For each day passed, my interest in visiting Bacalhôa Budha Eden had grown until I decided it was the right time to see this little paradise with my own eyes. Being at Quinta dos Lóridos, Bombarral, in a discrete location, although easy to find, specially if, as I do, you like to drive (there are roads for... ehrm... Funny driving).
With an expanding area full of great art works from Berardo's collection, having the East as its main theme where we can observe the (well distinct) blue terracota, buddhas and pagodas, as example. There are also other themes like the garden of African Sculptures, dedicated to the Shona people from Zimbabwe who for more than a thousand years have carved stone by hand into works of art that symbolize the union between the physical world and the spiritual world, and the garden of Modern and Contemporary Sculptures, where we can see works by Joana Vasconcelos, Alexander Calder, Fernando Botero, Tony Cragg, Lynn Chadwick, Allen Jones and many others. In the latter, these works are replaced with some regularity in order to renew the experience given to the visitors. All these works are in perfect harmony with the vegetation present in the garden, this being one of the aspects that makes it unique.
Although my visit was during one of the most intense seasons of forest fire in recent years, in Portugal, with a sky full of smoke and not clean, I can't say that I didn't enjoy the visit. It's a great alternative to a stay at home in a weekend and you can easily lose (or gain ...) 2 hours of walking and pure contemplation. Returning home, you can also stop by the wine shop and take a souvenir ... Or two!
Visit it, I assure you that it's worth it! As for me, I'll come back from time to time!
With an expanding area full of great art works from Berardo's collection, having the East as its main theme where we can observe the (well distinct) blue terracota, buddhas and pagodas, as example. There are also other themes like the garden of African Sculptures, dedicated to the Shona people from Zimbabwe who for more than a thousand years have carved stone by hand into works of art that symbolize the union between the physical world and the spiritual world, and the garden of Modern and Contemporary Sculptures, where we can see works by Joana Vasconcelos, Alexander Calder, Fernando Botero, Tony Cragg, Lynn Chadwick, Allen Jones and many others. In the latter, these works are replaced with some regularity in order to renew the experience given to the visitors. All these works are in perfect harmony with the vegetation present in the garden, this being one of the aspects that makes it unique.
Although my visit was during one of the most intense seasons of forest fire in recent years, in Portugal, with a sky full of smoke and not clean, I can't say that I didn't enjoy the visit. It's a great alternative to a stay at home in a weekend and you can easily lose (or gain ...) 2 hours of walking and pure contemplation. Returning home, you can also stop by the wine shop and take a souvenir ... Or two!
Visit it, I assure you that it's worth it! As for me, I'll come back from time to time!
