Portugal a lovely country!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Lisbon funiculars, romantic machines of the time!

When you walk over Lisbon, you feel the great history of the city in every building, every shop, every square, is a place full of history. One of the most noticeable signs of the historic flavour of the city, are the three historic funiculars, Gloria, Bica and the Lavra one. These are living parts of the ancient engineering and the history of Lisbon. If you take them in a second you will feel transported to another era of the city. First because the funiculars, are very well preserved but nearly an original state, and second because they travel along historical neighborhoods, that worth a travel day walking through them, like Chiado, Barrio Alto, Calhariz, etc.

The Glória Funicular (Portuguese: Elevador da Glória) is a funicular that links Baixa (Restauradores Square) with Bairro Alto (Jardim / Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara), in Lisbon, Portugal. It is operated by Carris. The Glória Funicular was opened to the public on October 24, 1885. At first it was designed as a water-powered system, then in 1886 it was replaced by a steam-power one, and finally in 1915 it was electrified. In 2002 it was designated a National Monument.

So if you want to feel Lisbon inside you, take a funicular. And if you are a photography lover like they are perfecto to take great shots. Here you can see a couple of them of my shots from Lisbon .

The Bica Funicular (Portuguese: Elevador da Bica or Ascensor da Bica) is a funicular in Lisbon, Portugal, that forms the connection between the Calçada do Combro/Rua do Loreto and the Rua de S. Paulo. It is operated by Carris. The Bica funicular was opened on 28 June, 1892. It climbs the Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo for 245 metres from the Rua S. Paulo. The lower station of this funicular railroad is almost hidden behind a facade on the Rua de S. Paulo with the inscription "Ascensor da Bica". It was constructed by Raoul Mesnier de Ponsard and opened to the public in 1892. In 2002 it was designated a National Monument.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Porto wine an exquisite treasure...discover it!

A few years ago I became fan of the Porto wine. In my first visit to Vila Nova de Gaia, I discovered this fantastic wine in all its expression. Since them, in my personal cellar there is always room for at least a dozen of diferent Porto bottles. My favourite variety is the "Vintage"one.

I enclose one of my pictures taken in the prestigious and very turistic "Casa Macario" shop in Rua Augusta 272, near the Rossio, the heart of downtown Lisbon.

The window is a total temptation for a photographer like me and I cannot resist to shoot a pic like this one. I hope you will like.

Port wine (also known as Vinho do Porto, Porto, and often simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Fortified wines in the style of port are also produced outside Portugal, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, and the United States. Under European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from Portugal may be labelled as port or Porto. In the United States, wines labelled "port" may come from anywhere in the world, while the names "Dão", "Oporto", "Porto", and "Vinho do Porto" have been recognized as foreign, non-generic names for wines originating in Portugal.

Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region.The wine produced is then fortified by the addition of a neutral grape spirit known as aguardente in order to stop the fermentation, leaving residual sugar in the wine, and to boost the alcohol content. The fortification spirit is sometimes referred to as brandy but it bears little resemblance to commercial brandies. The wine is then stored and aged, often in barrels stored in a cave (pronounced "ka-ve" and meaning "cellar" in Portuguese) as is the case in Vila Nova de Gaia, before being bottled. The wine received its name, "port", in the latter half of the 17th century from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe. The Douro valley where port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, or appellation in 1756, making it the oldest defined and protected wine region in the world. Chianti (1716) and Tokaj (1730) have older demarcation but no regulation associated and thus, in terms of regulated demarcated regions, Porto is the oldest.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Portugal, a great place for classic cars lovers&meetings

In my travels to portugal, I have discovered the passion of portuguese for classic cars. Portugal, is full of very well preserve classic cars, specially the british ones.

The weather is perfect for classic cars meetings. For me two of the best places to celebrate this kind of events are Sintra and Estoril.

I am a classic car lover, and each time I found them in Portugal in a meeting I use to take pictures of them. I love b&w pictures. So here I enclose some of them.

I you hope you will like it!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Walking from Cascais to Estoril

If you are in a stay in Cascais, I would like to recommend a fantastic walk, from Cascais to Estoril through the seaside. Is really relaxing, enjoying the great blue sky and the warm of the sun. Even in autumm the sensation is great.

For me the best time of the day is in the morning and at that time there is a strong reasons to profit of this walk, having a delicious breakfast at the mitical "Pastelaria Garrett do Estoril".

So that is one of my favourites activities when I stay in Cascais. To document this walk I post some pictures taken by me while doing this walk.

I hope you will enjoy!

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A tower full of history and beauty, the "Belem Tower"

Very close to the CCB and the Berardo Collection, there is one of the most iconic buildings of Lisbon, The Belem Tower. Perhaps is not as big as many people can imagine, but when you visit it, you must flash back in time and see the tower in it real time in the XVI century. If you observe the building in such time perspective, then you realize how beauty it is, and how important to a city like Lisbon.

To feel the tower I recommend you visit by day and night, because in both situations you will feel the magic of this place, by day the remind of the past times and its magnificence will come back to you, and during the night you feel how peaceful is the Tejo river, and is a perfect time to admire the real beauty of the tower.

The photography of the post is taken by me, avoiding the traditional and turistic angles and perspectives. I was looking to represent the Portuguese "saudade" in an autumn day reflected in one of the most beautiful monuments in the world.

Belém Tower (in Portuguese Torre de Belém,is a fortified tower located in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém in the municipality of Lisbon, Portugal. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with the nearby Jerónimos Monastery) because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries.The tower was commissioned by King John II to be part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus River and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. The tower was built in the early 16th century and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, but it also incorporates hints of other architectural styles. The structure was built from lioz limestone and is composed of a bastion and the 30 meter (100 foot), four story tower. It has incorrectly been stated that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and now sits near the shore because the river was redirected after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In fact, the tower was built on a small island in the Tagus River near the Lisbon shore.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Berardo Collection on CCB

If you are an: art, design, architecture, photography lover, your place in Lisbon is the Berardo Collection.

This is one of the best examples of how Portugal take care of the "culture" making it very accesible to everybody into a magnificent scenario - Belem Cultural Center .

Is one of my favourite places to let my soul get embedded into the spirit of the art and artistic expressions of all Europe.

The visitor gets the impression that he is the center of the collection and everything is done to make the visit as pleasant as possible. The spaces are huge and minimalistic using the the light and volumes as a part of the exposition by itself. For a photographer is a real pleasure to meet with others photographers work. Every time I go i take plenty of pictures and never get tired.

So if you are an art lover, this is a place you must seen, it will make you feel inside the contemporary art like a part of it.

A quiet walk by night over the Tejo river.

One of the best places to walk, and enjoy the Tejo riverside during night is close to the Belem Tower. This picture show the fantastic view while walking. and watching the 25th of April Bridge.

The 25 de Abril Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril "25th of April Bridge", is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tejo river. It was inaugurated on August 6, 1966 and a train platform was added in 1999. Because of its similar coloring, it is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA. In fact, it was built by the same company (American Bridge Company) that constructed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and not the Golden Gate, also explaining its similarity in design. With a total length of 2,277 m, it is the 21st largest suspension bridge in the world. The upper platform carries six car lanes, and the lower platform carries two train tracks. Until 1974, the bridge was named Salazar Bridge (Ponte Salazar).

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