Portugal and Spain Tour (2 Viewers)

[blaster]

Hi All,

I just came back from a very long and memorable tour of part of the Iberian Peninsula. I'd like to share some aspects of my trip on this site with kindred souls.

I came across a surprise Military Museum in Lisbon. It turned out to be housed in a very interesting building and boasts one of the largest collection of artillery pieces in the world. Free Entry!

Rgds Victor

large cannons


Ceiling of one of the rooms


Sabretache post-napoleonic


Large bronze sculpture about 2 feet high


One of the ornate rooms with morion helmet display

 

[blaster]

More pics. A wide display of various casques. This is only 1 pic and some very nice paintings.

 

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One room was dedicated to a large collection of caricature statuettes.

 

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A huge collection of well-made artillery models.

 

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The rest of the museum. Beautiful interiors. I was pretty much the only visitor then.

 

[blaster]

I also visited a smaller museum of the Portuguese National Guard. This was also free entry. There were some customised models made from 1/35 kits and some figures on display.

 

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There were some artefacts of uniforms and weaponry on display.

 

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These included some cavalry accoutrements.

 

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I visited the Portuguese Royal Coach Museum. Wow!
So many beautiful coaches that I gave up trying to photographed them all. These include some of the earliest royal coaches up to the Berlines of the Napoleonic era. It's even more impressive than the Coach Museum at Versailles.
Instead I purchased a few unique books (in English!) on these coaches which I will share on another thread.

 

[blaster]

The history of Portugal is tied up with the history of the Knight Templars. I took a day trip just to visit the Almoural Castle. It is a small keep on an island in the middle of the Tagus River a couple of hours drive north of Lisbon.
At night, I was binge-watching Knightfall on Netflix tv...

 

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At a Portuguese history museum, there were some artefacts on display which included miniatures and a couple of military like paintings. These miniatures were housed in some amazing pieces of furniture.

 

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More artefacts.

 

[jazzeum]

Where did you go in Spain? I used to live in Barcelona and Madrid and Madrid used to have a museum of the Spanish Army. Of course, that was during the waning days of the Franco regime.

 

[mestell]

The history of Portugal is tied up with the history of the Knight Templars. I took a day trip just to visit the Almoural Castle. It is a small keep on an island in the middle of the Tagus River a couple of hours drive north of Lisbon.
At night, I was binge-watching Knightfall on Netflix tv...

View attachment 255360View attachment 255361

That's really very cool and interesting looking. It appears to be a very formidable structure. Your trip must have been wonderful.
:smile2: Mike

 

[blaster]

Hello Mike and Jazzeum,

Fantastic trip. I was there with my wife for a whole month!! We started from Lisbon, went to Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Toledo, Madrid and Barcelona. Along the way, we visited Almoural, Pena Palace, Segovia, Avila and Girona. Great food and culture. I specifically wanted to explore Andalusia to soak up the rich history there. It was affordable as we planned the whole trip ourselves and saved some money on guided tours.

I didn't come across any military museum in Madrid. The biggest was in Toledo. Franco's remains were exhumed and reburied when I was in Madrid. Thankfully, I avoided the street rioting in Barcelona.

So far, I've only posted some pics of the visits within Portugal. I'm only posting the "military" pics and didn't want to flood the site with other pics. But their catholic churches were magnificent! More to come.

Rgds Victor

 

[jazzeum]

Sounds like you had a great vacation Victor. Segovia and Avila are great places, as is Toledo; I assume you went to the Alcazar. I don’t know if you have any interest in the Spanish Civil War but I can recommend some books if you wish.

Brad

 

[joesgis]

Oh my goodness Victor, Thank you for sharing your tour! This is so much to take in....the stunning murals and ceiling art in the artillery room, the statuette room, the glorious paintings throughout, the magnificent ornate room with helmet display, the miniatures built into furniture, the bronze sculpture, the royal coach, the uniforms, and the stunning castle on a rocky bluff....all so fascinating and beautiful!! What a treasure trove of timeless art and history. I can't wait to see the Catholic churches! It must have been very hard to walk away.

Thanks again,
Joe

 

[zblang]

Thanks for the photos.
I haven’t hit Spain yet, but have been to Portugal. They are some of the most friendly welcoming people I’ve ever encountered. The carriage museum is awesome!

 

[blaster]

Sounds like you had a great vacation Victor. Segovia and Avila are great places, as is Toledo; I assume you went to the Alcazar. I don’t know if you have any interest in the Spanish Civil War but I can recommend some books if you wish.

Brad

Hi Brad,

The Iberian Peninsula is just terrific! The military museum was located in the Alcazar in Toledo. I gather that they are planning to make this the primary military museum in Spain.
I have some interests in the SCW on the historical perspectives.
From a modelling point of view, I am now focusing on the Ancient and Medieval periods, hence my planned Iberian tour to get inspiration....

Rgds Victor