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Showing posts with label queluz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label queluz. Show all posts

Tuesday, 18 May 2010

TRAVELLING BACKWARDS IN TIME - PART 1 - SLIDE-SHOW

There are places we visit that make us feel as if we were travelling backwards in time. I  went on that kind of travel, this morning,  as I was strolling through the historical gardens that surround one of Portugal's most beautiful palaces - Queluz Palace  -,  a scaled-down  Portuguese version of Versailles. The Palace  (1746-1760) during the latter half of the 18th century was  the Royal Family's favourite summer residence.

This post will be exclusively focusing on the gardens. Others will come soon... the Palace..... the ***** Restaurant (formerly the Palace's kitchen) and... facilities that are  now a State-owned hotel.
Profusely decorated with baroque fountains (unfortunately some of them out of work or under restoration) and sculptures, these either made  made out of either stone or lead), they provide a mythological route of discovery which abounds with the gods and heroes of classical antiquity and with numerous allegorical figures. The gardens, designed by a French architect and laid out in the French style, were a privileged place for the many parties and pastimes of the Royal Family.
For today, the International Museum Day, visitors could see not many but a few young people wearing  costumes of the XIII century.
Nowadays, the area still preserves much of its former charm and beauty. So it is not  surprising that every summer, open air concerts, ballet and recitals take place in the gardens.
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