In which we visit the town of Sintra; a castle touches the sky; and a Palace seems to emerge from another reality.
Sitting in the Sintra-Cascais Park, Portugal, is one of the more bizarre architectural artefacts you might find in Europe, a part of the world already famous for eccentric, visionary architects. Hopping on a bus, you wound your way up into the cloud-wreathed hills, arriving first in Sintra, a small but bustling town that serves as gateway to the park.
Castelo dos Mouros
Catching another bus onwards, the first stop on your journey is Castelo dos Mouros, a Castle that was built in the 10th century by the Moors to defend the town. Coming to the first wall overlooking the town, you are confronted with how high up you have really climbed. The earth stretches below in all directions, so far away that it resembles an aerial photograph. You follow the castle wall as it snakes it's way up the cliff side, offering more vertigo-inducing views of the landscape. Coming to the main lookout tower, the truly unhinged creation is now visible, sitting on a nearby hilltop. This is Palácio da Pena.
Palácio da Pena
To say Pena Palace is a strange building would be a severe understatement. The architecture of this place defies logic, consistency and good taste, yet something in the manic embrace of chaos is endearing. The clashing colours, twisting patterns, and seemingly random shapes jutting from every façade seem to celebrate and indulge in a lack of order, a lack of predefined rules and tenets of aesthetics, cramming as much visual life as possible into this magnificent monstrosity.
Perched so far away from civilisation, the palace seems like something from the realm of fantasy has collided with ours. Inside the palace, the wackiness continues as you make your way through opulent dining rooms and eclectic bedrooms, stumbling into tiled courtyards or finding yourself in a chapel that achieves a jarring combination of contemplative and energetic.
