Good evening, Hivers!

Today I want to share a weekend experience I had a few months ago, when I went to visit a good friend of mine in Maia.

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As he is a great connoisseur of many buildings, parks and public spaces, as well as the fantastic trails and paths that are located in the municipality of Maia, and in neighbouring municipalities, it's no wonder that on my short walk along the ecocaminho, near Maia Park and Maia Zoo, I came across this palace, built in the Baroque style around 1723 (source), has been reinstated by the Municipality of Maia, after a period in which it had been owned by the Espirito Santo Banking group (formerly the BES group - which went bankrupt after several disastrous financial choices that led the group to a series of lawsuits with thousands of victims).

Just for the record, many of those victims have still lost a large part of their savings. Controversies aside, let's talk about this old Quinta!

With an entrance that invites us to get to know what lies between the walls. Having visited on a day when the main house wasn't open, we only visited the surrounding gardens, as well as the main swimming pool, tennis court and strolling gardens.

The shade of the cuniferous trees invites you to let time pass under their cool shade. And on the particular day I was there, 8 October 2022, a very hot Saturday... it felt great. The still but cool waters of the lakes were more than a temptation for me, and I couldn't resist dipping my hands and forearms in to cool off more quickly.

The municipality of Maia is located in the north of Portugal, and it's not often that these temperatures are still felt in October...

A brief review of the United Nations Climate Summit (COP28), which was clearly a flop... Anyway, it seems that we'll never be able to believe in global warming, and that it's only when we can't do anything to reverse all climate change that we'll be able to chase the damage... But opinions aside.... Let's continue our relaxing stroll through this green corner!

Here's a shot taken on the Pinmapple map so you can get a good idea of the spatial layout of the buildings and structures I photographed. I didn't use a spatial alignment according to their layout, but only took into account the photographic composition for this publication.

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Image Source: Pinmapple.com

From the eaves to the fountains, everything was a delight for me... Starting a Saturday afternoon like this, just before lunch, is fantastic for me. I love making these discoveries, especially when I'm away from home. What about you? When you visit a new place, do you already have a plan of places to discover, or do you also consider letting yourself be carried away by the moment?

I hope you enjoyed my sharing!

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this post.

If you'd like to comment, even if it's not directly related to the photos, but rather to what I said in the text about global warming, feel free to do so.

https://www.visitmaia.pt/produtos-turisticos/quinta-dos-conegos

Bem Hajam🍀

Photographic edition with PhotoScape X

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