architecture
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National Palace of Sintra

sintra, national palace

sintra, national palace

This is a palace that paints the history of the Portuguese voyagers.

Originally built by the Moors in the 10th century, the castle later became a residence for the Christian kings, after the conquest of Lisbon by Afonso Henriques in 1147. The palace did not undergo much transformation until the reign of King Joan I (1385-1433) and later by king Manuel I (1495-1521), where the funds came largely from the new riches found by the voyagers.

Apart from the patterns inspired by nature and geometric shapes (Mudejar glazed tiles), the doors and windows are also ornately decorated in the Manueline style. The rooms were designed such that the ones further away from the main hall had increasing privacy from the Magpies Room (where officials were hosted) to the back chambers (i.e guest rooms)

Magpies Room

The Magpies room was used to host important ambassadors and governmental officials, and received its name with a wooden ceiling full of Magpies.  

sintra, national palace
Magpie Room
sintra, national palace
King Sebastio's Bed chamber

Coat of Arms Room

This room is one of the finest example of the Manueline style and is located at the highest point of the castle. On the ceiling you will find the coat of arms of the 8 children from King D. Manuel I, and below it are the coat of arms from 72 of the noble families in Portugal. 

There is also an inscription that says: 
" Through the efforts of loyal services were these won and with such others shall be preserved". 

sintra, national palace
Coat of Arms Room
Apart from the ornately decorated ceiling, the blue and white glazed tiles are also done by an artist known as Master PMP, which is particularly representative of the Mudejar decor. You will also find similar ones in the Water Grotto. 

sintra, national palace
Water Grotto

Water Grotto 

The Water Grotto depicted the Creation of the World, the Four Seasons with elaborate fountains, gardens and mythical themes. Water would sprout from tiny orifices, keeping the space cool and the ladies "entertained". 

Palatine Chapel 

The chapel ceiling is embossed with geometric lines representing the stars and moons, very much alike the ones we saw at Alhambra. The walls were entirely covered with fresco painting of doves carrying olive branches, which despite the use of red color, somehow gives off a calming effect. 
sintra, national palace
Palatine Chapel


The Kitchen was immensely large and I love the white tiles, really gave off a fresh modern look to it! 
sintra, national palace
Kitchen
sintra, national palace
Julius Caesar Room

sintra, national palace

Metropol Parasol, Seville

metropolparasol

The Metropol Parasol could have ended up as a disaster.

Situated at the La Encarnación square, at  a 2200 years old city Sevilla, this clash of modern meets tradition is a challenge that the German architect Jürgen Mayer H had to face.

The square had accommodated an old market since the 19th century, this was a prime commercial district. The market  was torn down in 1973 and went into dormant for many many years.

The place was in need of an urban renewal. During the reconstruction, ruins of Roman and Al-Andulas were found and the project went into pending again. The project was reopened again for bidding in 2004, to see what is the best way to renew this place.

Jürgen Mayer H kept it all -- the old market, the Roman ruins and added his own icing on top - a gigantic Mushroom timber structure. It is said to be one of the largest timber structure in the world.

The Structure 

The structure has over 3000 joints and has to meet all the standard requirements of waterproof, sun-proof, and so a type of laminated lumber called Kerto was selected. All the different joining parts were actually constructed in Germany (the weather in Spain could pose a difficult threat if it were to be constructed locally) to be assembled in Seville.

metropolparasol

The citizens were resentful at first.
People had memories here. Situated at a beautiful Jewish Quarter, there are unique boutique shops, family-owned bakeries at every corner. How are they to accept a new mushroom in this neighborhood?

And they went from resentment to confoundment and finally to acceptance that this new architecture is going to bring life back to this old neighborhood. No more stores are going out of business, new restaurants and bars and moving back in.

Now there are new memories -- it is now one of the hottest spots that local go to to enjoy the gentle breeze on a hot summer night.


The city of Pomegranate, Granada & the Alhambra Palace


alhambra, spain

Granada was the last city to fall to the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabela in 1492. For a long period of time, the Moors have known it as the "City of Pomegranate".

One of the greatest gem of this city, is the beautiful Alhambra, also known as the "Red Castle", is an Arabian night palace overlooking the fertile lands of the city below.

We first spent some time in its beautiful garden, the Alameda de la Alhambra, which was filled with intricate corridors of roses, wildflowers and myrtles. In particular, there were tall massive English elms that were brought by Duke Wellington in 1812.

granada,spainalhambra, spain



alhambra, spain

Every corner there is a surprise, and needless today, every patio, every corridor comes with a beautiful mountainous view.


alhambra, spain

Chamber of Ambassador

The Chamber of Ambassador is the largest room of the complex and it is completed covered with geometric patterns and ataurique motifs (of flowers and leaves). There are three windows panels on each side of the wall, bringing new light to the room and giving it an unique complexion. The ceiling had a designs of stars and constellations with cedar wood panels, representing the seven heavens of paradise.


alhambra, spain
Chamber of Ambassador Window Silhoulettes


Courtyard of Lions

Adjacent to it is the Courtyard of Lions, which was built in the 14th century, where the 12 marble lions fountain would channel water from each lion's mouth, which really reminded me of the 12 zodiac water fountain at Old Summer Palace in China. I was also very much fascinated by the fact that this courtyard (or many of parts of the palace) was designed with golden ratio in mind.
alhambra, spain
Courtyard of Lions


The tiles also has a lot of mathematical beauty in it to form such delicate tessellation. It is said that M.C.Escher visit to the Alhambra and Mezquita in Cordoba had a very large influence on his work later on.
alhambra, spain



Mugarnas (Honeycomb vaulting) & Mocarabes (Stalactites) 


Apart from the use of geometric shapes, tessellation tiles, inscriptions from the Koran, there are lots of forest and natural imagery involved.

The Mugarnas are these tiny squinches that form the shape of honey-combs, often found in Iranian or Persian architecture.
alhambra, spain
Honeycomb Vaulting 

There is also another similar form, called the "Mocarabes", which are more like sharp stalactites that are found at entrance ways or half-domes.

Carlos V Palace

One may start thinking that this palace seems very much out of the place. In fact, after the Reconquista, Carlos I (also know as the Hasburg Holy Roman Emperor Charles V -- we will get into more detail as to why the Spanish and the Holy Roman Empire was related), he decided to add a residential area that is closed to the Alhambra. The building was never really completed (war depleted  Carlos I income in finishing this area), and the roof was only added in 1957.
alhambra, spain
Carlos I Palace 
Despite its Renaissance facade, when you walk into the hall, you will find that there is an inner circular patio, which is unprecedented in Renaissance architecture.


This place felt more like a bullring rather than a palace, nevertheless, it is beautiful.




alhambra, spain
Courtyard of Generalife

alhambra, spain
Night view 










               

Exploring the Islamic past of Cordoba, Spain



Cordoba - a city of ancient past, where Jews, Muslims and Christians once worked side by side to build this massive beauty, the Mezquita Mosque Church. The Mezquita used mosques in Damascus and the al-aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as reference, but to be designed to be better. Originally a church for Roman church of San Vicente, it was then extended and rebuilt as a Mosque by Abd ar-Rahman I in the 6th century. It later went through two more renovations, which gave its prominent looks today. Fashionably fusion I would say.

Orange Courtyard 

Upon arrival you will enter this serene, spacious courtyard filled with orange and cypress trees. The trees were only planted in the 16th centuries, and before then, it was just a quiet space for ablution before entering the mosque.

Bell Tower 

The bell tower was built in 951-52 as a minaret, but was later remodeled and heightened in the 16th century. Hence the bell tower is very unique kind of its own -- with architectural influences from mannerism and islamic art. (Very similar to the one I saw in Split, Croatia).

Mezquita,spain

Mezquita,spain

The Interior 

The interior of Mezquita Mosque-Cathedral is truly remarkable -- lavishly ornate with geometric patterns, and the arches are still a sight of architectural wonder today. The hall is divided into sections with 2-tier lined arches, in stripes of red and white brick stones. The arches are elevated in such a way to create airiness and openness. People could freely move about in the arcade without feeling that there are columns in place, giving it an extra sense of endlessness.

Mezquita,spain
The Maksura & Mihrab
The Maksura area has an intricate movement of arches, forming a canopy of shades and lights. Each dome is decorated with star-like patterns and flower motifs. There is also a white marble slab sculpted in the shape of a shell and engravings from the Quran. The designs were largely inspired by Byzantine tradition. The skylights inundate the space with light and adds a mysterious yet majestic feel to the space.

Mezquita,spain


The Cathedral 

At the heart of the Mezquita is a 16th century built altar area and choir space, when you look from the top, it forms the shape of a holy cross. The altar and panels of bibles (in the choir space area) were made from fine mahogany stalls. Somehow, despite of its extravagance in Baroque and Renaissance design, it flowed smoothly with the rest of the architecture. This is truly a holy space, that shows that all culture and religion can stay in one place, at peace.


Mezquita,spain



Mezquita,spain
Painted altar of the Encarnacion by Pedro de Cordoba  


[US] Newport Mansions, Gilded Age and Vanderbilts (1)


"Any fool can make a fortune; it takes a man of brains to hold onto it," Commodore  Vanderbilt 

 One of the things that I love to do the most when I travel, is to roam about the streets, aimlessly, and figure out which era a house, a cottage, a phenomenal church was built.

Kind of like a guessing game -- finding common patterns among all those architectural structures, lines and forms.

Newport is the perfect place for this, with mansions from the Gilded Age, colonial houses that ranged from Beaux-art, Renaissance Revival, Gothic revival to Queen Anne style, and Irish influenced "cottages".

However, there are two mansions in Newport, still erect today, to see the rise and the fall of the Vanderbilts.

The Vanderbilts
Commodore Vanderbilt, started the business of running passenger boats and steamboats, with a capital of $100 borrowed from his mother in 1810. By 1877, his wealth has reached $100m, which is more than what was held in the US Treasury. William Henry Vanderbilt, his son, took great care of the inheritance and managed to double it, in just 8 years after his father's death.

The bulk of William's inheritance was divided between two of his sons -- Cornelius Vanderbilt II and William Kissam Vanderbilt.

Cornelius V. II built the Breakers. William K. Vanderbilt built the Marble House.

The Marble House  
The Marble House has the features of a Beaux-Arts architecture with flat roof, symmetrical design, arched windows or doors and a tint of classical design and forms. It was designed Richard Morris Hunt, who also designed the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 

 The cost of the house was about $11 million, of which $7 million was spent on marble.

newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house

The grand dining room is covered in red marbles and 24K gold.

newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house


newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house
Study Room 
newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house
Gothic Chapel 
newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house
Another room for hosting guests 

The room of Gloria Laura Vanderbilt, the only child of Reginald Vanderbilt. It is said that little Gloria had no say on whatsoever, and the Chinoise design of her room is totally her mother's idea. Little Gloria was also the subject of a "trial of the century" -- the battle for custody between her mother and her aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (American sculptor and founder of the Whitney museum -- we will see her room later!). She is also the mother of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.



newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house



newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house
Mrs. Vanderbilt's room 
A highly technologically advanced automatic water heater 
newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house

newport mansions, vanderbilt, the marble house

To next post:
Newport Mansions, Gilded Age & Vanderbilts (2)

[US] Newport Mansions, Gilded Age and Vanderbilts (2)

The Breaker
The Break had its Italian Renaissance influence and the entrance room is largely inspired by the French Opera House. When it was completed in 1895, it was considered as one of the most opulent summer "cottage" in Newport.

vanderbilt, the breaker
 Porte-cochère. A covered entrance to carriages or cars from the weather. 

The Breaker has one of the most advanced technologies implemented: centralized heating system and electricity. The main hall is inspired by 16th century palaces of Turin, and hence took the form of an Italian Renaissance style.

vanderbilt, the breaker

The walls are made of Caen stone, a creamy yellow type of limestone that are found in France.
The room has huge pilasters that are decorated with oak leaves and acorns, which symbolizes strength and longevity. You will be able to find these symbols throughout the house. The children are allowed to dance, ride bicycles or slide down the stairs in this hall!

Morning Room 
At first historians couldn't quite understand what made the wall panels look "shimmering", and they thought it was plated with silver. In fact, this room was varnished with platinum, the most expensive metal ever. The ceiling resembles the four seasons, and the wall panels are painted with muses that represents music and poetry. 
vanderbilt, the breaker
Muses 




Music Room 
The music room is where the Vanderbilts played the piano, and invite friends over for dance. The room is covered with gold leafs, chandeliers, and exotic oak furnitures. 

 vanderbilt, the breaker



Study Room 
The study room used wood panels from Turkey and the side panels were made of leather. There are symbols of Dolphins throughout the room. The Vanderbilts usually read or drink tea in this room. 
The fireplace was taken from the 16th century chateau d’Arnay le Duc in Burgundy, France.
vanderbilt, the breaker
Study room where they drink tea 

vanderbilt, the breaker


Gertrude's Bedroom 
Gertrude preferred to be a poor girl rather than the heiress of great wealth. She became an artist and a sculptor, and on the chest is one of her art piece. She is also the founder of the Whitney museum. 
vanderbilt, the breakervanderbilt, the breaker


Mrs. Vanderbilt's room vanderbilt, the breaker

 The stairs are designed to be a little shorter than usual, for women to glide down the stairs without tripping. 

vanderbilt, the breaker



17th century tapestry about Alexander the Great 

The breaker was originally a wooden house and destroyed by fire, so in the re-design, Mr. Vanderbilt specifically requested the kitchen was designed on a different wing to prevent catching from fire. Tables in the kitchen are also covered in zinc, which is kind of like the modern day stainless steel. 

vanderbilt, the breaker

vanderbilt, the breaker

This is the view from their Loggia, an indoor porch covered with mosaic tiles where they can sit, chill and watch the sea. The house is called "The Breaker" for a good reason -- you can see the waves crashing against the cliffs and the rocks are called breakers. 



Both the Breaker and the Marble House gave us a glimpse of the upper class in the early 19th century. They may lack the noble pedigree, but the industrial revolution gave these people an enormous growth in wealth to splurge on impeccable grandeur and over-the-top designs. 
To previous Newport Mansions, Gilded Age and Vanderbilts (1)


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