Luis Barros, Consul General for Portugal
Pena National Palace
VoX Team: Susan Webb, President & Gerlinde
Perera, V.P. Client Services
There were close to 20 delegates representing Portugal at the event, each
selling dreams of landscapes, history and wine.
The Douro region in Portugal is actually most popular for wine – as we discovered with the lovely wine we enjoyed during the
luncheon. Along with this, the value proposition
for 5 star properties make Portugal a very enticing destination. A taste of the
luxe life can be enjoyed at very reasonable rates.
For me, the most prominent mention was the Pena National Palace found in Sintra. It sits on the top of a hill and on a clear day it can actually be seen from Lisbon approximately 33km away. The palace was originally a chapel but in 1838 King Ferdinand II transformed it into a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family.
Several people at the event referred to Ferdinand as a madman because the design he set out for the palace is such a wild mish mash of styles and features. For starters, it consists of various colours: purples, pinks and yellows and also features a clock tower, a drawbridge, gothic arches and sculptures as well as the original chapel walls.
I wonder what kind of dreams he had? Perhaps he indulged in a little too much Portugese wine before executing his architectural designs.
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