Sintra

Our next destination was Sintra, a 3-star site of royal palaces and gardens, etc., that everyone raves about. Our Sintra experience did not start well, missing a turn and the official RV parking lot. We parked elsewhere and got to experience a 2k hilly trudge to the main palace and environs. The place was overrun with tourists and tour buses and touristical tuk-tuks and trinket shoppes. We peeked in at the palace gift shoppe, and, upon examination and reflection, decided we'd leave royal Sintra for another visit. Maybe another life-time. We nonetheless plodded the crowded alleys and further shoppes, and then had a more or less peaceful walk back, through one of the gardens, to the parking lot and our camper. We proceeded on.

One of the palaces, the one whose gift shoppe we toured

Checking out what we were considering, en video

Ditto

OK, if not jaded, we were a bit tired

Panning around, looking up at the ancient Moorish castle way
up there in the heights

More panning

More castle

Based on Cinderella's castle

 

The town

Would you believe Sintra has not one, 

Not two, but three Byron restaurants? He wrote of the place as
"Eden"; one wonders what he'd make of it now; would he have
liked tapas or queijos? Super Bock?

We stopped of course at Piriquita's for a pastry fix

Obviously wearing Kevlar pants

The park was impressive, and nearly deserted

Royal tennis courts?

Big beauty

Magnolias in bloom

Pasteis De Belem

Our last stop in Lisbon was at the Pasteis de Belem, braving the mob there and ordering another overdose of the addictive pastels de nata.

Funny, I think we ate the pastels before I could
get a picture of them

Bosch's Temptations Of St. Anthony

There is no record of how it got to Portugal, but there it is, displayed in a room that features a Cranach as well as a Durer. Late 15th/early 16th. The whole world invaded by sin. He died before the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, the century-plus of horrendous wars of religion. Sensing trouble, perhaps, he had all his works in progress and unsold works destroyed after his death. So I have read.

First, the grisailles

Whole triptych, about the same size as Garden of Earthly Delights

Center

Left

Nice signature

Right

And now for some details; it's always in the details with Bosch

Personal favorite; never mind the sexual imagery

St. Anthony himself, looking more perplexed than
tempted

Museu Nacional De Arte Antigua

We missed the National Museum of Old Art entirely in 2009. It was before our interest in art/painting history had grown, and besides, who's ever heard of it? Sounds like antiques. Well, since 2009, we have heard of it, especially in connection with the older northern masters we like. So a trip to the MNAA was inevitable, especially to see the Bosch triptych The Temptations of St. Anthony (next post). The painting collection at MNAA is chronological, but, having missed the turn at Pismo Beach, we did it in reverse chronological order. Depending on your perspective. We also visited the decorative arts section and the section devoted to art from countries and regions Portugal "explored."

Old entrance, for those arriving by public transportation

Beautiful Courbet Winter Scene

Never miss a Fragonard; I'm sparing you the
Watteaus

A Steen

Most unusual, an Andrea della Robia statue,
St. Leonard

Peter the Younger Breughel, Works of Mercy; like father...

Momper's Tower of Babel

Three walls of Zuberan saints, martyrs, apostles, whatever...

Durer's St. Jerome (where's the pussycat?)

Cranach's Salome, interestingly attired

Piero della Francesca, St. Augustine, 15th,
tempera

Jan Prevost, Lady of Mercy triptych

Anonymous, Jesus Strafing St. Francis (detail)

Incredible silver

And other stuff, much of it from other places

From a setting of the twelve martyrs

Monstrance and its carrying case

Hey, we are in Portugal