Sensory overload in Lisboa

This may now become my new favourite city.

The charming people, the lantern-ed narrow streets that look like a sea of multi coloured macaroons with washing lines framing the chipped architecture that I am obsessively snapping; the hills and trams and artisan delights of Barrio Alto. The views from every angle. its only been one hour! I might be a little overwhelmed....

Just took a tram called an 'elavator' down this hill. €6 for two. And it was just that. Down a hill. 20 seconds. Tourist moment!

Then lunch in a circus school which opens its restaurant overlooking the city, to the public. this city has moxxy!

Too many pictures to add, plenty to come..
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Pa

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Beauty Beliche

Stuck on this beach. Can't move. Won't move. Perfection!

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Sagres

Staying at an old monastery on the cliff of the furthest point of the west coast. Bliss!

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Breaking bread

Seeing out Pesach with a cinnamon bun cake and glass of port in a monastery. Classic!
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And just like that....

....It flips. Again.

Just stumbled across this little piece of magic. Exhale!


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Jasmine

I'm like a hound dog to this scent, sniffing it out before I even see the plant. It smells of Clovelly road. I love it

After a lovely start to the day baking at the pool, we are on the road to Sagres, the other side of the coast to Tavira. And our friend the black cloud has found us and literally chasing our car. Where we have just left is sunny; the place we are going to is sunny; the place we are in has showers. Albatross????
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Yummmmmmmmy

This is where to head for a feast of home cooked, traditional feasting if ever in Tavira (which I keep mis-spelling as Taveira). Thank you lovely deli man for pointing us in this direction.
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Oh hello Taveira

Finally a taste of Portugal. Albeit only about 15 hours in the hell hole but we went to seek and we have found. Sun could be polite enough to show its face for more than 5 minute intervals but so happy to wander old streets, find my balconys and doors - feel like this actually existed before brits needing baked beans and sausages invaded. Yay.

And now we are sitting at a hole in the wall of the real deal, Portuguese kitchen about to snack on anything the old man give us. He's a one man band cooking and serving clams and prawns and cheese and wine. Yay, yay!
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Powering thru the clouds in desperate hope the sun will come out.

At least we out of package brit holiday hell and away from laminated menus offering beans on toast with sausages!


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And it keeps getting better....

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fro-tastic

just because this is hilarious and I am pretty much associated with all things hair. This T would also be very useful to aid my curby grib dependancy. Thanks Moschino!

let there be jazz

I'm on a stopover in Bologna, trying to discover the city in a fly by evening. Tasted some home cooked Italian delights at a lovely old school restaurant, run by the same family for 50 odd years. Quite yummy but too rich for my belly. Then we happened across this tavern, with low underground caves leading to a stage hosting a jazz band. Sipping sweet amaretto and nibbling a basket of biscotti, we chatted to the beat of their double bass, guitar and saxaphone. I love those moments! It was simple bliss. If passing through this city, this joint would be my pick of the crop.

sentimental




I don't even like Nutella particularly but then again I am not all that fussy when it comes to something sweet; especially of the cocoa base. But I passed these mini jars in a train station in Venice and they made me stop and smile, thinking about two special people who would have been stopped in their tracks too.  They are bonafide, die hard fans of the spread! So I snapped the moment just because I like to think of them smiling.

here comes the sun.

and so it is

just because I see so much that I want to keep; a moment or a person or a sunset or just because I want it or it intrigues me and I want to share it but dont need the fuss of the story. There are sometimes too many stories, it starts to dilute those told and those yet to happen. So this blog can just be a way to document the pieces that I pass on my way which has sparked something in my subconscious to note it; and try keep it. Or even just a piece of it. Just because the opportunity is here. So I will ride it.