Fort of Saint Anthony of Barra in Estoril parish, located in Cascais, was one of the most monumental buildings that we saw in Cascais. The previous summer residence of António de Oliveira Salazar, was just recently renovated and opened to the public.
Praia da Rainha, translated – The Queen’s Beach, is the smallest beach in Cascais, and most definitely one of the most scenic. The story tells us that the last Queen of Portugal, Queen Amelia, was so charmed by it that she proclaimed this place to be her own, hence the name.
Apart from being a crossing point for many touristic paths, Praça 5 de Outubro is a lively place with many local restaurants and bars. The beach across the street in Cascais, makes a perfect place to spend an entire day, just enjoying the sun.
Cabo da Roca is the most western part of Europe. It is in Sintra municipality and is just 42 kilometres away from Lisbon. Cabo da Roca is one of the main touristic attractions in Europe, because of its geographical and symbolic meaning.
If you’ve ever been to Portugal, you probably know “Azulejo” very well. These are colourful tiles that are used to decorate buildings, palaces, churches, schools, etc. They are usually of different forms and tints. It was a big surprise for us to discover that in actual fact, the primary purpose of Azulejo, was a practical and not a decorative one.
We found the fairy-tale glow of the castle, which contrasted the evergreen hills of Serra da Sintra, quite unique. Each part of it had different paint and almost gave an impression of a separate building, taken out of different worlds, but with its own imaginative ornaments.
Golden hour is one of our favourite times to visit the Jerónimos Monastery. The tourist buses disappear briefly, and the soft evening light frames the Manueline style façade of the building and the gardens become a calm wonderland.
The centre of Porto is a fabulous place for a photographer to be. In comparison with other cities in Portugal, whereby architecture is marked by baroque, the architecture of Porto is rather monumental and dominated by granite constructions.
This sign was placed just in front of the Portuguese Centre of Photography, which gave the image a very special meaning. This winter morning before the sunrise, was a perfect time to capture the installation in Porto city centre, which during the day would usually be very packed.
We were very lucky to see the Monument to the Discoveries following its renovation, which was accomplished a few years ago. This shot was taken during a winter sunrise; when the sun was rising just behind the monument, softly enlightening the limestone statues. You could almost imagine the Portuguese discoverers, setting sails early in the morning and leaving the safe Lisbon shores to explore the new lands.