Wednesday 18 May 2011

A Castle near Cascais and the Famous 5...





Secret tunnels are brilliant.
When I was little I loved stories that had secret tunnels and stuff. There was one in the first Famous 5 story Five on a Treasure Island that went under the sea from Kirrin Island, near their uncle's house, and openned at the bottom of a well. There was another story set in a big house, where secret tunnels joined up the chimneys. Called Green Knowe, or something.




Last weekend I went to a house in Sintra (just inland from beautiful Cascais, Portugal) where eccentric multi-millionaire who built it decided he wanted to live in the mansion with the secret tunnels. So he dug them all under his massive garden. He built a chapel, with a crypt underneath, and a tunnel coming out. He had a pond which you crossed on stepping stones, to a passage that went behind a waterfall and joined up with the other tunnel and led to the bottom of a well!!!




I wrote my first children's story last year, The Quaravan Quartet and The Lost Ocean (see more here) and even before I started I knew it would have a secret tunnel in it. The kids find it under the staffroom at their school....
So when I went to Quinta da Regaleira it was like being a kid and pretending to be in the Famous 5 all over again. I ran round the tunnels like an idiot, while my Mum and Dad laughed at me and I had a GREAT time...




If you're in Lisbon with three hours to spare, get the train from Rossio to Sintra and follow the signs from the town centre. You won't regret it.

4 comments:

  1. Such an interesting post. Thank you for sharing. I am your newest friend here. I would love a visit/follow to my blog when you have a moment. Hope you enjoy! Donna
    http://mylife-in-stories.blogspot.com

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  2. 5 go to Smugglers top had tunnels too. And even better a servant called Block who pretended to be dead.

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  3. umm that should say deaf not dead...

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  4. Ooh. I'd forgotten Block. I can remember thinking how smart that was...

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