A morning at Quinta da Regaleira

TAVEL DIARY: SINTRA 1 The Quinta da Regaleira is located near the historic centre of Sintra, Portugal. It is protected within the UNESCO World Heritage site and is a mix of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance architecture. It is an enchanting estate about half an hour from Lisbon. It was built by an eccentric Free…

Through the Tram 28 Window

TRAVEL DIARY: LISBON 3 Because of the wet weather, we opted for a tram ride to explore the significant sights of Lisbon rather than staying indoors. Went on the TRAM 28, one of the famous Lisbon icons. It passes through the popular tourist districts for about a 40-minute journey. It took us winding up (or…

Venice at Night

This week Johnbo challenges us to focus on Tools of Photo Composition. I have decided to use lighting as part of this composition. I am keeping it simple and only including elements that are relevant to the story I am telling. So this is my story… and this is Venice at night in 2016. At…

Murals and Seats in the LX Factory

LX Factory is in Alcântara, a cool part of Lisbon. It’s got over 50 shops, cafes, and restaurants, both indoors and outdoors. You can spend a few hours or even a whole day there, checking out stuff to buy or just looking around. It’s also fun to see all these Public Art. Near the entrance…

More Doors in Lisbon

This first one is 19th-century palace turned shopping mall hence the amazing architecture. This is the front door of the Pasteis de Belem where the original Pastel de Nata originated. Novelty shop Doors with tiled walls Doors inside the Mercado da Ribeira or popularly known as the Time Out Market . I love the design…

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

Shadows

LAS RAMBLAS, BARCELONA One sunny afternoon in the Las Ramlas area. I am linking it to Debbie’s One Word Sunday – Shadows

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…

Tuesday Streetart Swans – 28

SOUTHWARK, LONDON Discovered the artwork of Australian Street Artist Jimmy C. in Redcross Way, Southwark. Titled ‘Union,’ this mural blends Aboriginal art with ‘Aerosol-Pointillism.’ It depicts two swans meeting peacefully amidst flowing water.

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…

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…

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

Tuesday Streetart another one by Bronik – 26

EL BORN, BARCELONA, SPAIN This little bar is located in the Born district just near St Catarina market. Bronik is from Peru and was based in Barcelona making graffiti from 2009 until early 2020 when she came to Australia. That is why this is the third mural (I am sure there were more) that I…

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.

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…

Go and See It Now

I’m a part of the Melbourne Urban Sketchers group, though I don’t regularly attend as their sessions are usually on Sundays, and Jack prefers to rest on that day. Additionally, I’m an active member of Urban Sketchers Casey, a more intimate group that meets every second Friday of the month, and I make an effort…

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…

Tuesday Streetart by Bronik – 25

BARCELONA, SPAIN A streetart by Bronik. Clearly, she is becoming one of my favourite street artist. It is only now that I found out that she is an artist/muralist/streetartist/illustrator from Peru but now based in Melbourne. Gotta search for her work now in my walks.

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…

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