April 29th, 2010
Portugal: In Living Color
When most Americans think of traveling to Southern Europe the countries that first come to mind seem to be France, Italy, and Spain. I had bought some quidebooks and done some web research, of course, but we were not really sure what to expect from tiny Portugal when we went there. What a wonderful surprise to find that it is an amazingly beautiful and diverse country, easily traveled and totally “tourist friendly”! The weather and topography are very similar to our own Southern California, it is very easy to travel around by car, an amazing value (your Euros will go much farther in Portugal than elsewhere), and the people are incredibly friendly and helpful; most speak English very well. This last item is important as Portuguese is a VERY difficult language to master, even for the Portuguese according to my new friend Ana in Lisboa! I HIGHLY recommend that anyone add Portugal to their wish list for their next trip abroad. Here is a quick overview of this warm country from a color perspective.
Looking from the hilltop Castello over the red roofs of Lisbon
Confection colored facades in Belem.
Orange life preservers on boat ride on the Douro in Porto.
Blue sky over Porto.
Shiny silver fishat the old market in Porto. (Oh, they DO love their fish!)
Green doors in Pinhao.
Blue azulejos tile mural at the train station in Pinhao.
Lush green woods on a hike in Sintra.
Looking back at one of the fairy tale palaces in Sintra. Those two large cones are actually the chimenies for the wood burning stoves in the massive kitchen!
More to come! Still wading through 100′s of photos and lovely memories…..
Copyright © Designamour
April 30th, 2010 at 7:34 am
Beautiful pictures… may I ask what type of camera you use? Your photos are always stunning. Congratulations on your “honeymoon.” And best wishes for the wedding to come. Looking forward to Morocco with you next week!
May 1st, 2010 at 9:10 am
Its the first time i see your blog. Its incredible , keep it up!
May 1st, 2010 at 11:07 am
Hello, Melanie. Thank you for the lovely description of my country. Sometimes, we tend to forget that. Best regards for Eric, also.
P.S. – Can you e-mail me the photos we took together?
And that precious link about decorative arts?
May 2nd, 2010 at 10:05 am
Beautiful. I’m so jealous, my own trip to Lisbon was cancelled due to that blasted volcano spurting ash over Europe the very day I was due to fly – I’ve re-scheduled to later this year in Autumn so looking forward to any tips on great places to visit in the city!