▎Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal
This 19th century castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains. Its bright colours make the site easily visible from the neighbouring city of Lisbon on a clear day.
The castle was completed in the mid-1800s, built out of the remains of a monastery that had been severely damaged by several natural disasters. Initially painted in bright red and yellow, over time the castle faded until it was entirely grey. At the end of the 20th century, it was repainted and the original colours restored.
▎Jardin Majorelle in Marrakeech, Morocco
This two-and-a-half acre botanical garden and artist’s landscape in Marrakech, Morocco, was created by French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle in 1923. The development of the gardens spanned over 40 years, as the artist slowly acquired more land and was able to commission an architect to design parts of the property.
In 1947, Majorelle opened the garden to the public with an admission fee to offset the costly maintenance needed to run the property. However, following his divorce in the 1950s, Majorelle was forced to sell the house and the land. After this, the garden was neglected and fell into disrepair, until the 1980s when fashion designers Yves Saint- Laurent and Pierre Bergé rediscovered it and set about restoring and saving it. Today, the gardens are a major tourist attraction in Marrakech and draw more than 700,000 visitors annually.
▎Chrysler Building in New York City, New York
Anyone visiting the city that never sleeps will have a laundry list of sites to visit, but they must make sure that the Chrysler Building is on their itinerary. The Art Deco masterpiece, located in the heart of Manhattan, is considered to be one of New York’s most iconic and beloved skyscrapers.
The structure was built in 1930, and held the honour of being the world’s tallest building for a full 11 months, before it was surpassed by the completed Empire State Building. Yet even without this distinction, the structure is a sight to behold and a symbol of the remarkable growth of New York City during the roaring ‘20s.
Today, the Chrysler building stands as recognisable feature of the NYC skyline, remaining one of its most appealing and awe-inspiring skyscrapers.
