weekly photo challenge: curve

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curve, Lisbon, photograpy, photos, Rossio Square, travel, Weekly Photo Challenge, weekly photo challenge: curve

Two years ago I flew out to Lisbon for a few days. It was the middle of November but the weather was still no-socks warm and even though there was some rainy days I was able to walk around the beautiful city that Lisbon is and let myself be enchanted.

I was staying in a hotel near the city center and one of the first things I saw was the stunning pavement at Rossio Square, I loved how the back and white cobblestones curved below my feet!

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: creepy

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creepy, Lisbon, mourning figure, photography, photos, São Vicente de Fora, statue, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: creepy

Last year I visited Lisbon and since it was November it was quite wet and not very tourist friendly. However it didn’t bother me too much and  I enjoyed my time as I walked around the city and explored all the sights.

On a particularly wet day I ended up inside the magnificent monastery of São Vicente de Fora (St. Vincent Outside the Walls). The huge church and cloisters were incredible to explore – thousands of painted tiles decorating the walls and hallway upon hallway to get lost in.

Since it was so wet and already quite late in the day there weren’t many other visitors and I often had entire rooms, passageways and even the rooftop to myself.

It was eerily quite with just the rain dripping and my steps echoing around me. Entering into the pantheon for the Braganza family (the last monarchs to rule Portugal) I was taken completely by surprised and was more than a little creeped out by the crying figure of a woman hovering over the he tombs of King Carlos and Luis Filipe. heir to the throne. Both were assassinated in 1908 and the weeping statue now mourns them for eternity.

Maybe the Lady in white doesn’t look quite as creepy when the sun is streaming in through the high windows and people flood the space, but on a dark, dull day this mourning figure did startle me – a fleeting moment of creepyness.

Lisbon photos – re-post

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city tour, europe, Lisbon, Lisbon Photos, photography, photos, travel

Since some of my photos went missing I decided to re-post links to my Lisbon photos … especially the one from yesterday seems to have only shown a few pics.

my last day in Lisbon – Belem

rainy day in Lisbon

walking around Lisbon

Departing Dublin, Landing in Lisbon

my last day in Lisbon – Belem

Tags

Belem, Lisboa, Lisbon, photography, photos, travel, travel photos

Against all odds it stayed quite dry today in Lisbon. So when I woke up and saw the sun shining I knew there was only one place to go – Belem.

I jumped on the Nr15 tram and was lucky enough to have a window-seat which allowed me some extra sightseeing time as the tram twisted and turned through the tight, curvy streets of Lisboa.

Not wanting to chance it too much I decided to take a stroll along the waterfront first and postponed the famous monastery and art  museum for later in the evening.

With the sun warm on my back, my rain jacket tided around my waist and my camera on my hip I took in big breaths of salty smelling air and enjoyed being out by the river.

After my time out on the water and a quick lunch in the sun I strolled down towards the monetary. But since I still had plenty of time and the sun was still high in the sky I decided to forgo the tourist queue at the monastery and wandered on to the botanic gardens.

I was greeted by towing palm trees, lots of green and some odd looking ducks. But as I wandered around the gardens I couldn’t help but compare it to the wonderful one in Dublin which (I am very honest here) beats it hands down – and it’s free! However I did enjoy my stroll, the fresh air and the birds.

Then it was time to venture into the monastery and I was extremely lucky. At three o’clock the crowds had cleared and I had space to see and enjoy the wonders that have made it famous, leaving me time to visit the museum afterwards  – avoiding the rain when it did then finally come.

Overall i enjoyed my trip to Portugal’s capital and I would go again to explore the corners I missed – due to time. And while I loved the sights and the people were very friendly, I will say that the food wasn’t great but the coffee and wine was!

ariving in Belem

hidden Rhino – one was brought back from India and became a special symbol of Lisbon

Jeronimos Monastery

the botanic gardens

a leaf

cheeky ducky (have never seen a duck tongue before)

the west door to the Jeronimos Monastary (thank you stranger in red)

sadly not for me

on my way to see some art – the Berardo Collection

Warhol

“artful” selfie in the museum of art

sun setting over the monastary

a bench

happy steps

the ceiling I sat under

in the restaurant

time to go home

 

 

rainy day in Lisbon

Tags

Castelo de Sao Jorge, Largo Portas do Sol, Lisbon, photography, photos, Sao Vincente de Fora, Se, travel

Today I wandered the streets of Lisbon in a perpetual state of wet, the skies wept all day long and my state of dampness just got worse throughout the day  – even though i was wearing a rain jacket.

And that wasn’t the only thing that dampened my mood this morning. While on my way up to the Castelo de San Jorge I stopped on some hidden flights of steps to take  a picture. A few moments earlier I had just passed three gypseyesque looking women, had greeted them, but while I had my head lifted up with my camera on my eyes I felt a presence and turned to find them reaching for my camera bag on my hip, one had her hand already on the zip. I got such a fright and it was more than obvious that they wanted to pick-pocket me so all I said was “thief”, loudly and clearly while looking them in the eye, and the three turned away, hurrying back down the steps.

Sadly that made me quiet upset as this has never, in all my travels, happened to me before, and I was only grateful to have caught them before the act, not after!

But my day got better and while I did have to endure a certain level of wet all day long I did see a lot on my wet wanderings around the Castelo / Alfama area of Lisbon. And here are my visual offerings of the day, so sorry there are so many!

outside Igreja da Sao Domingos

a church on my way up to Castelo de Sao Jorge

first view of the day

some button blinds

pretty blue pots

Castelo de Sao Jorge

tour guide in Castelo de Sao Jorge

a view from Castelo de Sao Jorge

some old chains in Castelo de Sao Jorge

 

a detail in Castelo de Sao Jorge

odd looking plants in Castelo de Sao Jorge

door in Castelo de Sao Jorge

steps in Castelo de Sao Jorge

 

Castelo de Sao Jorge

a view from Castelo de Sao Jorge

 

sun spots – a view from Castelo de Sao Jorge

a view from Castelo de Sao Jorge

a view from Castelo de Sao Jorge

a naked women in the grounds of Castelo de Sao Jorge

lemons in Castelo de Sao Jorge

a view from Castelo de Sao Jorge

a peacock on the grounds of Castelo de Sao Jorge

… and his friends

doorway in Castelo de Sao Jorge

unlocked

inside a church

a sleeping saint

wall flowers

outside the Cathedral Se

outside the Cathedral Se

 

inside the Cathedral Se

inside the Cathedral Se

inside the Cathedral Se

staying in bed and reading seems to be a very old tradition – inside the Cathedral Se

a gremlin look-a-like – inside the cloister of Cathedral Se

a window in the cloister of the Cathedral Se

a window in the cloister of the Cathedral Se

inside the cloister of the Cathedral Se

inside the treasury of the Cathedral Se

inside the treasury of the Cathedral Se

 

some hand made tiles

view from Largo das Porta dos Sol

view from Largo das Porta dos Sol

view from Largo das Porta dos Sol

view from Largo das Porta dos Sol

view from Largo das Porta dos Sol

view from Largo das Porta dos Sol

inside Igreja de Sao Vincente

inside the cloister Igreja de Sao Vincente

another door in Igreja de Sao Vincente

a hallway in the cloister Igreja de Sao Vincente

A woman sculpture crying at a tomb in the cloisters of Igreja de Sao Vincente

doors in Igreja de Sao Vincente

a tiled room in Igreja de Sao Vincente

on the roof of Igreja de Sao Vincente (very windy and I had the place all to myself – thank you rain)

on the roof Igreja de Sao Vincente

a ghostly ship – Igreja de Sao Vincente

wetness everywhere, the pavements were just big puddles

 

 

walking around Lisbon

Tags

Lisbon, Lisbon Photos, photography, photos, travel

Lisbon was playing summertime today and as I walked around I was treated to sunny skies.  Today, on my second day in this beautiful city, I decided to wander around the area known as Bairo Alto and all the way down to Chidado.

I started and ended my trip n the tram, the Elevador da Gloria, as it is just around the corner of my hotel. And I have to admit I was very grateful not to have to trust my feet for the steep climb uphill, especially this evening as they were very tired and a little heavy.

Halfway through the day I lost my tour guide … or maybe I was too slow for it and it made it’s own way. All my notes got lost, and before I did I replaced it asap. Now I have to plan my next days again and just hope I don’t forget anything.

The weirdest thing that happened today was that while having lunch on the Rua Garrett a group of famous Portuguese ( didn’t know them) started singing a medley of Christmas songs – English ones in Portuguese and the square went wild … I enjoyed the oddity and my tomato salad.

And now I am about to go out for dinner and contemplate buying a really expensive dress I saw and loved … just not sure my budget will stretch. I can sleep on it but I am not sure that i will even find the store again, Lisbon is a labyrinth of alleyways.

Here are the photos I took, well a selection of the (literally) hundreds I shot, leaving my memory card full and my battery empty.

hot chestnuts

falling apart

inside the Elevadoe da Gloria

even though it feels like summer the leaves tell a different tale

stunning vies over Lisbon

you can see the water from up there too

some statutes loving the view

a hidden cloister dedicated to the inquisition

beautiful tiles inside

love the ceiling

even the confession booth looks lovely

some scaffolding holding an old building up

some scaffolding holding an old building up

some scaffolding holding an old building up

an old lamp – new bulb

love this window

inside the church “La Trindade Coelho”

gold everywhere

a lightfixture

a bronze of a tram ticket seller

tram lights

the steps do Duque

washing drying

lots of steps but great views

lots of colourful houses

look up

old shoe-boxes

standing guard

on the square Carmo

gypsy woman

outside the Convento do Carmo

the door to the Convento Camo

inside the ruins

On the square do Carmo

mirrored

a crown

a tiled house

a pink balcony box

the ceiling inside the church on Rua Garrett

lavender in front of an altar

I sat beside this man (a famous writer – I forget the name) while having lunch

glossy pavement

lovely seats

at the national opera – sadly nothing playing this week

rundown house

think people still live here

around the corner from the opera

stairways up

lamp

too high to hang … wonder how it got there

they painted the street pink in the Rua do Carvalho

seats

a handmade lamp … wish it would fit into my suitcase

a lovely cafe

the Elevador da Bica

back in the tram – this time the Elevador da Bica

 

 

Departing Dublin, Landing in Lisbon

Tags

Lisbon, Lisbon Photos, photography, photos, travel, travel photos

Today I set all my stress aside, rose early (in the middle of the night really) and made my way to Dublin airport. For weeks now I have been looking forward to my trip away and I couldn’t wait to depart Dublin for a trip to Lisbon.

The wonderfully weird thing was that the flight was filled with part tourists, part Portuguese and a huge party of Catholic priests so I spent the two and half hour flight discussing exorcism, confession and the immaculate conception of Mary. No wonder the time flew (sorry pun) by and I felt safe in the knowledge that surely the prayers of all these holy men would be enough to hold the plane in air.

I have never been to Portugal and the once magnificent city of Lisbon seemed the perfect place to start exploring this part of Europe. So when I landed before Lunch in Lisbon I just couldn’t hide my excitement .

Now after my first day of walking Lisbon’s cobblestones my feet are sore, my head is tired and my heart is full. Here are a few shoots I took on my wanderings.

Rossio Square – walking on black and white

Rossio is Lisbon’s main square and dates back to Roman times but has been reinvented time and time again

drinking fountain on Rossio

waiting to be turned on (Rossio)

bubbling water (Rossio)

looking up from the ground

view up to the Barrio do Castelo

TuK-Tuk ride anyone?

looking unkempt

the sun caught on the Christmas lights on Rua da Prata

windows

had my lunch is this quirky cafe / vintage shop called “The Other Face of the Moon” (A Outra Face da Lua) just off Rua da Prata

the view you have when walking out

corner in Baixa – the ‘aging’ heart of Lisbon

a church bell

fenced off

tiled houses are a common sight

street signs

door knockers for my cousin

reflecting beauty

arches down at Praca do Comercio

street lights on the Praca, down by the river

the Igreja da Misericordia didn’t survive the 1755 earthquake (like most of Lisbon) but the portal was left standing with Our Lady of Mercy in center stage

a cheerful cafe

another knocker

Dom Jose I, king at the time of the earthquake, looks out to the river that caused the distruction

at the harbour

maritime motive

looking across the river

panorama

Triumphal arch at the end of Rua Augusta

detail on the Triumphal arch

the other side of the Triumphal arch

falling down, even though Lisbon is a thriving city you can see the decay everywhere, but you can also see a lot of renovation taking place too.

still on the Rua Augusta, Lisbon’s longest pedestrian street

blue tiles

tipsy window

on the square again (Rossio)

up the hill