So, we finally went to Porto, a trip cancelled two times due to covid. I must admit it felt strange to travel again…boarding a plane, walking in the sun, taking photos, eating out… My guess is I took more photos than I usually do.
I will share my first impressions of this friendly city today.
We arrived in beautiful evening light, and it felt so good to finally be there. A stroll in the park, and then a good night’s sleep before next day’s adventures.Early in the morning we realised people were absolutely right about the steep streets, mostly cobblestones too. Big parts of the city were under reconstruction as they were enlarging their metro system. Taking photos in the central parts were quite impossible.The beautiful azulejos were everywhere. This church and the trainstation were especially amazing.
But, the azulejos were not the reason why we went to Porto. I knew from my blogging friend Viveka (Myguiltypleasures), that the narrow streets and alleyways, the old houses and the charm of the river Douro – and good food – was THE reason.
View from the upper part of the bridge between Porto and Gaia.
Stairs and steps…but worth the trouble!
This old man watering his flowers had a grand view of the Sé Cathedral from his balcony.
No words for this path – it was just my kind of path…
More of Porto later on – hope you enjoyed the first piece. We also went to the wine district in the Douro valley. I hope you will enjoy more of Porto later!
Pick a word and illustrate it with a photo! This used to be a favorite challenge of mine when held by Paula of Lost in Translation. Unfortunately she is not running it anymore. So – how about a revival at Lens-Artists? It is easy: Choose one (1) word or more – choose all of them if you like! The words available are the following:
Comfortable
Growing
Tangled
Crowded
Exuberant
In the header – Comfortable? Yes! If you are safe and living in the Galapagos Islands!
Swimming is normal for me. I’m relaxed. I’m comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It’s my home. – Michael Phelps
Gunnera
Growing
Growth itself contains the germ of happiness.
– Pearl S. Buck
19800 Cranes at Hornborgasjön, Sweden
Crowded
In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible. – Seth Godin
Double exposure from my windows to make tangled even more tangled…
Tangled
A word garden blooming within the tangled weeds. ― Jazz Feylynn
Holland, flower festival at Keukenhof
Exuberant
Exuberance is beauty.
– William Blake
Thank you for a marvelous response to Patti’s Everyday Objects – you really made us all open our eyes and SEE what we have around us!
A new announcement: We have the pleasure of having Rusha Sams of Oh the Places We See as guest host for September 5, #113. Be sure to visit her! Until then – stay well and safe, and be kind, to yourself as well.
“We are dealing with something that has never occurred on this planet”
My husband and son just returned from Chernobyl last week – very taken with the 2 day tour and all the haunting sights. We all watched this series together this week. If you have not seen it yet – please do.
Among my friends, I have one of the first men who detected and reported the heightened radiation level in Sweden. He still remembers the chills along his spine in that moment. And I remember well when we all got the information from media. (The reindeer up north were forbidden food for many years after…) In February the same year, Olof Palme was murdered…Was this the beginning of the end of the world?
On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Soviet Union suffered a massive explosion that released radioactive material across Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and as far as Scandinavia and western Europe. Chernobyl dramatizes the story of the 1986 accident, one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history, and the sacrifices made to save Europe from the unimaginable disaster.
The number of lives lost are estimated to somewhere between 4000 and 93000. The official number from Russia is 31.
It recieved a total of 10 Emmy Awards. Brilliant acting and as we all know – reality is more chilling than fiction. You cannot stop watching…despite the horrible scenes.
Craig Mazin and Johan Renck have created a masterpiece, in large part on the recollections of Pripyat locals, as told by Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich in her book Voices from Chernobyl. Material also from the scientist Valery Legasov (superbly played by Jared Harris), the deputy director of the Kuchatov Institute brought in to aid cleanup efforts.
You don’t need a framework. You need a painting, not a frame. – Klaus Kinski
I guess most of us love things framed to help us follow lines and reveal the artist’s intentions with his/her work. At least if we put them on our wall at home or go to an exhibition. Now Amy challenges us to consider framing – and in my selection (from Stettin all except the header) I try to show some very different ones as well. An important thing to remember is, that a frame doesn’t have to look like a frame, and it does not have to apply to the whole picture either.
You don’t buy a Picasso because you love the frame – Joss Whedonm
Photography is about finding out what can happen in the frame. When you put four edges around some facts, you change those facts – Garry Winogrand
What counts isn’t the frame, it’s what you put in it – Otto Preminger
I’ve often noticed that we are not able to look at what we have in front of us, unless it’s inside a frame – Abbas Kiarostami
I have a European frame of mind and Europe is my home – Andrea Bocelli
Thank you for all your inspiring Angles last week! – and thank you, Amy, for a beautiful set of frames and for all the fun with this challenge!
I love things new and things old, architecture and juxtaposition of styles. Things dilapidated, things science fiction, things…Well, maybe we all do. Hope a mix will be enjoyable this Thursday!
A walk in contemplation…
– as always…
The old Jewish cemetery
Abandoned places in the middle of the city
In between old and new apartments – he was selling fresh fruit and vegetables
One of the many impressive street art works – this city is considered one of the major cities in the world for graffiti artists
Good morning! Reflections are hard to resist, so I was too tempted not to send an entry…from Łódź, Poland, and the Light Move Festival. Hope it is not too late to join in!
In the header picture, the Butterfly tree, standing in Piotrkowska Street, is reflected in the opposite window of an art and craft’s shop. People are reflected as well.
The second photo is a string art exhibition in the park at the end of the street (opposite Manufaktura), reflected in the little pond.
Some years ago I remember walking into a hotel – where I never got any longer than to the lobby…because of all the mirrors and chandeliers. Here it is again!
Narvik was developed as an all-year ice free port for the Swedish Kiruna and Gällivare iron mines. In my youth I was here once, but did not go further out to Lofoten. This time we also took the train to Riksgränsen and back again. We got an interesting view of the new bridge connecting islands – not finished yet.
Riksgränsen (the border to Sweden) – and as you can see there is no activity during summer – it seems. Abandoned cafées and all lifts still waiting for passengers.
Back in Narvik again I marvelled at the abundance of red clover overlooking the harbour. Flowers everywhere along the roads in Sweden and Norway – a wonder for me used to the brownish yellow burnt landscape at home.
We spent only a day here – then left for Lofoten and its beautiful, varied landscapes.
For the Swedish ”Fika” this first day, we found a lovely place with the sound of running water and a soothing mountain view.
Milo would have loved this place. Low water and easy to splash around and play.
The common butterwort grew on the banks of this little river – did you know this is a carnivorous plant? I didn’t before I looked it up in the flora.
Just before darkness, we arrived in Svolvaer – the main town in Lofoten – which will be in the next post!
But that is what Lofoten does to people…
Leya 