Journeys and destinations...

The mystical land of Sintra, Portugal    Welcome to the most romantic and mysterious place in Portugal! Just 28 kms away from the modern city of Lisbon is a mystical town called Sintra . The history of this small town dates back to the 1600s always attracting the elite with its natural beauty. The small roads cutting through the mountains full of greenery give a very cozy feeling. The attention grabbing statues by the side of the road set the mood to expect something different. One of the tourist places Quinta da Regaleira has a palace and a very memorable garden. The garden has lakes, fountains, towers, tunnels and many outstanding constructions like the hidden well ‘ Paco Iniciatico ’ also called Initiation Well. It looks like an upside down tower with a 27 meter staircase. It leads at the bottom to a tunnel connecting to other underground walkways with one of the tunnel opening leading to a small pond having stone steps to get out it. It is no wonder that Sintra has

Saint Roch Church, Düsseldorf The first time I laid my eyes on Saint Roch Church   Stupefying statue              One can see a great variety of churches in Europe. They were built in different architecture styles over centuries. Some are grand, some modest, some with a lot of history and some tucked away safely from all the hustle and bustle of tourists. When I was exploring the area around my new home in Düsseldorf, my feet turned towards the direction of Saint Roch Church as I saw the rooster on top of it from afar. Many churches in Germany have a rooster on top instead of a cross and some have a rooster on top of a cross. I didn't expect to see anything out of the ordinary as it was just another church!           I was struck with awe when I saw the huge sculpture of Jesus on the outside wall. I literally stopped dead in my tracks. I had never seen anything like it. It moved me. After observing the details of the sculpture for a while I tried to walk ahea