Kitschy Castle --- Palácio da Pena in Sintra, Portugal

Palácio da Pena in Sintra, Portugal
@MALUSE (69428)
Germany
November 13, 2018 11:52am CST
When the tourists have seen all the sights Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, has to offer and they have some time left, they can travel by public transport to lesser known ones. A town not far away and easy to reach is Sintra. After visiting the National Palace in the centre, my husband and I took a taxi (there‘s also a bus service) to the Palácio da Pena (approximately 5 km out of town). Taxis aren‘t expensive (for us). We had only our old guidebooks with us with ugly black and white photos, so we weren´t prepared for what we saw: we bought tickets in a booth beside the street, came into a park where an odd vehicle was waiting, a kind of mini train in which one could ride up the steep mountain if one didn‘t want to walk. We took it and when we had climbed up we saw the kitschiest castle ever! An irregular building with grey, pink and yellow walls and parapets, sugar-baker style ornaments everywhere, onion shaped yellow tops on the towers, pinnacles galore, a drawbridge. Disneyland come alive in Portugal! ‘Kitsch‘ is a German word. Why am I telling you this? Well, the building as we see it today was thought up by Queen Maria II‘s consort, the German (!) Ferdinand Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, aided and abetted by a German (!) architect, Baron Eschwege. They recreated a medieval castle in the middle of the 19th century. Someone called the outcome a ‘Wagnerian monstrosity‘. For me the whole thing was so kitschy that I liked it. The rooms on the upper floor look as if the royal family may come back any minute. They‘re complete with furniture, crockery and cutlery on the tables, soap and towel beside the bathtub, embroidery in tambour frames, pictures on the walls. I’ve never seen anything like that. The Parque de Pena is one of the largest and loveliest parks in Europe, the Monserrate Gardens nearby are fascinating for botanists. They were laid out by the Englishman Francis Cook, also in the 19th century and contain over 3000 species of plants. No wonder that for Lord Byron Sintra was ‘Glorious Eden‘! (The Portuguese have forgiven him that he called Lisbon shabby).
12 people like this
14 responses
@xFiacre (12541)
• Ireland
13 Nov 18
@maluse And you can made a tour of the area in horse and carriage too. I think maybe Lisbon wasn’t so pretty in Byron’s day so Sintra looked quite the paradise in comparison. I believe too that it was rather shabby under Salazar, especially the terreiro do paço.
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@xFiacre (12541)
• Ireland
13 Nov 18
@MALUSE My spell checker is a fascist and changed shabby to happy. I have re-educated it. By Terreiro do Paco I mean not the subway station but the vast expanse there by the sea. I like to sit there and imaging the tsunami coming into shore in 1755 and washing everything away.
@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
@xFiacre We were in Lisbon a short time after the Salazar regime. The city was indeed shabby then. Do you remember the word for the delicious little baked goods from Belem? I could look the term up but maybe you remember it. People queue in front of the café where they are baked. Mmm, a reason to go back!
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
Sorry, what you've written here doesn't make sense to me. Sintra was rather happy under Salazar? Why? In what way?The terreiro do paço is an underground train station in Lisbon. What has it got to do with Sintra and why was it especially happy? I've never seen a happy underground station.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35511)
• Canada
13 Nov 18
I enjoyed my visit there.
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
From Canada to Portugal! Our flight was much shorter. :-) We were in Portugal four times. We like it there.
2 people like this
@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
@paigea From Munich to Portugal! I can't believe it. How long did it take?
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@paigea (35511)
• Canada
13 Nov 18
@MALUSE There was no direct flight to Portugal at that time., 2006. Now there is I think. Anyway, we started out trip in Munich and took the train to Portugal.
@shaggin (71572)
• United States
13 Nov 18
Wow that looks massive! What pretty colors to for a castle. It sounds even nicer inside. I would have loved to tour that but got to feel almost like I was there with your writing.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71572)
• United States
13 Nov 18
@MALUSE It amazes me that people once lived in these! It would be a workout walking from one room to another in the one with 452 rooms. Imagine all the maids they would need.
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
Thank you for your friendly words! This castle is not massive. In fact it is rather small. Near the city of Stuttgart in the south of Germany (the city where the Mercedes and Porsche cars are built) is a town called Ludwigsburg with a Baroque castle which has 452 rooms!
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
@shaggin I doubt that the King knew all the rooms his castle had! I'm not sure that all these rooms were lived in. I visited the castle and took part in a guided tour. If I remember correctly, we were shown about 50 rooms. I think many rooms were only furnished to show off. This means that they didn't have to be cleaned regularly.
2 people like this
@Ronrybs (17765)
• London, England
14 Nov 18
A view that is totally unexpected. Wonder if that is the original colour scheme
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
15 Nov 18
I think it is.
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@CarolDM (203478)
• Nashville, Tennessee
13 Nov 18
Would love to visit this country one day. Have never seen a castle before.
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
@CarolDM I lived above the castle of Heidelberg in Germany for four years. To get up to our house we used the funicular.
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@CarolDM (203478)
• Nashville, Tennessee
13 Nov 18
@MALUSE That is not fair to have so many castles!
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
@CarolDM Small ones are sold occasionally. So if you don't know what to do with your money . . .
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@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
13 Nov 18
I've never visited there, but it looks fun. A little bit kitsch can really put me off, but this is so kitschig it becomes attractive Thanks for taking on us that vivid little tour.
1 person likes this
@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
You're welcome. Don't miss this castle the next time you are in Portugal. :-)
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@GardenGerty (157049)
• United States
13 Nov 18
It looks and sounds like something I would enjoy.
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
After the initial shock it is indeed enjoyable.
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@Teep11 (7674)
• United States
14 Nov 18
How grand. What a gorgeous image above. There are so many lovely places to visit aren't there? Thanks for sharing such an intriguing read. Appreciated.
@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
14 Nov 18
Thank you for your friendly comment.
@LadyDuck (454996)
• Switzerland
14 Nov 18
I loved our visit to Sintra, the Parque de Pena is beautiful and the Castle very well maintained. I surely liked more Sintra than Lisbon.
@Inlemay (17714)
• South Africa
29 Nov 18
Absolutely picturesque stunning - I dont think I will get there, so thank you for sharing
@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
29 Nov 18
Mr. Disney would have liked it!
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
13 Nov 18
Unfortunately we did not get to Sintra although I have known about it for a long time and thought I would get to see it. After my trip to Portugal I vowed never to go back my daughter on the other hand loves Lisbon.
• Midland, Michigan
14 Nov 18
I've never been to Europe, yet. I guessed that Lisbon was in Spain so I don't feel so bad seeing I was close. I was playing a game where you go to various cities. I've been to a few provinces in Canada, several started in America and Hawaii. In 2020 we're hoping to go on a cruise to two cities in Mexico. I don't enjoy museums but I do enjoy parks and gardens and would love to see the ones you've mentioned.
@Fleura (28949)
• United Kingdom
13 Nov 18
Forgot to ask - did Maria and Ferdinand live in it? And now - is it just for tourists?
@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
It was some years ago that we were there. I can't answer the question concerning Maria and Ferdinand. But I think they did because the rooms one can see look so lived in as if the inhabitants had only just left. Nowadays it's a tourist attraction.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (28949)
• United Kingdom
13 Nov 18
So, one of Prince Albert's relatives is responsible! It sounds (and looks) like a great place to visit.
@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
13 Nov 18
Blame the Germans!
1 person likes this