Michael Powell's Blog, page 16
May 2, 2018
The National Palace of Queluz
After having spent five days in Sintra, Jürgen and I had easily reached our palace quotient for the year… and it was still early January. But we couldn’t possibly leave Lisbon without visiting the Palácio Nacional de Queluz, just fifteen kilometers outside the city.
The National Palace of Queluz was built in 1747 by King Pedro III, who converted a former country estate into a magnificent summer residence for the royal court. Today, the palace is considered a landmark of 17th- and 18th-centur...
May 1, 2018
Our Favorite Meals in Lisbon
Over the course of our 91 days in Lisbon, we ate out a lot. Probably way too much, if our pudgy post-Lisbon profiles were anything to judge by. But when the restaurants are this cheap, the food this good, and the supermarkets this crappy (ahem, Pingo Doce), what are we supposed to do? Cook carrots at home? Or go to our favorite tasca and order the full-size portion of beef, and a soup, and … I know we shouldn’t, but that dessert looks too delicious to pass up.
Caldo Verde
The dish we ate mor...
April 30, 2018
At the End of Europe: The Cabo da Roca
Sintra | Palácio Nacional de Sintra | Palácio Nacional da Pena | Parque da Pena
Castelo dos Mouros | Chalet de Condessa | Monserrate | Convento of the Capuchos
Quinta da Regaleira | Cabo da Roca
The westernmost point in continental Europe is the Cabo da Roca, part of the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais. We bundled up and headed to the point, joining a horde of wind-whipped tourists, all of us drawn inexplicably to the continent’s terminal edge.
It would hav...
April 29, 2018
The Quinta da Regaleira
Sintra | Palácio Nacional de Sintra | Palácio Nacional da Pena | Parque da Pena
Castelo dos Mouros | Chalet de Condessa | Monserrate | Convento of the Capuchos
Quinta da Regaleira | Cabo da Roca
The “Initiatic Well” that symbolizes the connection between Heaven and Earth? A maze of subterranean paths called the “Labyrinthic Grotto”? The “Portal of the Guardians” which hides an entrance into the underground? A garden meant to reflect the Cosmos and the unendin...
April 27, 2018
Convento dos Capuchos: The Cork Convent
Sintra | Palácio Nacional de Sintra | Palácio Nacional da Pena | Parque da Pena
Castelo dos Mouros | Chalet de Condessa | Monserrate | Convento of the Capuchos
Quinta da Regaleira | Cabo da Roca
Hidden deep within the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais, the Cork Convent, or Convento dos Capuchos dates from 1560. If you’ve ever wondered about the lifestyle of a 16th-century Franciscan mountain monk in Portugal, this is your big chance. And let’s be honest, of co...
April 26, 2018
The Palace of Monserrate
Sintra | Palácio Nacional de Sintra | Palácio Nacional da Pena | Parque da Pena
Castelo dos Mouros | Chalet de Condessa | Monserrate | Convento of the Capuchos
Quinta da Regaleira | Cabo da Roca
“Another day, another palace.” This was our creed during our week-long stay in Sintra. Today, we’d be visiting the Palace of Monserrate, an eccentric estate constructed by a pair of wealthy Englishmen in the 18th and 19th centuries.
This was originally the location o...
April 25, 2018
The Chalet of the Countess of Edla
Elise Hensler, an American songstress who won the heart of the king, might as well have been living in a fairy tale. Her Swiss-style chalet in the woods of Pena certainly looks straight from the minds of the Brothers Grimm. We visited, to learn a little bit about the Countess and check out her unique home.
Elise Hensler was born in Switzerland, but moved to Boston when still a child, where she became an American citizen. She studied opera and returned to Europe as a young adult, living in Pa...
April 24, 2018
The Castelo dos Mouros
After having visited the Palace and Park of Pena, your legs are likely to be done. Even if you arrived at the top of the mountain in a car, visiting these two attractions entails a lot of walking. And then you’ll look at the Castelo dos Mouros, at the end of yet another long path, with towers reaching into the sky, and the steps. All of those steps! On one hand: nope, forget it. On the other hand: you’re already here. So you might as well.
It was with an attitude closer to dejection than exc...
The Parque de Pena
Sintra | Palácio Nacional de Sintra | Palácio Nacional da Pena | Parque da Pena
Castelo dos Mouros | Chalet de Condessa | Monserrate | Convento of the Capuchos
Quinta da Regaleira | Cabo da Roca
After having visited the Palácio de Pena, we turned our attention to the park which extends behind and above it. A vast network of paths snake through the forest, leading to special buildings, statues, gardens and lookouts. All of it was once for the pleasure of the r...
April 23, 2018
The Palácio Nacional da Pena
Little known fact: the architect behind Sintra’s Pena Palace completed the original draft in 35 minutes. Six-year-old Doris Schneebaum submitted her proposal at the end of Arts & Crafts time, having rushed to complete the assignment: “Draw a Silly Castle”. Her teacher, King Ferdinand II of Portugal, took one look and was convinced. “It’s perfect! This shall be my new home!”
I’m exaggerating a little: the Palácio de Pena actually looks like it was designed by an eight-year-old, not a six-year...
