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Alfama

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The Lisbonnaire Flair

July 20, 2012

Lisbon, Portugal, Travel

While I am having this Lisbon’s crush, here are some of my favorite images of the city that express the Lisbonnaire Flair as I call it and some essential information:

No matter how long you have spent or visited in Lisbon, there is always something new to discover and fall in love with. One rule of thumb when you visit the city- Don’t miss out an overview of Lisbon from one of the hills. Maybe you heard it before, but Lisbon is also called ‘The City of Seven Hills’ (even though there are more than seven). It is easy to navigate and locate yourself if you know on which hill you are standing;

São Jorge : Where the castle with the same name is still standing.

São Vicente : Where the São Vincente de Fora Monastery and the Alfama area stands.

Sant’Ana : Between Martim Moniz square and Rua Portas de Santo Antão  (São José Hospital)

Santo André : Largo / Miradouro da Graça is the top of this hill.

Chagas : At Largo do Carmo

Santa Catarina : Around Largo Camões, Bairro Alto

São Roque : Around Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantara, Bairro Alto.

While the legendary Tram no.28 will take you up the hills of the city, I highly recommend to get off when you reach a hill peak and walk around the area. There is nothing like discovering the city by foot and interact with the locals.

Don’t skip on snacking on sardines. This is what makes Lisbon so special and known for. I ate some grilled sardines with mayonnaise on top (even though a local friend told me she never heard of such a combination) and it was delicious. I hardly eat sardines, but those I ate in Lisbon are completely different from the canned ones I know from home.

My two favorite districts in the city are Alfamaa maze of cobbled stones streets with old houses and old churches stretched down the hills of this historic quarter and Bairro AltoChiado which is mostly known as Lisbon’s night life quarter, and one of the up and coming popular neighborhood, with new hip boutiques, trendy restaurants alongside old fashioned ones.

Oh, and one more thing not to miss; Have a Ginjinha! It’s a cherry-berry liqueur the locals drink in small plastic cups. Better hang out at Cafe ‘A Ginjinha’ in Largo de São Domingos 8 which became a tourist attraction.

There is no better way to end a busy day by having this Portuguese drink and feel like a real local.

Lisbon, Portugal, Travel

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

Travel, Lisbon, Portugal

 

Intimacy Under the Wires

Laundry Galore in Lisbon, Portugal

June 8, 2012

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

I am already getting used to all the suspicious looks from people, when they see me standing under laundry wires, pointing my camera up or kneeling down to get a better angle. Deep down I keep telling myself that if they had known what I was looking for or what I was working on, they wouldn’t have given me these looks or maybe they would have understood me. But on the other hand, I can’t blame them; A photographer who is standing under laundry wires waiting for the breeze, is not a common view. I was visiting Lisbon for two days for a shoot, and during my free time, I was looking for laundry, so I could add and expand my ‘Intimacy under the Wires’ collection. It wasn’t hard to find. I was walking in the narrow streets and alleys of Alfama and Bairro Alto, and could easily spot laundry on wires. It really made me smile. And as for the suspicious looks I kept getting from the locals? I guess I have to get used to it, or just smile back.

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires

Lisbon, Portugal, Laundry, Intimacy under the Wires