If I had millions of dollars, what would I do with it?
Probably build a UNESCO World Heritage Site like the Quinta da Regaleira. One
of the main attractions in Sintra, this palace is more like a fairyland than a
residence. The romantic architecture mirrors the castles in Disney movies and
the sun sparkles through the trees, giving every thing a glittering glow.
Built in 6 years by 1910 by Italian architect Luigi Manini,
the castle itself encompasses Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline
architecture styles. On the outside it is completely stone, however the inside
is covered in wood, including wood cherub babies sitting in the rafters. The
paintings around the estate even look a little Disney cartoonish with bright
colors, big eyes, and majestic scenes of knights, lords, and ladies, as if
sleeping beauty herself used to grace the hallways. The palace had many quirks
about it, including large lion door knockers for each entry way, secret passage
ways, small spiral staircases, and my favorite, the library that give the
illusion of thousands of books, but it was really covered in mirrors. The
mansion was impressive, certainly a place I would have loved to live, though
perhaps not with the owner. He was a man with a scowl and one very droopy eye…
and for some reason did not ask the sculptor to fix it.
Even better than the palace, was the surrounding back yard.
More like a park full of natural jungle gyms, we spent hours exploring the
property. Every turn was a new things to check out, a lake, a grotto, a 7 story
well… My favorite place we found could only be accessed by underground tunnels.
The tunnels were dark, but were lined with twinkle lights that gave an eery
mysterious feel as we trekked along underground. We popped out in one of the
wells, but continued on until coming to an opening that displayed a natural
waterfall and rock step bridge over a secret pond. The air was a bit damp, and
the water cascading from the fall made a perfect hiding spot to sit and read…if
only I had those few million dollar to make my own!
Originally we were going to hit up one or two more tourist
sites in the afternoon around Sintra, but we ended up staying at the Quinta da
Regaliera for 3 hours. If it wasn’t for my stomach grumbling, I probably would
have opted to spend even more time, but I had to listen to the hunger. We went
back into town to grab some groceries and stopped by a few local shops. The
most notable visit was to another Ginja shop. Not everyone in the group of 3
other girls I was travelling with had tried it yet, so they took the
opportunity of drinking it out of a chocolate cup (probably much better that
way, no sprite needed.) The owner was very generous and even escorted us to the
back to try “Angel’s Pee,” an almond-lemon liquour, that despite the name was
incredibly delicious. But as we walked along, our feet got tired and our
stomachs shouted as us once again, so we headed back to our hostel for the
night to have a picnic for dinner.
If I had millions of dollars, what would I do with it?
Probably build a UNESCO World Heritage Site like the Quinta da Regaleira. One
of the main attractions in Sintra, this palace is more like a fairyland than a
residence. The romantic architecture mirrors the castles in Disney movies and
the sun sparkles through the trees, giving every thing a glittering glow. 
Built in 6 years by 1910 by Italian architect Luigi Manini,
the castle itself encompasses Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline
architecture styles. On the outside it is completely stone, however the inside
is covered in wood, including wood cherub babies sitting in the rafters. The
paintings around the estate even look a little Disney cartoonish with bright
colors, big eyes, and majestic scenes of knights, lords, and ladies, as if
sleeping beauty herself used to grace the hallways. The palace had many quirks
about it, including large lion door knockers for each entry way, secret passage
ways, small spiral staircases, and my favorite, the library that give the
illusion of thousands of books, but it was really covered in mirrors. The
mansion was impressive, certainly a place I would have loved to live, though
perhaps not with the owner. He was a man with a scowl and one very droopy eye…
and for some reason did not ask the sculptor to fix it.
Even better than the palace, was the surrounding back yard.
More like a park full of natural jungle gyms, we spent hours exploring the
property. Every turn was a new things to check out, a lake, a grotto, a 7 story
well… My favorite place we found could only be accessed by underground tunnels.
The tunnels were dark, but were lined with twinkle lights that gave an eery
mysterious feel as we trekked along underground. We popped out in one of the
wells, but continued on until coming to an opening that displayed a natural
waterfall and rock step bridge over a secret pond. The air was a bit damp, and
the water cascading from the fall made a perfect hiding spot to sit and read…if
only I had those few million dollar to make my own!
Originally we were going to hit up one or two more tourist
sites in the afternoon around Sintra, but we ended up staying at the Quinta da
Regaliera for 3 hours. If it wasn’t for my stomach grumbling, I probably would
have opted to spend even more time, but I had to listen to the hunger. We went
back into town to grab some groceries and stopped by a few local shops. The
most notable visit was to another Ginja shop. Not everyone in the group of 3
other girls I was travelling with had tried it yet, so they took the
opportunity of drinking it out of a chocolate cup (probably much better that
way, no sprite needed.) The owner was very generous and even escorted us to the
back to try “Angel’s Pee,” an almond-lemon liquour, that despite the name was
incredibly delicious. But as we walked along, our feet got tired and our
stomachs shouted as us once again, so we headed back to our hostel for the
night to have a picnic for dinner.
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