Often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles, the National Palace of Queluz in Queluz, Portugal was one of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe. The palace was conceived as a summer retreat for Dom Pedro of Braganza and his wife Queen Maria I. On our recent visit to the palace, my husband and I had the place almost to ourselves and could take it all in at a leisurely pace.
I had visited the palace years ago with my family (I’m the one in yellow)…
(Credit for the beautifully restored photo goes to my good friend, Pamela Frame)
But my memories, like some of the palace’s exterior paint, had faded over time.
Once inside, I was amazed by the grandeur of the ballroom…
And wondered if any of the people in the portraits could be my distance relatives.
Each room was a feast for the eyes, from the ornate chandeliers…
To the charming paintings on the ceilings.
Who sat in these throne chairs?
And did the heavens really smile down upon them?
In the “Sala das Mangas” I ogled the gorgeous tiles…
(Although capturing their beauty adequately in a photo was almost impossible.)
In the grounds outside, we were in the company of frolicking statues…
And surrounded by hedges and flowers.
It was an afternoon very well spent!
Such a beautiful family picture. I have to put it on my places to visit. Thanks for the view.
Hi Tracy,
The Palace of Queluz is really worth a visit, and since it’s so close to the town of Sintra (I’ll be doing a post on our visit there, too) you can make a day out of visiting both places.
I hope things are going well for you! I always enjoy seeing your posts on Google+.
🙂 Joana
Gorgeous!
Thanks, Helen! More pix coming today…
🙂 Joana
On Sun, Sep 7, 2014 at 3:52 PM, JOANA MIRANDA STUDIO wrote:
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I love to travel with your photos. It’s so much easier than taking those long flights. Your photos are really wonderful (whether in NYC or Portugal). Thanks Joana.
And I get to relive the vacation again by sharing the photos and writing about them. 🙂
One good thing about living in NY city is that Lisbon is pretty much the closest city you can fly to in Europe. Six and 1/2 hours isn’t short, but as overseas flights goes, it’s a breeze.
Ciao – Joana
On Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 10:47 AM, JOANA MIRANDA STUDIO wrote:
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