Thursday Doors: Senado Square (Macau)

Yesterday, I took another trip 60 km southwest of Hong Kong to the territory of Macau, a former Portuguese colony, now a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

I always enjoy visiting, especially in the company of my son.  My family lived in Macau for one year, within 1999-2000.  As you might guess, Macau has grown up significantly since then.  There are many more casinos and high-rise buildings.

But, there are also parts of Macau that don’t seem to change. The Senado Square is one, located in the central part of Old Macau. A long time ago, the square was a meeting place for the Chinese and Portuguese, in the 16th to 18th centuries.  It is part of the UNESCO Historic Centre of Macau World Heritage Site.

The square is covered in decorative mosaic cobbles. Walking these cobbled stones, I felt as though I had stepped back into time nearly twenty years.

The Macau General Post Office was built in 1929 and located at the front of the square.

One of the most famous sites on the square is St. Dominic’s Church.  It is a 16^thcentury Baroque-style church.

The Museum of the Holy House of Mercy of Macau (Santa Casa de Misericordia) was founded shortly after Macau became a Portuguese settlement.

The following are photos of residential flats and former flats used for storage, situated above name brand shops on the square.

Before leaving the square, I felt relief in rounding the corner and entering an alleyway where our shop still remains.  We bought dumplings and fried bread to take back to Hong Kong with us.  Another food attraction of Macau are the Portuguese egg tarts and the special teas.  All reasons to make the trip!

A few more door photos from Macau next week…

This post is inspired by Thursday Doors, created by Norm Frampton. For more doors from all around the globe, please click here.