Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report
Chapter Six: Final Day In Lisbon
Day Six: We Won’t Be Taking Our Luggage, “Portuguese Versailles”, No Crowds, Tiles Channel, Time Out For Lunch, Decisions Decisions, This Isn’t A Buzzer?, The Oldest Functioning Bookstore In The World, Channeling My Inner Sinatra, Shut Out Of The Rooftop, A Much Needed Refreshment and A Charming Way To End Our Day
On our final day in Lisbon, we would take the Train toward Sintra, but Sintra would not not be our destination until the following morning. Today’s agenda called for a half-day trip to the Palácio Nacionalde Quelez, a Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classical Palace commissioned in the 18th century.
We walked across the street from our hotel to the already bustling Rossio Railway Station, where there was a long queue a little after 9 a.m. It seemed the entire city of Lisbon was getting away to Sintra on this Thursday morning. The queue proceeded quickly, and we purchased our one way ticket to Quelez (€1.65), located about halfway between the two towns. The 9:30 train was so full, we decided to eschew the train the following morning because it would be tough to fit our luggage in with all the passengers. Note: Our friends who traveled the following month took an afternoon train to Sintra and said it was no sweat with the luggage at that time of day.
It was about a 20-minute train ride to the Quelez-Belas station, and then another 15-minute walk to the palace. After a few wrong turns we saw the sign to the palace as we walked through town.
The National Palace of Queluz served as Portugal’s Royal Residence in the 18th century. It’s also the place where Queen Dom Maria I would be sequestered from public view during her final years.
She became queen in 1777 when her father Dom José died. Pedro, by marriage, became king (Dom Pedro III). When Pedro (who was also her uncle … hey, it was the 18th century) died in 1786, followed a few years later by her son and then her confessor, she slipped into depression that would dog her for the rest of her life. In Portugal, she was known as “Maria The Pious,” while in Brazil she was dubbed “Maria The Mad.” She spent her last years in Brazil and although called by some “A Louca” (the Mad), she seems to be revered in both countries.
The palace, which was originally a hunting lodge and converted into a palace in the 1700s, underwent a huge restoration project in 2015, and has been called the “Portuguese Versailles.” We took a self-guided tour. Admiring the chandeliers in the first room, the Dona Maria Pavilion, we knew opulence would be the order of the day.
We entered the largest reception room in the palace … The Throne Room.
The palace was one of the last rococo-style palaces to be constructed in Europe, and this room has that rococo feel.
Pedro and Maria threw big parties in this room. Tracy spent much of her time photographing the light fixtures, which were dazzling to say the least.
The Throne Room opens into The Music Room, which looks almost the same today as it did in 1761, making it one of the oldest rooms in the palace. Operas and chamber orchestra concerts were conducted in this room.
Although Dom Miguel never resided here, his portrait hangs in the Sala do Lanterim. It’s known as The Room of the Skylight since there is an opening in the ceiling for better ventilation.
If you live in a palace, it seems you have to have a chapel.
This one was designed in 1752. The painting on the main altar depicts Our Lady of Conception, the patron of Queluz.
The ceiling painting also dates back to 1752.
There were lots of places to sleep in the Apartments of Princess Maria Francisca Benedita, but none of us were ready for a nap.
The Empire Room incorporates French influences.
Besides bedrooms In the apartments, there is also an oratory.
The Smoking Room is where you could play some board games, and I assume, smoke.Actually, smoking became a habit of the Portuguese Royal Family in the mid-19th century. There were no Surgeon General warnings.
One of the coolest parts of the palace contained some beautiful Azulejos. There are tiled panels in the Corridor of Sleeves that depict the four seasons, the continents and scenes from mythology.
It’s called the Corridor of Sleeves not because of the shirts the king wore, but because this is where glass sleeves were used to keep candles away from drafts. It is also the connection between the old palace and the new palace.
Here we were reminded that lunchtime was not far away.
There were 26 rooms open to the public. We can’t remember them all. I think the room on the right is The Torch Room.
The Don Quixote Room contain scenes of the Man from La Mancha’s life. A number of royal babies were delivered here, and it’s also where Prince Pedro, the first Emperor of Brazil and King of Portugal would die at the age of 35 from tuberculosis.
The aptly named Picnic Room contains paintings of, surprise, picnics. It was also the private dining room of the King and Queen’s Chambers.
This is The Room Where We Forgot To Take A Photo Of The Description. Let there be light!
