crocodile gargoyles and mythical seabeasts

The Palácio de Pena in Sintra is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. 'Wonder' is definitely an appropriate word to describe this palace, which is a collage of Moorish, Romantic, and Medieval architectural elements— crocodile gargoyle? Yes, we'll have that. Wall of faux coral with a bearded seaman-beast spread-legged atop a giant clam? Sure! The bizarre randomness of the Palácio was a delight, and the looming grey in the sky was a perfect contrast to the fading cadmium yellow of the palace walls. It was the stuff of fairy tales, I tell you.



From the topmost level of the palace, you can watch the clouds roll in from the Atlantic— a sliver of silver on the horizon, and Lisbon is a cluttered mass in the distance.

moorish footprints

The stoic fortress atop the highest hill in Mértola was originally a Moorish construction, but its current form is a reconstruction by Christians— the main tower being completed around 1292. The Alentejo region of Portugal has a Moorish history that is still evident in some of the architectural choices by the Southern Portuguese, notably in the whitewashed squarish houses, trimmed in blue. Every two years, the municipality of Mértola celebrates its Moorish history with a festival of theatre, dance, music, art and food, squeezing people from all over the world into the town's tiny streets.

The Museu de Mértola's Islamic Centre boasts a humble yet intriguing collection of Islamic ceramics, which includes many gorgeous bowls with unusual designs— the first one below almost seemed prehistoric, rather than Moorish or Islamic. I've never seen such detailed and linear abstractions of animals in Islamic ceramics. Please forgive the blurriness of the photos— I was having some technical difficulties...



Mértola's main church was originally a 12th century mosque, later converted into a church during the Christian conquest in 1238. The church still has a mihrab, which faces east, toward Mecca.

beautiful mértola

So lovely, it doesn't seem real.