Mystic and Mysterious

It's a place that makes you feel like you've entered the Twilight Zone. Fabulous architecture, intense atmosphere - from the buildings to the gardens... and please don't get me started on the tunnels!

Earlier this year I got myself an ultra-wide angle lens for my beloved 40D and went to try it out in Sintra, at Quinta da Regaleira. I live only a few miles away, but I had never been there and I was blown away by the place... Lord Byron knew what he was talking about when he described Sintra as a "Glorious Eden"!

I took this one crouching on one of the steps :)
It's The Palace:

Then, I entered the palace and came out on a balcony. Surprise, surprise - a welcome breath of fresh air (contrasting with the heavy atmosphere on the inside). When I first looked around I wondered if I really had entered the Twilight Zone and got teleported to Disneyland :)

Walking around the gardens, I came across the Initiation Well, inspired by the initiation rites of the Knights Templar. Going down these stairs is a truly mystic experience... if you can block out all the other people around you.
I could focus for a moment and it was a powerful emotion... I was dizzy even before I began the descent... but taking this next photo (I know I already posted it here, but now you know the rest of the story) may have had something to do with that :)

Tags: Sintra, Regaleira, palace, well, initiation, Byron, garden, mystery, mysticism, knights, templar, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco

Vertigo

When I bought an ultra-wide angle lens for my 40D (the Canon EF-S 10-22mm), I took it to Sintra for a visit to the Regaleira Palace.

I ended up taking a lot of cool photos, one of which I'm including here (you can find more here - and I especially like this one).

I was also able to confirm that I'm a "wide-angle photography kind of person" :)

But that's another story...

The photo in this post shows the Initiation Well, a very mysterious place. I find it quite hypnotic and the descent really is an amazing experience... Sintra at its best!

Tags: palace, well, initiation, architecture, Sintra, Portugal, deep, descent, photo, photography, blog, wide-angle, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco