Must admit I am struggling a little bit with writing posts for the blog this month what with still being in England, a daily post challenge on my other blog, Christmas preparations and my voluntary work. And I’ve not even got my head around packing for our winter sojourn yet. However when I spotted Cee’s Black & White Challenge last week, I decided I really needed to make some time and take part with one of my favourite houses in the Algarve.
Palácio de Estoi is certainly not your average 19th century house in the Algarve! This is the first time I have looked at it in black and white, and it seems to me it is just as extraordinary and as beautiful in these shades as it is in its usual pink.
The palace is now a ‘pousada’, which once was the term for a hotel in Portugal owned and administered by the government. However ‘Pousadas de Portugal’ to which the Palácio de Estoi belongs, is now run by the Pestana group.
Prior to becoming a hotel a few years ago it was a ruin, but before that it was a family home which is why I am hoping Cee won’t mind me including it in her black and white house challenge this week. If you would like to know more about its history or are intrigued as to what it looks like in all its technicolor glory then do visit one of my previous posts. Here are a just a few of the ones I have written on the palace:
- The palace’s history, including a peep inside the main rooms
- Photographs of the extraordinary azulejos (tiles) in the upper and low gardens
- Historical photographs of the fountains
PS Did you spot that I have sneaked in a SquareSky!