Europe – Page 70 – TRAVEL WORDS

After the rain…

After driving from the Lake District yesterday to Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland, we hit heavy rain. Settling down to watch the women’s final at Roland Garros, we resigned ourselves to the rest of the day indoors as we watched the mizzle turn to drizzle and people with umbrellas passed by.

But, unexpectedly, as Maria Sharapova took the crown yet again, the sun came out, so donning raincoats (just in case) and armed with cameras, we ventured out to explore our new surroundings.

and what a pretty place it is…

Valletta – The Fortress City

Valletta

“a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen”

is Malta’s capital city: Valletta is named after its founder, the respected Grand Master of the Order of St. John, Jean Parisot de la Valette. Started in 1566, Valletta was completed, with its impressive bastions, forts and cathedral, in the astonishingly short time of 15 years. Today, it is one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. (source)

(click an image to scroll through the gallery)

St Ursula street Valletta

lantana

Auberge de Castile

Fort St Elmo

Les Gavroches (street urchins)

Lower Barakka Gardens

Maltese Bus

Victoria – Republic Square

Valletta from the parade in Sliema

Pot plants

Upper Barakka Gardens

Valletta enclosed balconies

If you visit Malta take time to wander the streets of Valletta, you will find hidden gems around every corner. Look up to see statues, niches and interesting lanterns. Doors, windows and covered walkways and interesting door handles.

(click an image to scroll through the gallery)

Maltese Cross

Skull

Covered Passage

Door Handles

Look up!

Courtyard-at-Manoel-Teatro

Teatro Manoel

Courtyard of Grand Master’s Palace

If you love history, you will love Valletta.

U for Ursuline Monastery

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The Ursuline Monastery in Solvenia’s young capital, Ljubljana and the Holy Trinity Parish Church was commissioned by Jakob Schell von Schellenburg, a wealthy local merchant and financier, and his wife Ana Katarina. During the construction of the Trg republike square, the Monastery underwent a thorough reconstruction and its garden was completely destroyed.

Its undulating façade enhanced by semi-columns and a characteristic gable inspired by the famous Roman architect Francesco Borromini make it one of Ljubljana’s most beautiful and extraordinary example of Baroque architecture.

In front is the Holy Trinity Column erected in 1693 as a thanks offering for the city having been spared from the plague.

and given the number of windows in this beautiful building I am linking this to Dawn’s Lingering Windows Challenge.

T for Týn Church / Týnský chrám

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Back in Prague (the city of 101 spires apparently) this week for one of the most recognisable buildings in the Old Town, a Gothic church called ‘The Church of Our Lady in front of Týn‘

The current church is a late Gothic style and construction began in the 14th century. The roof, the 80m high church towers and the smaller spires were completed in the 15th century. It dominates one side of the Old Town Square. (Wikipedia)

The front is decorated with a golden image of the Virgin Mary, made in the 1620s from the melted down Hussite chalice that previously adorned the church. This was during the tumultuous period when Roman Catholics were slaughtering the Hussites who had controlled the church for two centuries.

And take a close look at the two spires on the church. They are not symmetrical. They represent the masculine and feminine sides of the world. This is characteristic of Gothic architecture of the period.

The church is difficult to picture in its entirety as it is hidden behind the four-storey Týn School, and although impressively Gothic on the outside it is heavily Baroque on the inside. It is open to the public, though closed on Mondays, and often used for mass, so check before you visit.

Entrance to the church can be difficult to find as you have to negotiate through the narrow lanes behind the square. This amazing portal dates from 1390 and depicts scenes of Christ’s Passion.

Legend has it that Walt Disney based his Sleeping Beauty Castle on this church. What do you think?

S for Sintra Palácio Nacional da Pena

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The town of Sintra, Unesco-listed thanks to its extraordinary castles, palaces and country houses, is popular with Lisbon day-trippers. There is a lot of flamboyant architecture to see.

(please click on an image to enlarge)

The Park and Palace of Pena above the old town of Sintra are the finest examples of 19th century Portuguese Romanticism and the integration of natural and built heritage. It is another example (along with Rossio Station in Lisbon and Count Guimaraes Palace in Cascais) of neo-Manueline style, a revival architecture of the 19th/20th centuries.

This is as far as you go if you haven’t bought the full ticket. The coat of arms above the gateway is of Don Fernando II of Portugal and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He died in 1885 leaving the property to the Countess of Edla.

An alcove you pass on the way up to the second terrace, charmingly filled with a stone urn and lush tropical plants.

Allegorical gateway of the Creation. Half-man half-fish figure.

Beautiful tiles

Tiles

Carved stone decorations

The Minaret

On your way up to the entrance you go past a lovely border of tropical planting, which all looks in much better shape than the actual Palace buildings, which I thought were rather tired and scruffy looking. I wanted to get a paintbrush out there and then!

It is a steep walk up to the Palace and you may prefer to take the 434 circular bus route from the railway station (regular trains to and from Lisbon make it an easy day out) to the historic centre of the Old Town, the castle and Pena Palace. If you walk from the station then you can enter the lovely Parque de Liberdade.

I went there on a very humid day in May, and found it a little disappointing. The exterior of the Palace and the Palacio Nacional de Sintra were in need of some TLC and I found the historic centre to be very crowded and it was very hot and sticky. Climbing up hill in those conditions do not suit me, but I would like to go back as there are many other sites to visit that are very interesting.

Have you visited Sintra? Did you go to the Pena Palace and Gardens? What are your thoughts?