Short visit to Sintra
For a day we had a short visit at Sintra, having a view at 2 Portuguese castles: Pena Royal Palace and Moorish Castle. What to say about this 2 great buildings? They are located on a small mountain, very close one to another.
One step on a time...
Moorish Castle...
Constructed by the Moors in the 8th or 9th Century A.D., this castle is situated on two peaks of the Serra de Sintra, and from its walls there are magnificent views.
Surrounded by walls and several towers. It underwent various repairs, particularly in the Romantic period (about 1860), when King Consort Fernando of Saxe Coburg-Gotha restored it, afforested the surrounding areas and gave the ancient ruins new dignity.
The Moorish Castle was conquered by Dom Afonso Henriques (1147), the monarch who also built the Romanesque Chapel of São Pedro, of which interesting traces remain, next to the oppidum, where there is also a cistern, an Arab horseshoe arch gate and remains of houses.
If is a good weather, the ocean can be seen, as well as Cascais, one of the Portuguese well known resorts.
In a way it's walls looked like the Chinese Wall, only these were not so long...
Pena Royal Palace
The mother fucking guardians didn't let us to have some pictures inside, so here will be only some information about the castle available...
"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.
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.
It was interesting to notice that every king has to have his own unique room... I mean they had to have their personal room distinct from the previous king, according with his personality...
I found many similarities with Romanian Royal Castle (Peles). On a wall there was also the genealogy of the Portuguese Royal Family and I noticed that they were related with the Hohenzolern-Sigmaringen Royal Family... what a small world... :)
After visiting this castles, we decided to eat something in Sintra. We promised Gaurav that we will visit him in Coimbra as soon as possible. I am just waiting for that! ;)
One step on a time...
Moorish Castle...
Constructed by the Moors in the 8th or 9th Century A.D., this castle is situated on two peaks of the Serra de Sintra, and from its walls there are magnificent views.
Surrounded by walls and several towers. It underwent various repairs, particularly in the Romantic period (about 1860), when King Consort Fernando of Saxe Coburg-Gotha restored it, afforested the surrounding areas and gave the ancient ruins new dignity.
The Moorish Castle was conquered by Dom Afonso Henriques (1147), the monarch who also built the Romanesque Chapel of São Pedro, of which interesting traces remain, next to the oppidum, where there is also a cistern, an Arab horseshoe arch gate and remains of houses.
If is a good weather, the ocean can be seen, as well as Cascais, one of the Portuguese well known resorts.
In a way it's walls looked like the Chinese Wall, only these were not so long...
Pena Royal Palace
The mother fucking guardians didn't let us to have some pictures inside, so here will be only some information about the castle available...
"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.
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.
It was interesting to notice that every king has to have his own unique room... I mean they had to have their personal room distinct from the previous king, according with his personality...
I found many similarities with Romanian Royal Castle (Peles). On a wall there was also the genealogy of the Portuguese Royal Family and I noticed that they were related with the Hohenzolern-Sigmaringen Royal Family... what a small world... :)
After visiting this castles, we decided to eat something in Sintra. We promised Gaurav that we will visit him in Coimbra as soon as possible. I am just waiting for that! ;)
posted by Ovidiu Suciu at 10:32 pm
2 Comments:
Maaan, Coimbra is totally recommended by a friend of mine. From what I've heard, u really shouldn't miss it. :P
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