You may be lost in the beauty of Pena Palace while you explore its grounds, trying to absorb every single detail, romanticising about the times when Kings and Queens stepped on the same grounds and potentially admired the same sights. But while you walk through its verandas and terraces, your eyes will eventually turn and … Continue reading Sights of Portugal: the Castle of the Moors in Sintra
In an attempt to try to stay sane one must take advantage of the few (but yet existent) possibilities. As any returns to normal travelling might be difficult to foresee, as the future remains cloudy, I must try to preserve any remains of mental health. Many have heard of Sintra. The first time I visited … Continue reading Sights of Portugal: Pena Palace in Sintra
Green lands contrasting with the blue sky. The photo was taken from the top of the Castle of Montemor-o-Velho, a little town in central Portugal. The streets were deserted on a Sunday afternoon, as the sun was also a bit shy.
As the year advances, the less likely it seems I’ll be able to get on a plane to travel for the simple joy of it before the end of 2020. I might as well accept it and get over it. However, I found myself getting excited with the new opportunity of spending this time in … Continue reading Sights of Portugal: Passadiços do Paiva
"I am a seagull, of no land,I call no shore my home,I am bound to no place,I fly from wave to wave." Empress Elisabeth of Austria A couple years ago, visiting Vienna, I came across this little poem written by the Empress and saw myself in it. The more I learned about her while visiting … Continue reading The Seagull
Lately, I have been paying more attention to my surroundings. Going for walks in places already familiar after being away for a long time, has given those places a different mystery. It's like I'm re-reading a book with a different age. Having lived and experienced more. You always find little details you didn't see before. … Continue reading Plants by the sea
Lately life seems exactly like this picture. We're on a road driving us to the unknown. the path isn't mapped. There are no GPS for this. All the control we used to have over our lives is gone. At any day, things can change. Doesn't really matter the speed you're going, the turns you take. … Continue reading Roads to nowhere
With this situation, most of us have felt for the first time what it is to have our freedom taken away. I've been lucky enough that I didn't have to live during war times or under a dictatorship. Born and raised in democratic countries, educated to believe in freedom of movement within Europe, spoiled with … Continue reading Constants
I had forgotten how Spring was in Portugal. They have a saying here that would quite literally translate into April, a thousand waters. Which sounds quite odd, but it means to say that it rains a lot in April. And that was exactly how this April was. So Mr. Spring has a borderline personality disorder. … Continue reading Mr. Spring, the painter – part II
How is everyone's sanity holding up?I keep thinking this is a test to my own. How much more can I take, before breaking down. How strong am I really. Is this the ultimate test to natural selection? The modern natural selection. I have been going on walks in the place I was raised and growing … Continue reading Mr. Spring, the painter
