sexta-feira, 29 de janeiro de 2010

Monsaraz and Evora by Tessa de Loo

Alentejo, south province of Portugal

Monsaraz

"Tijdens de tocht langs de Spaanse grens domineren hooggelegen vestingstadjes als Monsarraz het landschap, van waaruit eeuwenlang het gevaar uit het oosten het hoofd moest worden geboden. Wie hier door de smalle straatjes slentert, voortdurend klimmend of dalend, voelt zich wel erg ver weg van de 21e eeuw." (Tessa de Loo)


Tessa de Loo has been also in Alentejo, where she visited Monsaraz, one of the fortress-towns, as she says (vestingstadjes), with an eminent position (hooggelegen) in the landscape (landschap) because of their defensive role nearby the frontier (grens) with Spain.

Monsaraz with its typical little streets (straatjes) where we can have constant up and down strolls, feeling quite far from the 21 st century...as she says and I agree...

I love Monsaraz, for several reasons, it's a very special place for me :-)

From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


In Evora, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tessa points out the landmark of the city, the Roman Temple...

" Via Evora, gebouwd rond de resten van een Romeinse tempel..." (Tessa de Loo)

Templo Romano, Evora

From Portugal


"The Roman Temple of Évora (also referred to as the Templo de Diana, after Diana, the ancient Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and chastity) is an ancient edifice in the city of Évora, Portugal. The temple is part of the historical centre of the city, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is one of the most famous landmarks of Évora and a symbol of Roman presence in Portuguese territory."

(From Wikipedia)

(to be continued)

quinta-feira, 28 de janeiro de 2010

Tavira" is het mooiste stadje van de Algarve", Tessa de Loo

"Tavira, ook wel het Venetië van Portugal genoemd, is het mooiste stadje van de Algarve. Gezien het grote aantal oude kerken en kloosters (37) is het misschien ooit ook het meest katholieke stadje geweest."

Tessa de Loo

This Nederlander writer had visited too the lovely town of Tavira, in Algarve (south of Portugal).

She begins to say that Tavira is known as Portugal's Venice...

We can see why ;-)

From Portugal


She says that Tavira is the most beautiful town in Algarve ...

Let's see ;-)

From Portugal


Here, in the Castle, with its beautiful gardens...

From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


(the typical "scissors" roofs of Tavira)

From Portugal


In the main square, this monument to the memory of the people of Tavira who had helped King Dom Joao I to secure our independence in the Crisis of 1383-1385.

From Portugal


...also a very catholic town with many churches and cloisters...

From Portugal


And I must say, I agree with her...Tavira "is het mooiste stadje van de Algarve" ;-)

From Portugal

quarta-feira, 27 de janeiro de 2010

More Palaces in Sintra:Pena and Seteais...

Sintra...

3. Palacio da Pena/Pena Palace

Ergue-se la no alto...It stands on the high ...

I took this photograph at the top of the gardens of the Palace, where Queen Dona Amelia used to sit to enjoy the panoramic views. They call those stones, the Throne ...

From Portugal


"The palace stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. "

(From Wikipedia)

The magic is bigger when it gets clouded by the fog ...

From Portugal


Please click on the first link of this post to see the fotos of the magnificent rooms and exquisite art pieces...

"In 1838, as King consort Ferdinand II, he decided to acquire the old monastery, all of the surrounding lands, the nearby Castle of the Moors and a few other estates in the area. King Ferdinand 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. The commission for the Romantic style rebuilding was given to Lieutenant-General and mining engineer Baron Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege. Eschwege, a German amateur architect, was much traveled and likely had knowledge of several castles along the Rhine river. The construction took place between 1842-1854, although it was almost completed in 1847: King Ferdinand and Queen Maria II intervened decisively on matters of decoration and symbolism. Among others, the King suggested vault arches, Medieval and Islamic elements be included, and he also designed an exquisitely ornate window for the main façade (inspired by the chapter house window of the Convent of the Order of Christ in Tomar)."

(From Wikipedia)

The Gardens...

Os Jardins deste Palacio sao luxuriantes e encantadores, plenos de recantos, pontes, lagos, arvores frondosas, cisnes, estatuas,...

From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


"The exotic taste of the Romanticism was applied to the park as it was to the palace. The king ordered trees from diverse, distant lands to be planted there. Those included North American Sequoia, Lawson's Cypress, Magnolia and Western Redcedar, Chinese Ginkgo, Japanese Cryptomeria, and a wide variety of ferns and tree ferns from Australia and New Zealand, concentrated in the Queen's Fern Garden (Feteira da Rainha). The park has a labyrinthic system of paths and narrow roads, connecting the palace to the many points of interest throughout the park, as well as to its two gated exits."

(From Wikipedia)

From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


I leave you with the roses of Queen Dona Amelia ...

From Portugal


...is now late afternoon, so you must go to ...

4.Seteais...

"The Seteais Palace is a neoclassical palace located in Sintra, Portugal. The palace is nowadays a luxury hotel, restaurant and a tourist attraction included in the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO."

(From Wikipedia)

and follow the advice of Tessa de Loo: take a glass of port on the terrace ...:-)

"Niets is fijner dan aan het eind van de middag op het terras van de Quinta de Seteais (in de 18e eeuw gebouwd door een Hollandse koopman, Braamcamp geheten) een glas port te drinken."

Vale a pena, sei por experiencia propria, pena que nao tenha nenhuma foto desse fim de tarde....

Sintra tem muito mais para visitar:praias, serra, miradouros, e locais unicos como o Convento dos Capuchos e a Quinta da Regaleira....

See this post in the blog Dutched Pinay about Quinta da Regaleira and Seteais Palace...amazing fotos, by the way...

Sintra is unique ... not surprising, therefore, that has enchanted writers like Hans Christian Andersen or Lord Byron, as stated, well, Tessa de Loo.

"De romantische sfeer trok ook schrijvers en dichters uit den vreemde aan, als Hans Christiaan Andersen, Lord Byron en William Beckford, die een geestig dagboek schreef over zijn verblijf."

Let us therefore follow the example of these writers ...

Have a wonderful time in Sintra!

segunda-feira, 25 de janeiro de 2010

"Reizen door Portugal is reizen door het verleden", Tessa de Loo

Portugal: The Oldest European Nation...

"Reizen door Portugal is reizen door het verleden."

(Tessa de Loo, nederlander writer, who has been living in Portugal since the eighties.)

" Viajar por Portugal e viajar pelo passado." diz-nos Tessa de Loo, autora do celebre romance De Tweeling (1993), que vive em Portugal desde os anos oitenta.

Tessa de Loo tells us about her trip in the south of Portugal in Byblos Reizen.

Tessa was in the magical town of Sintra, nearby Lisbon...

"In Sintra herinneren paleizen en quinta’s temidden van weelderige parken en tuinen eraan dat hier ooit de zomerresidentie van de koningen en de adel was."

Tessa de Loo comeca por nos falar de Sintra, dos seus palacios (paleizen) e quintas, rodeados por luxuriantes (weelderige) parques (parken) e jardins (tuinen), onde os reis (koningen) e a nobreza (adel) se alojavam no Verao.

Let me show you what she is talking about...

1.Palacio Nacional de Sintra/ National Palace of Sintra

The only surviving palace of the Middle Ages and Royal Residence for more than six centuries.

From Portugal


Click on the links below to see the beautiful fotos of the rooms:

Sala dos Cisnes;
Sala das Pegas;
Sala Arabe;
Sala dos Brasoes;
Quarto D. Afonso VI;
Capela Palatina;
Cozinha;


and, of course, the exquisite tiles of the Palace...

So, did you like the fotos? What is your favourite room? Did you notice the Arabic influence in the tiles? :-)
Have you ever been in this Palace? How was your experience? If so, please tells us about ;-)

2.Palacio de Monserrate e os seus jardins luxuriantes/ Monserrate Palace and Gardens

"It was built in 1858 for Sir Francis Cook, an English baronet created visconde de Monserrate by King Luís. Monserrate turned to an English architect, James Knowles Jr., for designs. Though its Moghul-inspired details are unique in Portugal, its eclecticism is a fine example of the Sintra Romanticism."

(From Wikipedia)

From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


From Portugal


The Monserrate Palace was visited by Lord Byron, an english poet of the 19th century.
He was there in 1809 as you can read in his poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage".

Please, click here to watch some slides about this magnificent Palace.

(to be continued)

segunda-feira, 18 de janeiro de 2010

I am the escaped one

Carlos Paredes, Verdes Anos




I am the escaped one,
After I was born
They locked me up inside me
But I left.
My soul seeks me,
Through hills and valley,
I hope my soul
Never finds me.

Fernando Pessoa