A mixture of styles

Sintra holds the UNESCO World Heritage status and attracts people from all over the world and it is a place we would recommend anyone to visit. While we lived in Portugal we were always in the vicinity of this amazing town and enjoyed over the years discovering the maze of narrow cobblestone streets, castles, palaces and gardens.

Each visit adds to our understanding of the heritage of this location. At the center of this town there is an obvious landmark with two white chimneys, the Palácio Nacional de Sintra which was the functioning royal place until the early 1900's. Originally built under the Moorish rule for sultans summer vacations in the moderate climate of the hills of Sintra, then remodeled and altered by several of its residents of the Portuguese royal family and inevitably becomes a mixture of the Manueline and Ghotic styles with much of its original Arab influences, this building is far more impressive in the inside and it is worth a visit.

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Do you really know how to do that?

This winter in Europe the trend for clothing and other accessories is knitting , it is all over in display at the most popular stores in Germany. This was something we use to see when we were in our teens, the only difference then is, that it was produced by our mothers and grandmothers, today they are made most likely somewhere in a factory in Asia . In a walk downtown Frankfurt, Germany the other day my wife said, "I would like to stop to buy some knitting needles and some wool, I would like to knit a scarf" , with a surprised expression I said, "do you know how to do that?" She replied in a mild tone, "my mom did, and my grandmother as well, and they taught me when I was young" , to which I then somewhat unconvinced I said, "OK... why not!" For next couple of days I saw her knitting at a fast pace and things began quickly to take shape and form, first a base for some plates, next a couple of flowers, then a trendy...

It is not the change of season but our capacity to see beauty in the change!

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How old are our Christmas traditions?

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