I had just got out of the Metro, heading towards the centre of Vila do Conde, when I saw an open gate to a garden that went all the way across the block. So I took the shortcut.
Little did I know that this garden belonged to a Museum. Imagine my surprise when I immediately encountered sculptures with lovely and adorable details like this.
This is just one of the few sculptures scattered around the property.
Another shot of that sculpture. The wall behind it looks old, no?
Here's the main entrance to the property. It's located in the national road (N13) that comes from Porto, crosses Vila do Conde, among a lot of other towns and goes all the way to Spain... It's perfect for a road trip.
Anyway, there's no excuse to miss this entrance.
Once you enter, you'll see a building that is not only a Museum, but also holds the Municipal Archives and the Archaeology Office of Vila do Conde. Appropriately named Centro de Memória (Memory Centre), it was a salvage mission from an existing old building, Solar de São Sebastião (Solar of Saint Sebastian).
Whether you're a local or a tourist, a visit to this lovely place should be on your checklist.
Yes, of course I took closer shots at these figures. Here's the first one, looks pretty slick, eh?
Even though the sun wasn't in the best position, I took a shot of the other one, as well.
Moving ahead, you'll find a nice terrace with set up tables, where you can order a snack and a drink. Or just grab a quick coffee.
Looking left to this terrace, you can admire the old house which was remodelled and brought to life. Ahead of it, as if guarding the place, stands a beautiful sculpture.
Here's a close up of that piece.
To the left of the museum, there's a big green park open to the public, from Tuesday to Sunday, until late afternoon.
In this garden, there a few ancient pieces that make me think of Roman Ruins. Whatever they are, they have suffered a lot from the weather and the passage of time.
Here are some more pieces. Some of them are pretty unrecognisable.
What purpose do you think this stuff had, back on its glory days? Do you want to take a guess?
Below this area, there was a different part of the garden, with lots of bushes cut more or less like a labyrinth, with a sculpture at the centre.
Here's a much better view of that area.
That sculpture is very interesting. Unfortunately, the sun was strongly shinning behind it and some details were lost...
Here's a closer shot, as frontal as I could get without the sun hitting the lens directly.
This garden is perfect for families to bring their kids, too. We all know children don't like to visit museums, so why not offering them an area to play and have fun, to possibly even make friends... while the parents do the more boring stuff?
Check out this amazing cricket, I mean slider.
I think every child will love to have a bit of fun sliding through a cricket!
"- A slider cricket? Call it what you will. Just let me have fun, mamma!"
Oh, have I mentioned that pets are allowed in this garden, too? Yep, you can bring your 4 legged pals with you. They're welcome. As long as they behave and don't try to eat the sculptures, they can stay as long as they want.
This is just one of the many attractions you can hope to find in the spectacular city of Vila do Conde. There's plenty to see and if your legs are getting tired, you can always grab a towel and head to the beach.
| Camera | Canon IXUS 210 |
| Location | Vila do Conde - Portugal |
| Edited with GIMP |
I hope you've enjoyed this post. Please leave a comment if you did.
