Tbh Ill Probably Just Do A Post With Pictures From My Previous Visits - Tumblr Posts

This is the most famous part of Quinta da Regaleira, a 19th century estate in Sintra, Portugal. The Quinta comprises a palace built in the neo-gothic and romantic styles and huge grounds containing not just beautiful gardens and woods, but towers, tunnels, ponds, grottoes and, of course, the initiation well. It was said to be the site of many Freemason initiation ceremonies, hence the name.

I feel very lucky to live near such a beautiful place with such a powerful mystical energy (mind you, you will find plenty of places like that in Sintra), but it’s a bit of a different experience now in a post-pandemic world where everyone is getting back to traveling and wants everything NOW, to the point most touristy places are overcrowded and borderline unbearable. You used to be able to get up and down the well pretty quickly from whichever point of entry you preferred, now there is a set point and the wait times just to go down the well are insane…the last time I was there we waited 30 minutes, and I don’t even want to imagine how long it takes in the middle of high season.

Anyway, this is a very important place to me and if you ever visit Portugal I highly recommend it to everyone, but especially to lovers of the fantastical, the goth-y, and the romantic!

Initiation Well