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Destination Information for Portugal



Review : Portugal

The lost gardens of Monserrate
From the Mail on Sunday
Serendipity is the happy knack of discovering wonderful places by accident - something that can turn a good trip into an unforgettably great one.
It happened to us 13 years ago on a trip to Lisbon. Driving out to the coastal resort of Cascais, we lost our way and found ourselves at a place called Sintra.
About a half-hour's drive from the centre of Lisbon, Sintra is extraordinary - a sort of 19th-Century Disneyland: a collection of palaces and neo-Gothic castles planted on top of craggy hills.
The Portuguese royal family came here to escape the ferocious summer heat of the capital and built fantastic palaces to help them enjoy their stay.
The road that runs from Sintra to Colares passes along such a spectacularly lush slope that a number of writers, particularly Byron, were reminded of the Garden of Eden.
Almost halfway along this road, where the woods become particularly glorious, was a faded sign which advertised the Quinta de Montserrate. Intrigued by a pair of iron gates that stood invitingly open, we parked the car and dared to explore.
It was like wandering into Frances Hodgson Burnett's Secret Garden. Way down below we glimpsed an extraordinary domed building with cupolas, which looked something like a Mogul palace.
Spreading out around the palace was a huge, rambling park which had obviously been left to grow unchecked.
Slightly anxious that we might be chased away by some angry minion, we dared to enter and discovered something close to Paradise on earth.
I realised as I retraced my footsteps last weekend - in glorious blazing November sunshine - that Montserrate had now joined the tourist trail.
Travel Guide: Portugal


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