Parque de Serralves

Another view from Parque de Serralves

Good weekend

Not a good photo(the window glass was dirty) but sometimes the beauty is hidden, i was doing some experiences taking photos with the train moving then this couple appeared in this shot!
Good weekend and i think don't need to say more...

Murder at the station!

No, don't worry it isn't a murder, it's worst, it's a campaign to remember heart diseases, they are far and away the leading cause of death in Portugal.
So my advice is to let your car at home and take a walk, by the way don't forget your camera ;)

Stairway to music

Entrance of Casa da música, the new, expensive and beautiful Concert Hall designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

Food is everywhere!

Yesterday on a walk, my wife said to me this house looks like a cake with adornments, i agree!
I'm wondering now if is it true or are we needing some help and support.
So on a quick glance does this house remembers you a cake?

25 April 1974 - Carnation Revolution

This photo was probably impossible before 25 April 1974 because this building was the PIDE headquarters in OPorto, i'm sure someone would come in my direction looking for awnsers about my reasons. In this building torture and violence happened made by this secret police, the Portuguese version of "KGB".
Today we celebrate the end of dictatorship Salazar regime commited by the Carnation Revolution where violence didn't exist, people went to the streets in peace and some military put carnations in their gun-barrels. Since then has been a long and complicated learning process going forward to the future cutting with all the bad things from the past, not different from most of european countries. So many people died and suffer so we can have this live today, that's why i can't waste a minute of my life.

Spring is back!

I think finally is official, hot spring is to stay. I got this picture in Parque de Serralves where you can find a museum of contemporary art and true nature inside the city.

Congratulations F.C.Porto!!!

F.C.Porto is the new national football champion, won the Portuguese First League.
It's going to be a long blue night, starting the party here at Av.Aliados.

Graffiti

Some DailyPhoto bloggers have been posting some graffiti from their cities, well i rarely see quality graffiti around here (if someone from Porto knows where they are send me a mail with location and i'll put them here) but this one caught my attencion.

Luis I bridge [III]

Recovered bridge Luis I on upper level, today used for subway and walking, noisy cars go on first level.

Starting point

One step to move forward on a non stop travel by rail until arrive to Vladivostok, probably the most far away station from here(S.Bento station).
This is a trip i want to do some day.

Vímara Peres

Vímara Peres was a Christian warlord of the 9th century in west Iberia, he conquered to the Moors the area from the Minho River to the Douro River, including the city of Portus Cale which is Porto. So we could say this was the first step to the foundation of my country.
By the way, for those who don't know, the name Portugal emerged from Porto.

Hi neighbor!

One of the advantages of living here is that you don't have the feeling of living in a city, each area is a small village, and each building is a house, and each house is life!

My favorite!

This is my favourite public urinal and is located in Passeio Alegre which is a little gorgeous garden, it's unique and beautiful, deverves a stop for pee-pee or even a trip to this confortable room and let nature and gravity do the work.
I never saw a urinal with this shape and you?

Photo from outside since is a beautiful house too.

Beauty and the Beast

Sometimes we must stop showing only the bright side of our cities and touch the errors made by mayors & co. You could give me a million reasons to like this neighbor join between the shopping center and the little XVIII century chapel(Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso), and i still don't like them together. This type of absurd has been reduced over the last years but sometimes someone in the cityhall has bad dreams and decides to tell us how they were playing with concrete and glass!
How does your city deal with this imposed modernism?

Spring!? Mr. weather go %# $&"#*

Yesterday i went to beach and the sky was completely blue, maybe i was singing to high because today is raining and it will be like this all week:(.

The lady, the dog, et al

While in Paris complaints about the weather happen here is starting the summer warm up on the beach.
But this photo could be seen all over the year, there are always charming ladies, with or without her puppy(human or not), and most amazing is those surfers, even in december they are on the wave!

which one is the prettiest

I like to see buildings facade full of flowers, clothes drying, people talking, in this city they are like this almoust everywhere:):). Gives me the feel of living in an alive place, sorry by those who live in big concrete buildings boxed em sealed.

Randomly lucky

Yesterday, after my first date with the goose (the little white chap below), has you would imagine i got panic, and in my return home doing the side river road i realised how amazing sunset color was. Still thinking in the goose wasn't possible to look behind, so in a red traffic light i put my arm outside the window trying a good position with the camera, when other cars start using their nervous horn i push the button and move on without any ideia of the results.
Here it is the photo, what a day!

ps:What you see is Arrabida bridge and then the end of Douro river, of course the marvelous Atlantic Ocean serving a screen to the sun.

"Vive le pate du foie gras"

This isn't a good shot, and why? Because today i went with my 19 months daughter to a park observe some ducks, swans and gooses. Precisely in the part "...and this a lovely goose, how sweet it is, hei! sweetie isn't he coming in our direction?, ooohhh!!". We were attacted by this white fellow! This shot was the last think i remember before the battle!
We won! My daughter cried out a louder "QUÁ QUÁ!" and this creature run away!

ps:i hope that french title is ok!

Number one sport

Here they are joined in small groups, spreading everywhere in gardens, practicing world most exciting game, Sueca!
I think this game is only played in Portugal and Brasil where everyone knows the rules and sooner or later will be squeezed between a chair and a card table.

I love gulls

Another long walk, with lots of photos, but can't resist this one, this birds are so elegant.

Side roads in Ribeira

This city isn't just granite and tiles, a lot of color can be seen everywhere and easily, except if you are pushing a stroller all day on this inclined side streets like i did. This shot was taked in Ribeira which is a pub's and discos zone.
Have a nice weekend.

Walls that survived

Gothic wall, built between 1336 and 1376, known as Muralha Fernandina there are few visible remains, dispite that its good to have what left protected by a group of citrus tree, tell me that's not great to have this downtown!

Oldest resident alive

Today i visit my fathers-in-law, they share their house garden with this beautiful shining lady, before them the father of my father-in-law shared his space too with this beauty and before him his father also talked to her and before him... ops i'm lost, where was i, anyway, this Porto citizen has for sure an age near 200 years. This makes her the oldest friendly resident that i know personally and with a very good relation, we never discuss, life is simple, i arrive and she walks very fast in my direction asking for food(of course)!
It's amazing, when she was born we still live in monarchy, probably when Brasil was about to get independence from Portugal, Napoleon wars, civil war because of this, well, the world changes and she sleeps half year and lives in a relaxing way the other half.

Corners

The usual, a beautiful women looking forward and relaxed, and the poor male can't resist the pleasing panorama of a shining lady on the right.
This dialog happens in the most famous street of Porto, rua de Santa Catarina.
More photos from this street: 1,2,3,4 and 5 

My postcard photo

This shot was taken from Vila Nova de Gaia, a panoramic view of Ribeira, the ancient part of Porto which is a World Heritage Site, many middle ages buildings continue resisting. Down there following Douro river you will see Arrábida bridge who serves as an entrance to the city and a great view to Atlantic ocean.

Rabelos

Great day this one, spend it all walking around Porto and Gaia enjoying sun and spring air, anyway what matters to you is this shot of Rabelos, when there were no trucks wine barrels were transported down river Douro to Gaia in this boats. Gaia is the city across the river from Porto were all Port wine ages in cellars.

O coliseu é nosso

When the company owner of this great concert hall begin to try converting this building to serve others activities (meetings,religion,conferences) different from the ones who made it so especial to local citizens an emblematic manifestation filled downtown, a group of local artists and citizens organized concerts to raise funds to buy and maintain this great hall. To complicate this scene the stage area was destroyed in a fire.
Tanks to those people, today we can still have concerts all year.

Coliseu do Porto

Labour laws

Unions protesting about labour laws, unemployment rate is growing...