Confessions of a Castleholic

It's kind of a sad day here on Castleholic as with the Palácio Nacional da Sintra we will cover the last of the palaces I saw last year in wonderful Sintra, possibly the palace-richest place on earth near the Portuguese capital Lisbon. I will need to go back someday though as in addition to this goodie, the Palácio Nacional da Pena , the Castelo dos Mouros and the Quinta and Palácio da Regaleira , there are still a handful or two of handsome places to see for any castle lover! Of all the many palaces in Sintra, the palace bearing the city's name is the only one located directly in the town centre. While much of today's Palácio Nacional da Sintra originates from the times of King João I of Portugal, royal residences on the site date back even further. During the Moorish Al-Andalus era, after the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in the 8th century, Sintra had two castles: One, the Castelo dos Mouros , was located atop the hill and remains as a romantic ruin, the oth...

Sintra, located about 25 kilometres north of Lisbon, is the stuff that fairytales and palace dreams are made of. Truth be told, you would probably need two to three days to discover all the castles and palaces of the area - as I just had a day, I picked four of them to get a closer look at. The Palácio Nacional de Sintra , which can be seen in the picture above, was on the bottom of my list. So while I did pass it in the morning after arriving in Sintra, I passed up the chance to visit just yet. Instead I made my way to the Quinta de Regaleira - and it was like stepping right into a fairytale. Not only the various royal families of Portugal throughout history liked to build palaces and mansions in Sintra. So did the nobles and wealthy. The Quinta de Regaleira , which was owned by the millionaire António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, doesn't only feature a fantastic little palace, it also contains a stunning park. The Initiation Wells are probably their most famous feat...

On my third day in Portugal I visited Belém, home of not one but two UNESCO World Heritage sites as well as some very tasty pastries. One of the two World Heritage sites is the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos . The monastery, including a church, is one of the most prominent examples of Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style. King Manuel I of Portugal built it in 1502 on the site of a church dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém founded by Prince Henry the Navigator, where Vasco da Gama and his crew spent their last night in Portugal in prayer before leaving for India. (Phew, long sentence!) The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was built to commemorate Da Gama's voyage and give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success. His tomb can also be found in the church. The heart-stealer of the show though certainly is the cloister: Oh, the prettiness! So. Many. Details. I think I took approximately 100 pictures just of all the magnificent columns carved with maritime motifs such as rope, sea mon...