during the winter and cool summers freshened by a breeze blowing in from the Atlantic, Costa de Lisboa, on the southwestern coast, offers a rich and impressively integrated diversity. The capital of Portugal since its conquest from the Moors in 1147, Lisbon is a legendary city with over 20 centuries of History. The Alfama is one of the oldest quarters in Lisboa. Since it largely survived the earthquake of 1755, the area still retains much of its original layout. Adjacent to the Alfama are the likewise old quarters of Castelo and Mouraria, on the western and northern slopes of the hill that is crowned by St. George's Castle. Every year in June, the streets of all three quarters come alive with the feasts in honour of the popular saints. The Graça quarter and the churches of São Vicente de Fora and Santa Engrácia are within walking distance of this area. Radiant skies brighten the monumental city, with its typical tile covered building façades and narrow Medieval streets, where one can hear the fado being played and sung at night. But Lisbon is also the stage for popular festivities, the place for exquisite shopping, exciting nightlife, and interesting museums, a place from where motorways branch off in different directions.

 

[castlegazer]

 

[edcrbnsoul]

I found a half day tour we can take

Discover the delights of Portugal's capital on this half-day sightseeing tour of Lisbon. This legendary city has over 20 centuries of history and is so full of historic monuments and sites, it's hard to know where to begin. Visit the Royal Coaches Museum and Jeronimos Monastery and spend some time at Belem Tower. Become better acquainted with Lisbon during a short walking tour through Lisbon's oldest quarter, Alfama.

 

[suzannen]

We have friends who take their kids and go here every summer for two months. They love it, the kids love it and they say their money goes so much further here. I'm glad to be able to see some of it!

 

[deadheadbelle]

What a beautiful destination! Never been here. Looking forward to seeing everything. I missed the tour this morning, I overslept. Oh well, I'll hook up with you guys tonight. Dinner?

 

[edcrbnsoul]

Good morning Dis'ers How about today we head off to Sintra

The town of Sintra, northwest of Lisbon, was long favoured by Portuguese royalty and English nobility (Lord Byron was mad about it) as a summer destination. Its appeal is still evident today, with its thickly wooded setting, romantic gardens, amalgam of Manueline and Gothic architecture, 16th-century hermitages, and ramshackle glamour.

 

[castlegazer]

Sorry DHB, I was going to set up dinner, but then when I went back to change I feel asleep on my bed and never woke up again. Sometimes its hazardous relying on a pregnant woman to set up dinner plans.

Oh Ed, I am so glad you chose to take us to Sintra next, I was going to definately suggest it for today. It looks AWESOME! I am very intrigued to travel here IRL.

Nearby, Sintra's lush wooded heights and verdant charms invite one to take a ride on a horse-pulled carriage, and gaze at the marvelous manor-houses, located within the grounds of century old farms, as one drives up to Pena Palace, built by Fernando Cobourg Gothas on the ruins of a monastery from the 16th century, the style of the palace is a blend of Gothic, Manueline, and Romantic influences which make for a very explosive combination, and keeps the atmosphere of a royal residence.

Our first stop will be Pena Palace:

Palácio da Pena, or "Castelo da Pena" as it is more commonly known, is the most complete and notable example of Portuguese architecture in the Romantic period. It stands on one of the rocky peaks of the Serra de Sintra, and blends in a surprisingly fortunate manner with its natural background of greenery and crags, testifying to the aesthetic potentialities of the project.

The Palace dates back to 1839, when the King Consort Dom Fernando II of Saxe Coburg-Gotha (1816-1885) bought the ruins of the Hieronymite Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena and started to adapt it for use as a residence, according to his Romantic taste.

As his director of the works, Baron von Eschwege put into effect the King's revivalist ideas and round the restored ruins of the monastery raised a majestic pastiche inspired by the palaces and castles of Bavaria. Fanciful to an extreme, the architectural fabric of Pena finds much of its inspiration in the Moorish, Gothic and Manueline motifs of Portuguese art, as well as in the Wagnerian spirit of the Schinkel Castles of Central Europe. It is to be noted that of the former 16th Century monastery there were preserved the Manueline cloister and the chapel, the latter with a celebrated Renaissance reredos by the sculptor Nicolau Chanterene.

 

[deadheadbelle]

I'm in! Any place that Lord Byron was mad about is OK by me.

Let's go!!!

Um, since we had no dinner last night. Can we get some breakfast this morning? I'm really hungry.

 

[castlegazer]

Our mode of transportation for getting around Sintra:

 

[castlegazer]

The carriage has stopped here for breakfast:

Pensão Restaurante Nova Sintra

 

[edcrbnsoul]

Some beautiful sites around here

 

[castlegazer]

Check out this hotel our carriage just passed by (I would love to stay here):

Seteais Palace

Built in the last quarter of the 18th Century by Daniel Gildemeester, at the time Dutch Consul in Portugal, this palace was given its present form after the enlargement works carried out in first years of the 19th Century when it belonged to Dom Diogo José Vito de Meneses Noronha Coutinho, 5th Marquis of Marialva.

It was this aristocrat who was responsible for building the east wing and the majestic triumphal arch (1802), in honour of a visit by Dom João VI, at the time still Prince Regent, and Dona Carlota Joaquina. Seteais Palace is a dignified neo-classical building, attributable to the architect José da Costa e Silva, following the Renaissance values of neo-Palladianism. The interior, which has been altered by the various restorations, is notable for a spacious room decorated with fresco painting of the Pillement School, with mythological motifs.

 

[castlegazer]

OK, the carriage is taking us next to what is undoubtably the most important stop while in Sintra - no, not the bars, Ed - The National Palace.

Taken from the World Heritage Site in Portugal:
The town of Sintra still retains its essentially mediaeval layout, with narrow and labyrinthine streets, steps and arcades. It is, however, dominated by the Palácio Nacional, its main architectural feature and the most fascinating regal construction in Portugal. This is a palace that was not created just once nor in just one period, but instead is the result of a harmonious and seductive assembly of different parks, built in successive phases and in a variety of styles. And it is these multiple tastes and mentalities that have - largely contributed to the strange beauty of this palace. Amongst its different phases of building work, perhaps the most notable are the two great periods that gave the palace both its shape and character: the one led by D. João I in the first third of the fifteenth century and then, a century later, in the first quarter of the sixteenth century, the one that took place in the reign of D. Manuel I.

The palace has been the setting for countless important events in national history. It was here that D. Afonso V was born and died; D. João II was proclaimed king; D. Manuel I received the news of the discoveries of India and Brazil; D. Sebastião departed to fight the ill-fated battle of Alcácer Quibir; and the unfortunate D. Afonso VI was so sadly imprisoned. This palace was the preferred residence for royal leisure-seekers, simultaneously serving as a centre for their recreation and learning. Inside the palace, the bucolic poet Bernardim Ribeiro could be seen strolling regularly through its rooms, whilst the playwright Gil Vicente performed here, João de Barros engaged in his writings, and Camões probably read his Lusíadas to D. Sebastião for the first time. Amidst the palace's labyrinthine and surprising co11ection of rooms, courtyards, staircases, corridors and galleries, one of the most notable features is what amounts to the largest and richest set of Mudéjar azulejos to be found in the Iberian Peninsula. In view of the peculiarly peninsular quality of this type of ceramic covering, this is equivalent to saying the richest and largest collection of such tiles in the world. Visitors will feel as though they have entered a Moorish palace, the kind of which fairy tales are made. They will stare in wonder at the ceiling of the Sala dos Cisnes (Swans' Room), which reminds us of the marriage of the InFanta D. lsabel of Portugal to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, marvel at the somewhat malicious revival of mediaeval legends in the Sala das Pêgas (Magpie or Reading Room), and gasp in admiration at the fantastic Sala dos Brasões (Armoury), its glorious ceiling decorated with the coats of arms of the Portuguese nobility and its floor worn away by the continuous striding back and forth of D. Afonso VI, incarcerated in this room for the last nine years of his life. And, as they leave the palace, they cannot fail to cast one last admiring glance from the inside at the huge conical chimneys of the monks' kitchen, the best known and defining landmark of the town of Sintra.


Consisting of various bodies built during the course of successive epochs on the so-called "Chão da Oliva", the Paço da Vila de Sintra is one of the most important examples of regal architecture in Portugal and for that reason is classified as a National Monument. This gradual multiplication of buildings, with different styles, is largely responsible for the enigmatic enchantment of this ancient palace, dominated by great twin chimneys atop the kitchen that constitute as authentic ex-libris of Sintra.

After the Reconquest, the Palace passed into the possession of the Crown and was considerably enlarged, not only in the reign of Dom Dinis - who in 1281 laid down that the conservation of the Palace should be entrusted to the enfranchised Moors of Colares -but especially in the reigns of Dom João I (1385-1433) and Dom Manuel (1495-1521).

Of special note, apart form the elements of Gothic, Mudejar, Manueline and Renaissance architecture, are the wonderful azulejos (coloured glazed tiles) from the 15th and 16th Centuries in various halls and patios, and in the Royal Chapel.

 

[castlegazer]

Oh my God, you all. I am just in love with this place! Check out these additional photos I took looking back after our visit to Pena Palace:

Sintra is one of those magical places where man and nature come together in a perfect symbiosis, as if wishing to leave us in a state leave of permanent surprise, enraptured by the beauty of their joint efforts.

Known in ancient times as Mons Lunae (the Hills of the Moon), because of its strong traditions of astral cults, still clearly visible in the region's countless monuments and archaeological remains, the Serra de Sintra is a granite outcrop roughly 10 km long, rising abruptly between a vast plain to the north and the estuary of the River Tagus to the south. It is a mountain range that twists and turns, projecting into the Atlantic Ocean to form Cabo da Roca - the headland that marks the westernmost point of' continental Europe.

Cherished and revered over so many years, the Serra de Sintra today contains a fabulous collection of monuments from a whole host of different epochs, ranging from prehistoric times to the present day. This is a clear demonstration of the region's great respect for other people and its enormous cultural tolerance. Almost as important as the diversity of the monuments is the tremendous environmental wealth of the Serra. Thanks to its unique microclimate, Sintra has some of the most beautiful parks in Portugal, planted in keeping with a certain romantic taste, as well as a dense and verdant natural vegetation, affording the region an air of great majesty amidst the splash of different greens.

The visitor can therefore choose between descending into the Neolithic era at Tholos do Monge; enjoying the view of the distant horizons from the walls of the Castelo dos Mouros, an eighth-century Moorish defensive construction; experiencing the harsh austerity of the Franciscan monks of the Convento dos Capuchos; strolling through the delightful mysteries of the Palácio da Pena, a mythical and magical palace that seems more like a continuation of the actual mountain; or savouring the nooks and crannies of the Parque da Pena, a place of love and exoticism that exudes great peace and serenity.

In view of their ancient and heterogeneous quality, the group of buildings forming the region's so-called historical centre offers the visitor a fascinating trip into the human past, a chance to feel and admire the different ages that have provided so much history.

The historical centre does, however, contain other monuments of great dignity and interest that should also be admired: the Torre do Relógio (clock tower), Igreja de São Martinho, Paço dos Ribafria, Convento da Trindade, Igreja de Santa Maria, a remarkable series of ancestral fountains, such as the Fonte da Pipa and the Fonte da Sabuga. And it is also worth paying an attentive visit to the Jewish quarter, a group of houses inhabited by the followers of the Laws of Muses.

On the outskirts of the town are some of most beautiful and important creations of the Romantic movement. At the top of the Serra stands the nineteenth-century Palácio da Pena, the delightful product of the dreams of an artist king, D. Fernando, whilst at the foot of the mountains magnificent chalets are to be found scattered here and there, as well as small palaces such as the neo Oriental Monserrate, surrounded by its exuberant and exotic park and constituting a genuine botanical museum, and large stately homes, such as the Quinta do Relógio, with its neo-Moorish palace, or the Quinta da Regaleira, carrying us back to the world of initiatory symbols. All this is finally, a brilliant revivalist cycle that completely transformed the Sintra landscape in a most remarkable and seductive fashion.

In I924, a sophisticated casino was built 1924 with all the delightful atmosphere created by Art Nouveau for the entertainment and enjoyment of the elite of the recently-formed Republican bourgeoisie. This remained a great tourist attraction in Sintra until it disappeared in 1938. Today, the beautiful building of the former casino houses a magnificent collection of contemporary art.

For all these reasons, plus the freshness of the region's pure air, the mists of its indescribable mystery and its vibrant culture, the great variety of its organised events - a special mention here for the Music Festivals and Ballet Nights organised in the summer - Sintra is still very much as it was once described by Robert Southey: ''the most blessed place in the whole of the inhabitable world''.

 

[castlegazer]

The National Palace of Sintra is above all a tangible symbol of the Avis dynasty which spanned two centuries from 1385 to 1580, considered the golden age of Portugal. The Palace is the best example of a medieval royal palace in the entire country, thus popular with natives as well as tourists. It was inhabited until the end of the monarchy in 1910.

Rising like two champagne bottles side by side, the most striking feature of the palace are the conical chimneys. Not unlike King Ludwig's castle or the Eiffel Tower, these chimneys are depicted on all kinds of tourist mementos from plastic key chains to hand towels. They dominate the village skyline and have become an easily recognizable Sintra landmark.

As with other palaces in Sintra, the National Palace is a frivolous hodgepodge of architectural types. Obviously, Portuguese kings were never restrained by the notion that a palace had to be constructed using only one style or design. Casting conventional wisdom to the wind, these Sovereigns built precisely what they wanted. The result is a style unto itself, which would make a by-the-book architect cringe. Yet, it is without question, impressive. The curious shape is due to numerous alternations carried out through the decades.

Guided tours, some in English, are offered for a small fee. Among other things, you get to see the inside of those bottle-shaped chimneys. The sweet scent of orange and lemon trees cling tenaciously to every space, while well-kept courtyard gardens and splashing fountains retain the atmosphere of a Moorish alcazar.

Three rooms with creature names, the swan room, stag room and magpie room are noteworthy. The ceiling of the magpie room is painted with a number of black magpies clutching the phrase "Por Bem" (translated: for the best) in their beaks. The guide relates how the king had them painted to represent each of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, as he found them to be entirely too talkative. His majesty was caught kissing one of the ladies and didn't appreciate their prattle about the ill-timed incident. The ceiling was to be their constant, hovering reminder.

The stag room has fine examples of azulejos tiles, in the typical colors of blue and white. Azulejos, found everywhere Portugal, are glazed, ceramic tiles, usually small and square in shape. Other colors are used, but blue and white predominate. Both utilitarian and decorative, these tiles are considered the height of Portuguese artistic achievement. Three centuries of refinement have made azulejos a distinctive national art form.

Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, individual tiles are often assembled to create a complete picture. In the stag room, the azulejos tiles depict hunting and momentous battle scenes. Once again, the ceiling is adorned with creatures, this time 72 stag heads, each bearing as a badge the arms and names of Portugal's leading families. This room is considered to be the loveliest room in the palace.

 

[suzannen]

All I can say is WOW! What a gorgeous site! Definitely will put this on my "wish" list of places to visit.

But, I'm also with DHB in that with no dinner and only a small breakfast - when are we going to have a real feast in this country? And, what are the preferred beverages?

 

[castlegazer]

I'm having a bit of trouble on this point. I need help from Ed to find local beverages - wines seem to be a popular choice and are grown in th region. But we can stop for lunch here:

Located just off the main square in front of the National Palace is a nicely shaded street with a series of terraced sidewalk-seating restaurants

 

[goofy4tink]

I don't know...wine sounds just fine with me. What a beautiful place you have found for us. So much to see. I never knew. I'll just have to bring my dh and dd back here another time. Wonder what we'll find for dinner.