I have two posts sitting in draft that just get longer and longer but I don’t have time to finish them. Brevity must prevail today! Work calls. So, I’ve uploaded five photos of the beach where I spent my birthday afternoon, near Aveiro. There was a little girl playing in the sand and running from the waves rolling up the beach, which was cute to watch and I waited a bit to take some photos that would make a series. The lighthouse in the background, Farol da Barra, is Portugal’s tallest lighthouse (see where it ranks in height according to Wikipedia); its light can be seen as far as 43 km out to sea.
The beach was a perfect spot. It wasn’t crowded, there was plenty to photograph (the birds even co-operated!), and the temperature was just right, mixed with the ocean breeze. Thanks, Paulo!
I’ve been adding more photos to the album, and it has over 200 photos in it thus far. There are several ways to view it, the best way is as a full-screen slideshow in Flickr which shows the photos larger, with more detail in the images, and autoplays the videoclips. If you’ve seen some of the photos already and don’t want to see those all over again, you can also view the set’s thumbnails (arranged in chronological order) to see the new ones. Or, just sit back and watch the smaller slideshow below (give it a minute to load):
I wanted to post a better-quality videoclip of Frankie Chavez playing live since my little digicam did a rubbish job of capturing the sound and video from his performance last Saturday. The guy deserves better! He brought five guitars on stage with him and played them all, including a Portuguese guitar that I was told was meant for fado (the traditional Portuguese mournful music). It’s the third photo below. Opinions were split among our group whether this went over well, but to each his own. Personally, I love guitar and to see someone playing five different ones is a treat, especially since it was my birthday*.
However, I’m a huge dork about obeying the “no photography” rule at concerts — I get easily embarrassed if I’m scolded about breaking rules so it takes a lot for me to break them, even if I’m surrounded by people completely ignoring them. Remember the Sistine Chapel a couple of years ago? Everyone was taking photos, but it still took me ages to actually bring out my camera.
Well, my dorkness — and the fact that I’m shooting with a DSLR — is what kept me from getting in better positions for these photos. I was there for the music, and the photography came second. But at least I thought ahead and put on the discreet prime (50mm f/1.4), timing my shutter release for the louder moments, because that mirror clap has the aural equivalent of a door slamming when it’s quiet (something I’m very aware of during religious weddings).
* Turns out it was also the venue Tertulia Castelense‘s 9th birthday, which means I predated it by exactly 30 years. Oy!
Portuguese blues guitarist Frankie Chavez at Tertulia Castelense, Maia
Portuguese blues guitarist Frankie Chavez at Tertulia Castelense, Maia
Frankie Chavez playing blues with a Portuguese guitar
Portuguese blues guitarist Frankie Chavez at Tertulia Castelense, Maia
Portuguese blues guitarist Frankie Chavez at Tertulia Castelense, Maia
I’m home! Posting a few bits from my last full day in Portugal before I settle back into Toronto life and go through all the photos and video.
Some scenes from Barcelos, where we discovered a medieval festival happening that afternoon:
medieval pig roasting -- Barcelos, Portugal
medieval festival -- Barcelos, Portugal
The view from a high point further south:
overlooking region north of Porto
My last sunset in Portugal was a beautiful one:
last sunset in Portugal
last sunset in Portugal
last sunset in Portugal
last sunset in Portugal
Then, we were on a mission to find a place that served francesinha on a Sunday night so I could try it before I left. Finally, after some searching, Paulo found a place! How to describe this sandwich? Reminded me a lot of poutine, except this version is even MORE heart attack-inducing than the French Canadian version, if you can believe that:
There’s an amazing bookstore in Porto that I wanted to visit but the weather’s been very consistently sunny and I’ve spent most of my time outdoors. But it rained today, so I took advantage of it by heading straight to the bookstore. Once I got there, I was disappointed to find signs all over marked “No Photos” and I watched as one guy was told immediately scolded before he was able to press the shutter. I didn’t want to be that person, so I decided it would be less obvious if I waited until the upper floor staff popped downstairs, and used my point-and-shoot digicam to make a couple of videos — they didn’t say about video, after all!
enjoying a chilled pink port and chocolate at the Croft estate in Gaia, across the river from Porto
Following a day mostly at river level and ending it with a brief bankside visit of Gaia, I devoted the following day to spending more time around Gaia and visiting the port wine cellars.
I was first introduced to port 20 years ago, in Australia, by Lachlan from Scotland when we were travelling around the country. I really enjoyed it but have had it only rarely since then — mostly because it’s quite expensive. But here in Portugal the price is even less than what we pay for wine in Canada, so you can bet I’ll be bringing some home next week. I wanted to try something different, so I sampled (for free) some white wine port before touring the cellars and decided on paying a couple of euros (practically free) for Croft’s new pink port paired with some Godiva chocolate, versus a free sample of the red wine port. I enjoyed everything, so now I have no clue what to bring home. Not such a bad thing, in my opinion.
the smaller barrels at Croft -- you should see the big ones!
around Gaia
Porto from Gaia -- it was quite the climb to get up here
locked out!
the metro on the Ponte Dom Luís
trying to ignore the feeling of vertigo while shooting from the Dom Luis Bridge, Ribeira is below
The city of Porto is built on the steep banks of the Douro River, which gives a dramatic view from the train as it crosses the bridge. It also makes for lots of uphill walking! If I lived in Porto I would be very fit. I chose today to see the city from the water level and took a boat ride to have a closer look at the six bridges in Porto over the Douro.
Hooray! My blog has reached its 4,000th post in just under 9 years. The next comment will be #8,000! If that’s you, I’ll send you a prize… haven’t decided what it is yet. I had no idea what post #4,000 would be about, but I think going a bit out of chronological order to post about the night sky seems like the best way to celebrate.
the current state of my blog
Today was a lunar eclipse, but it was pretty cloudy by the time we reached the observatory in Parque Biológico de Gaia. Shortly after we arrived, the International Space Station was spotted as it streaked through the sky — definitely the first time I’ve ever seen it. It was amazingly fast! We stuck around to take some photos on the tripod and to see an informational slideshow projected against the observatory wall to explain the lunar eclipse. Paulo, my couchsurfing host in Porto, is a volunteer astronomer, sharing his knowledge with others through activities organized by a local astronomy association.
Paulo photographing an insect on the wall
Saturn (recorded, as it was too cloudy to view)
Yessiree, this is Unabashed Geekiness at its finest, I’m pleased to report. Perfect for post #4,000!
Just booked a floatplane joyride tomorrow morning (10:00), departing Billy Bishop Airport. You still have time to get in on the flight! #fb9 hours ago
Calling all #aviation buffs! Booking scenic ride in floatplane tomorrow am out of YTZ, takes up to 3 pax & need 2. DM me if interested! #fb12 hours ago
