Rain! Still, we visited the Quinta da Regaleira home and gardens about 20 minutes outside the historic district of Sintra. Just up the hill a bit further was the Tivoli Hotel, formerly a Palacio, where we glimpsed the gardens. After dinner back in the historic downtown, we tried a pathway bypassing the usual route back to our hotel, and discovered a lovely park. While we were in the parlor at the hotel, new friends Iris and Marilyn from London checked in with tales of the very wet day.
Palacio at Quinta da Regaleira built by a Brazilian mining owner around 1904. He was intrigued by Knights Templar, Freemasons, mythology, and dark arts.
The intricate architecture of the house included gargoyles and nautical elements, as the rope at the bottom of this window.
Leda’s Grotto combines mythology with sculpture in a garden grotto.
One of the most visited garden sites is the Initiation Well (Poço Iniciático) with its Templar Cross inscribed at the base. Spiral stairs lead downward to a series of tunnels.
The Tivoli Palacio Seteais is now a hotel, but we could peak at the gardens below.
An alternate route back to the hotel was through this lovely garden. Note the iconic chimneys of Sintra on the upper right corner of the sign.