Building love in Lisbon
Updated: 2016-05-11 08:40
By Erik Nilsson(China Daily)
|
|||||||||
The Castle of the Moors defends its position among Lisbon's most ancient and esoteric constructions.[Photo/Courtesy of Tourism Portugal] |
A balcony sundial not only homed rays to tell time but also concentrated beams through a magnifying glass to ignite gunpowder to declare chowtime. It's a pyrotechnic take on the dinner bell.
The compound Ferdinand II reconstructed on the ruins of a medieval monastery is ultimately a sanctuary of romanticism.
It, too, hosts a 96-hectare garden left to grow wild.
Indeed, Ferdinand II lives up to his name as the "artist king".
He not only drew the merman likeness of the Greek sea god Triton's statue above a main gateway but also rendered the complex into a shrine adulating romantic philosophy.
The palace is packed with the movement's major motifs-nature, kids and an amalgam of architecture that would otherwise make no sense.
Stone turtles crawl around elves. Carved vines wrap banisters.
Pillars and arches painted on the walls make the Arabic Room appear like a huge Middle Eastern complex-an embrace the muddling of styles, of exotic destinations and of illusion, since the modestly sized room appears to be a vast compound.
Indeed, the palace proves romantic beyond its architecture, as it's still a popular wedding venue.
Like the rest of Lisbon, Pena is a place dedicated to marrying different ways of thinking.
And that's what love is about, isn't it?
Contact the writer at erik_nilsson@chinadaily.com.cn
- First joint EU-China civil exercise begins in Shanghai
- Uncertainty over EU referendum vote impacts UK economy: Think-tank
- Canadian miner sells world's most expensive rough diamond for record $63 million
- German, Cuban FMs hold talks on bilateral cooperation
- Putin prevails in Sochi all-star ice hockey game
- US guided-missile destroyer visits Tonga
- Putin prevails in Sochi all-star ice hockey game
- Shanghai Disney Resort starts internal test run
- Top 10 events between Shanghai and Beijing auto shows
- CPC creates cartoon to show how officials are selected
- Top 5 expected highlights at CES Asia 2016
- Business jet market hits air pocket
- Canada getting on top of Alberta wildfire, Fort McMurray off limits
- Young golfers enjoy the rub of the green
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Anti-graft campaign targets poverty relief |
Cherry blossom signal arrival of spring |
In pictures: Destroying fake and shoddy products |
China's southernmost city to plant 500,000 trees |
Cavers make rare finds in Guangxi expedition |
Cutting hair for Longtaitou Festival |
Today's Top News
Liang avoids jail in shooting death
China's finance minister addresses ratings downgrade
Duke alumni visit Chinese Embassy
Marriott unlikely to top Anbang offer for Starwood: Observers
Chinese biopharma debuts on Nasdaq
What ends Jeb Bush's White House hopes
Investigation for Nicolas's campaign
Will US-ASEAN meeting be good for region?
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |