Sintra, Portugal

In early March 2005 I met Garry in Lisbon. He had finished two months at sea on the research vessel R/V JOIDES Resolution. At this time (since 1986) Garry and I had spent one to six months a year in Brazil so now it was time to visit 'the mother country'.

In 2002 I visited Rosslyn Chapel. I also read the book, Rosslyn, by Tim Wallace-Murphy and Marilyn Hopkins. I held a deep desire to visit Cintra/Sintra which is 14 miles, 23 kms northwest of Lisbon. In the book Sintra is mentioned as the eighth place, and starting point, on the European Path of Initiation that includes seven other major stops in Europe. I won't list them here, you must read the book if you have an interest. Ah-ha! An ah-ha moment for some of you as yes, this ties in with my walking the Retorno journey along the Camino de Santiago. Walking FROM Santiago de Compostela, Spain, TO Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France (the opposite direction).

Before walking to Santiago de Compostela in 2002 I knew that one day I would walk the return journey. Over the years I have visited five of the sacred places mentioned for this Pilgrimage of Initiation. It is 'killing' me that I have not visited the others - maybe this year I will visit one of the three left for me to visit.

If you plan on visiting Rosslyn, Scotland, then you should also read: The Stone Puzzle by Philip Coppens.

I have walked the Camino de Santiago from various starting points and here is the original photography website 2002-2009 and the latest site 2010 - Present

Is this what you are looking for?

Careful be aware, there could be one in plain view that can steer a seeker along the wrong path. I got shivers when I found this hidden column below ....

Quinta de Regaleira
A very special place.

The Initiation Well above leads to the maze/path below.

At one point when going through the maze/path we entered total darkness, pitch black, and then found ourselves at a closed door, below.

To leave the maze/path one must walk over water, here above are the steps. Below looking at the maze from 'the other side'.

The Fountain of Abundance above and the Magdalene Tower below.

There is an interesting mosaic in the Chapel and before I posted this photo I sent Kathleen McGowan a message. Kathleen is the author of The Magdalene Line  a series of historical novels - The Expected One, The Book of Love, The Poet Prince and her self-help book based on The Lord's Prayer, The Source of Miracles.

I wrote, "Kathleen, is this photo showing a coronation of Magdalene?" and this is her response, "A million percent YES. The traditional church will tell you it is Jesus and his mother - does that look like his mother to you? but in ancient tradtions and still within some of the Orthodox traditions, the bridegroom places a crown upon the brides head. By the way, this is GORGEOUS. xo"

There are other points of interest in the Sintra area and here above is the Moorish Castle.

Garry and me at the entrance gate to Pena Palace.

The Spirit of the Green Man

When I am not traveling I like to keep the Blog alive by Posting at least once a month. In keeping with the pilgrimage theme, next month I will post on my 2002 visit to Rosslyn Chapel. This chapel is the finishing point of the Pilgrimage of Initiation. I feel fortunate to have been there many years before Dan Brown wrote about it in The Da Vinci Code. Visitors no longer have the same freedom to walk around the chapel amazed by the stone carvings, looking at the wonderful ceilings, and contemplating what is the message or story they are telling here. 'Tis a shame what fame can do.