Urbanicity – Page 37 – TRAVEL WORDS

A Lingering Look at Windows: In the Garden

This weekly challenge is hosted by Dawn from ‘The Day After’ who invites participants to post pictures of any windows that they find curious, inviting, photogenic, or in some way tell a story. Visit her blog to see more windows and/or to join in with the challenge.

Whilst visiting Stockton Bury Gardens in Herefordshire recently I also couldn’t help noticing some windows. The Tithe Barn obviously didn’t have windows, but does have huge doors. Now that it is used as a café new bi-fold windows have been added so that they can be open during good weather.

There is a window in the stable block, occupied by a pair of white doves it seems.

But difficult to spot them from the outside in May.

Budding wisteria in April

turns to dripping wisteria in May, and yes there is a window there if you look hard enough.

and a cute little window in the ladies loo.

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?

A Lingering Look at Windows: In London

Office Building near Tower Hill

windows-2 — Reflection of St Dunstan’s church tower

More Modern Glass (and a black cab)

Reflections in the city

and finally The Shard – lots of windows in that building!

R for Rossio Railway Station

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Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio – located in Rossio Square, Lisbon, Portugal

This unusual building will attract your attention – it is built in the neo-manueline style and quite beautiful. The intertwined horseshoe portals at the front of the building are probably the most impressive features.

But just admire the detail around those doors and windows.

And as I often say, don’t forget to look up!

Q for Qutb Minar

frizztext hosts a weekly A – Z Challenge

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(A special post today as this is the 200th on this blog!)

The Qutb Minar is in Delhi, India.

Originally the minar had only 4 storeys, faced with red and buff sandstone. The uppermost storey which was damaged in 1368 during Firuz Tughluq’s reign was replaced by him by 2 storeys, using marble but leaving the lower portion of the 4th storey in original red sandstone.

The minar narrows from the bottom to the top. It has a diameter of 14.3 meters at the bottom, while at the top it is only 2.7 meters

With a height of 72.5 m and 379 steps, it is the highest stone tower in India and a perfect example of minar known to exist anywhere.

Verses of the holy Quran in Naskh style on the walls of Qutb Minar

The mosque is in ruins today but indigenous corbelled arches, floral motifs, and geometric patterns can be seen among the Islamic architectural structures. Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, constructed by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, dates back to the year 1198. (below and header photo)

Alai Darwaza is the name given to the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. Ala-ud-Din Khalji got the gateway constructed in the year 1311. It boasts of being the first gateway with a horseshoe arch and true dome. Along with that, it was also the first structure, which employed Islamic principles of construction and decoration.

All the artisans employed for the construction of Qutb Minar were Hindus and even the raw material for the monument was obtained from existing Hindu and Jain temples. Since human and animal figures are not allowed in Islam, the motifs illustrating them were later disfigured.