From Belém’s pastries to Fado’s melodies

(and everything in Between) TRAVEL DIARY: LISBON 2 We started early and walked to the train station. Some interesting things to see and smell along the way. Like the protruding car, some souvenirs and chestnuts roasting … yum my fave! From the train window I saw these murals. I see that cat in a lot…

A window in Cotswolds

Cotswolds is a charming countryside in England. It is famous for its endearing cottages just like this. Linked to Ludwig’s Monday Window Challenge

Window Shopping in Obidos

Obidos is a charming town not too far from Lisbon. It has narrow cobbled streets with whitewashed homes, accented with bright blue or red or yellow detailing, red tiled roofs and spreading purple bougainvillea blooms. It is a tiny town but it has a castle, churches, restaurants and a maze of cobbled alleyways. But that…

TukTuks of Lisbon – A Splash of Colour

TukTuks appeared in the late 2000s. They are not public transportation but are privately owned, taking tourists around even on the narrowest and steepest streets. It brings colour to the streets of Libon. This is a fun alternative to taxis but they are quite expensive. Some have a minimum charge of 10 euros while an…

Welcoming Green Doors of Lisbon

A green front door reflects wealth, health, and safety, and not surprisingly, a green door works well on the tiled traditional-style homes in Portugal. Pictured here are some of the many facades with green doors that caught my eye in Lisbon. The best part about looking for green Portuguese doors is that you won’t have…

Navigating Lisbon’s Stairways and Alleys

TRAVEL DIARY: LISBON 1 Jack and I reached Lisbon from Barcelona via Vuelling airlines in approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival, we met up with Tim and Leigh, who had traveled from London. We took an Uber to our Airbnb and true to the forecast it rained the whole day. After putting our luggage down and…

The soothing sound of the Wind Chimes

Wind chimes are often seen as symbols of good luck and prosperity, with their spiritual meaning tracing back to ancient civilizations that believed in their ability to ward off negative energy and evil spirits through their soothing melodies. I find great joy in the peaceful and harmonious sound produced by the wind chimes in my…

Dangling in Style: Toy Story Revisited

I don’t even know where I saw this. But this was taken in March 2023. There’s so many titles that you can think of for this. Maybe you can add your own haha I am linking this to Debbie’s Six Word Saturday – 6WS

Streetart shutters

BARCELONA, SPAIN As we expected, after leaving the Banksy Museum, we encountered a number of street art murals adorning the shutter doors along our route. I can’t get enough of them. The artworks may not be that outstanding, but when you see so many of them in one place … that’s pretty cool. I am…

White Lotus

BLUE LOTUS WATER GARDEN, AUSTRALIA Linked to Cee’s Flower Of The Day – FOTD Challenge

Wordless Wednesday

Give love whenever you can. The world needs more of that. BRISTOL, UK

Embracing Barcelona’s Charm: on Our Last Day

TRAVEL DIARY BARCELONA 4: We had no precise plan for our last day in Barcelona except for the Banksy Museum. We headed off from our hotel and went on the direction of the Arc de Triomf which is a memorial arch in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as…

Round Windows

BARCELONA, SPAIN Modern architecture of residential building with big round windows by architect Mario Catalan Nebot. Linked to Ludwig’s Monday Windows

Barcelona and Banksy

So, who is BANKSY? Not much is known about him, not even his real name, his date and place of birth. His works are mainly satirical takes on politics, pop culture and morality but he hides his real identity from the general public. Last October 2023, Jack and I decided to visit the Banksy Museum…

And I will just sit here…

BARCELONA, SPAIN Linked to Xingfumama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge For Natalie’s Photographing Public Art Challenge And for Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

The Triennial 2023 & More

First of all, Jack and I met Pat for lunch at a Malaysian restaurant. Yummmm Took some photos of Public Art around Melbourne. We headed to the city primarily to visit NGV, the National Gallery of Victoria, showcasing the Triennial 2023—an expansive collection of contemporary art created by over 100 talented artists. When we arrived…

Doors at Montsalvat

Montsalvat as I have mentioned in my previous post is an artist colony. Here are some of the doors in the 5 hectares of land. This is the Barn Gallery formerly known as “The Red Brick Barn” or “The Boat Shed”. The building was completely destroyed in 1996 by an arsonist so this large Gothic…

Shutter Windows in Montmartre

Four months have passed, and I still vividly remember my first day in Paris when I visited Montmartre. These are the ones I discovered in a quiet spot farther away from Place du Tertre. Linked to Ludwig’s Monday Windows Some small tiles, sculptures and streetart beside the shutter windows.

A visit to Montsalvat – an artist colony

Montsalvat is an artists’ colony in Eltham, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established by Justus Jorgensen, the colony is set among gardens on five hectares of land, and is home to dozens of buildings, including houses, halls, studios, galleries and stables.-Wikipedia I visited this place together with some of my friends, a few weekends…

Warm colours of nature

This week, Egidio leads us for the Lens Artist Photo Challenge with the topic of Warm Colours. “Traveling is not just about reaching a destination; it’s about embracing the warmth of new experiences along the journey.” Autumn is my favorite time of the year, so twice already, I have opted to travel in the months…

Thumbs up if it is OK!

Just got home to see the Triennial exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria. This is a sculpture in front of the NGV by David Shrigle. Linked to Debbie’s 6WS

Empty Chairs at Montsalvat

Went to this artist colony called Montsalvat last week. Sadly the restaurant and cafe is being renovated so there were many empty chairs with nothing to munch on. Linked to Xingfumama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge

Doors in and around the Dali Museum

Figueres, the birthplace of Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), is not only where this iconic artist was born but also a town that reflects the brilliance that defined his work. I have compiled some doors that I saw in and around the Dali Theatre Museum in Linked to Dan’s Thursday Doors…

Angel’s Trumpet

This is my Last on the Card photo which I took last weekend at my sister-in-law’s garden. Taken with my IPhone 13 This is the Brugmansia which is commonly called Angel’s Trumpet. Linked to Brian’s LastOnTheCard and Cee’s FOTD These are some shots that I also took on that day.

A walk through Dali’s Mind in Figueres

TRAVEL DIARY: FIGUERES About a 40 minute bus ride from Girona took us to Figueres, the home town of Salvador Dali. “I want my museum to be a single block, a labyrinth, a great surrealist object. It will be [a] totally theatrical museum. The people who come to see it will leave with the sensation…

Bluestone Chapel’s Windows

This is the Bluestone Chapel that sits high on a hill within the grounds of Montsalvat Arts Colony, only about 40 minutes away from Melbourne. Stained glass windows surround the chapel. While the main altar appears simple at first glance, closer inspection reveals attention to detail on its wooden carvings which elevates its elegance.

Exploring Melbourne’s Day & Night

This week’s topic for Lens Artist Photo Challenge is Day & Night I’ll stay close and showcase my home city, Melbourne for this challenge. Its diverse neighborhoods and vibrant urban culture create a lively daytime atmosphere, offering a variety of cuisines and renowned for its coffee culture. As dusk falls, the city transforms into a…

Hey kitty: why the purr-plexing look?

Saw this kitty who was very friendly to us when we went to the art gallery. It even knows how to pose for the camera. Linked to Debbie’s Six Word Saturday – 6WS

Two red Chairs

LONDON, UK Somewhere in London I found this shop dedicated mostly on pre-loved chairs. Linked to Xingfumama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge