Portugal (continued)

 So I will continue in this blog with some more of the sites we visited in Portugal.  Before that however; just a short informational paragraph about Portugal in general. 

Portugal is the oldest country in Europe having the same defined boarders since 1139AD.  Moorish (Muslim) people dominated the Iberian Peninsula (area of Spain and Portugal) between 700-1300AD.  During the 1300s the Arabs were expelled by Catholic armies.  As the 1400 and 1500s rolled around, Portugal became the first major player in the age of exploration.  Explorers such as Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan explored and claimed lands for Portugal as far west as Brazil and east to Japan and China.  Their empire included lands in South America, Asia, the Azores and west Africa and they retained some of these regions until into the 1800 and 1900s.  

Today Portugal is a small country compared to many of its European neighbors, but its long and diverse history is fascinating.  Over the centuries Muslims, Jews, and Christians have lived both harmoniously and not so harmoniously within Portugal.  Because of this; the architecture, food, and music are also a mixture of all of these cultures.  Portugal is the largest producer of cork in the world, 9th in olive oil production, and 11th in wine production.

With these nifty tidbits of information in mind, let me continue with our trip.  From Porto, Portugal we took the tour bus to the town of Aveiro.  This coastal town also has a river and lagoon which was important in its history.  Fishermen plied the waters for fish,  shellfish, and seaweed.  The town has multiple canals coming off the river throughout the town.  It is known as the Venice of Portugal.  Today the traditional boats once used to transport seaweed for fertilizer are now used for tourist rides along the canals.

The barcos moliceiros or simply moliceiros (traditional boats of Aveiro).  These are a likeness of the Venician gondola.

The moliceiro is a flat bottomed, shallow draft vessel made of pine and built by local craftsmen.  Their narrow, tapered hull and shallow draft made them perfect for navigating the shallow waters of the lagoon and canals.  They were propelled by sail, pole, or pulled with ropes along the canals (today they are power driven).  Colorfully painted panels adorn both sides of the bow and stern with unique designs identifying each individual owner's vessel.  These painted panels are a great example of Portuguese folk art.  Our group was able to take a ride in one of these boats.

More moliceiros

Painted folk art panels on moliceiros

Passing under one of several pedestrian bridges in Aveiro.  The colored ribbons adorning the bridges in town are placed there by couples to proclaim their love and friends to signify their friendship.  Each couple writes their names on a ribbon and then tries the ribbon the the bridge.  Pretty cool idea.  They are really beautiful on all the small bridges across the main canal in town.

Ribbon adorning pedestrian bridges

Just on the other side of the lagoon from Aveiro is the seaside area of Costa Nova.  One side of Costa Nova faces the beach, but the other side faces the lagoon.  It is on the banks of the lagoon where multiple, candy striped, little houses are located.  These cute cottages used to be used by the fishermen as storage for their gear and fishing nets.  They painted them different colors and stripes to more easily and quickly identify their own cottage as they came into the lagoon to load-up or drop-off supplies.  Most have now been converted into vacation cottages, but they retain their candy stripes.

Candy striped cottages of Costa Nova

After leaving Aveiro the tour bus was on the road to Sintra a town in the forested foothills between Porto and Lisbon.  Because of its location and slightly cooler climate, Sintra was and still is a very popular destination for Portugal and Europe's wealthy and elite.  They built elaborate and colorful villas and palaces throughout Sintra.  It gives the town a fairy-tale sort of feel.  

One of the most flamboyant structures is the National Palace of Pena.  Built in the 1800s it was used by the then royal family of Portugal as a summer residence.

National Palace of Pena in Sintra

Other villas in the Sintra area

The two most important castles/palaces are the Castelo dos Mouros and the National Palace of Sintra.  The Castelo dos Mouros is the ancient ruins of a Moorish castle built in the 8th century atop a craggy peak in Sintra.  From this high vantage point the castle had unrivalled views across a large portion of the coastline and for miles inland.  The Muslim Moors whom ruled Portugal used this castle from 700AD to 1147 when the Christian crusaders captured the region.  The castle was abandoned 50 years later in 1197 and never regained its significance as a strategic military post.  Today its ruins can be visited and although our group did not visit; the views are still reportedly fantastic.

Castelo dos Mouros atop the peak in Sintra (viewed from out of the window of National Palace of Sintra)

Another view of the Castelo dos Mouros

The second notable palace in Sintra is the National Palace of Sintra also known as Town Palace.  This is the best preserved medieval palace in Portugal.  Built by the Moors in the 700s, the Christian kings of Portugal claimed the palace in the 1400s.  Portugal's nobility used this palace from the early 1400s through the late 1800s.  It is easily recognizable by its gothic exterior and its two large conical chimneys.

National Palace of Sintra

Gothic style windows on the outside of the palace.

View of the conical chimneys from a courtyard in the palace.

Original portions of the palace from the 700s no longer exist.  The Portuguese kings remodeled the palace extensively. The oldest portion of the palace is the chapel which likely dates to around 1287.  Notice the use of the moorish patterns painted in the Christian chapel.  Like so many ancient buildings of this region things were repurposed so that often there is a mix of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish influences all in the same building.

Chapel

Below is the Swan Room so named because of the 30 swans painted on the ceiling.   There is one swan for each year of age of Infanta Isabella of Portugal who married Philip the Good at age 30 in 1430.

The Magpie Room is named for the magpies painted in the ceiling.  There are several stories about how this ceiling came to be populated by magpies.  One popular story goes that King John I was caught by his Queen, Philippa of Lancaster kissing one the ladies-in-waiting.  To stop the gossip he had the ceiling painted with as many magpies as there were ladies in his court (136).

The phrase "por bem" translates "for honor".

Other cool shots around the palace

Doorway and walls with typical Moorish geometric tiles.

This embroidered tapestry caught my eye but I do not know the history behind it. Just gorgeous.

A sad story associated with the palace is that of the mentally unstable King Alfonso VI.  He became king in 1656 and reigned for some time with his mother's help.  In 1668 his brother Pedro II had him deposed and sent to the National Palace in Sintra where he lived as a prisoner not allowed to leave the palace until his death in 1683.  His brother Pedro II ruled as acting King while Alfonso VI was alive.  Upon Alfonso's death, his brother Pedro officially ascended the throne and ruled until 1706.

Furniture of the Portuguese Empire shows the influence of Islamic patterns and inlays similar to the tile mosaics seen with this culture.  Also because of the great amount of exploration and expanse of the Portuguese Empire other influences from India and Asia can also be seen in some of the furniture styles.

The palace now has electricity

The Coat of Arms Room was constructed during the reign of Manuel I (1495-1521).  Manuel I had the coats of arms of the 72 noble families of Portugal placed into the ceiling.  Today these are still used for historical reference and by families searching for their family history.

Finally the kitchen area of the National Palace.  The kitchen is really two, large rooms with a central arch.  Instead of a ceiling the two enormous conical chimneys make up the roof of the kitchens.

Looking up into one of the conical chimneys.

It was quite a busy day of site seeing and after the National Palace of Sintra we all boarded the tour bus to make our way to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.  Next week I will post the final installment of our Portugal travels.  Then it will be on to Spain.