Out on the Tiles

The Portuguese have been using tiles for their houses since the 16th century. The ceramic tiles, known as azulejos, adorn the inside and outside of almost every home in Lisbon. They are cool in summer, as they reflect the light, are cheap to produce, have insulative properties for the winter, keep out the damp, and are decorative too!





































Just love the hydrangeas and the peacock - was so happy when I found them:)

Love
Est xxx

Blast from the Past

We found this in Lisbon. 'Um Bongo, they drink it in the Congo!' Bring back any memories?!?!:)



Love
Est xxx

The Rooster of Luck and Happiness

You know when you are on holiday and you buy souvenirs and then get home and wonder what on earth possessed you? Well, in Portugal, the souvenir of choice is this little fella, the Rooster of Happiness. This is a little one that Benny got, complete with authentic Lisbon cobbles underfoot, he's just lovely isn't he?



So, now I have a dilemma. Do I invest in a Rooster of Luck and Happiness? It is very possible, if not certain that he will not fit in with the stylish 'wow, it is so beautiful, it looks and feels like a page from a Home and Garden magazine' look I aspire to for our family home, but hey, he is lovely, and quirky, and cute, and he comes in many different sizes and colors...







...and, he is the Rooster of Luck and Happiness, and doesn't everyone need a little bit of that in their lives?

What to do, what to do....

Then, amid my hum'ing and haa'ing, to'ing and fro'in and flipping and flopping, I spotted a postcard, and it felt like a sign, maybe a hidden message.



The writing was on the wall. I must buy a rooster, I must!

But which colour? Which size? Stripey, plain, or traditional? Wood, ceramic or tin? The options were limitless, baffling and confusing, but one thing I knew for sure I knew, I must take a rooster home, I had to have one.

So, may I introduce you to my new little rooster friend, who is now nestled cosily in the warmth and comfort of my t-shirts and socks ready for the long trip back to NZ.



Oh dear, I am so going to regret this when I get home;)

Love
Est xxx

P.S. Tonight we arrived in Miami and went for dinner at a bar which had 22 tv screens, I counted them! But more Lisbon tomorrow, I'm a bit behind. Very tired.

The 'i's' have it

Naomi and I have been doing some school work on sounds of letters. She is doing really well, but still stumbles on a few, y and u etc. The other day I held up a flashcard for her and she said 'i', 'well done' I said, 'but what does it sound like?' Confused look on her face. 'Look at the picture' I said, pointing to the igloo on the card, 'that will help you, what is it?'.

'Errrr...', frowning and trying her best to work it out...

'A polar bear's house???'

Bless her little cottons!

Then, yesterday.

Naomi: I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with i
Me and Benny, after exhausting all possibilities: Don't know, we give up
Naomi, with a knowingly triumphant smile: Eyeball!!!!

Poor kids, English is a very hard language to learn, especially when you only have your mum as a teacher!!!

Love
Est xxx

The Pastelaria

If you are hungry in Lisbon, the place to see and to be seen is the Pastelaria.




This week we have frequented a number of Pastelarias, and here are my observations.

The Pastelaria can be modern, or dated, but it is obliged to have a distinctly 1970's feel to it. Not the cool groovy 1970's feel, more the mum's kitchen 1970's kind of feel, complete with kitchen tiled walls, paper tablecloths, water glasses with words written on them, you remember the kind, and large coca cola adverts and such like, dotted around and about.

At the Pastelaria, you can buy just about anything, from baguettes and juices, coffee, cakes and desserts, to full meals, wines, beers, spirits, cigarettes, from a...get this, cigarette vending machine (see, I told you, so seventies) and even sweets and ice creams.

At the Pastelaria you will be attended to be a olde worlde gentlemanly male wearing a white collar, navy tie, and optional woolen tank top. They usually look like Norris Cole from Coronation Street (by the way very glad to hear the news that, after public outcry in NZ, Corrie has been moved back to it's rightful prime time 7.30pm slot. 5.30pm, what on earth were TVNZ thinking?).










It also seems that at the Pastelaria, it is perfectly acceptable to stand at the counter and eat a full meal, with dessert and wine, by oneself, standing up, the whole time. We felt positively lazy sitting on chairs. Maybe it is better for your metabolism, or digestion, who knows? Or maybe you pay more money to sit down, wear and tear on the chair and all that. I'm sure Benny and Naomi would call it a fart tax.

Anyway, if you find yourself in Lisbon at any time, be sure to visit the Pastelaria, is an experience to be enjoyed, and not to be missed!







Ola!

Love
Est xxx

Lost Soles

A couple of years ago, Alex and I watched an excellent film, called 'In Search of a Midnight Kiss', it is a modern quirky 'love' story about two people who meet on New Year's Eve. So much better than the latest cinematic 'triumph' from the formulaic fun factory we call Hollywood, 'New Year's Eve' (don't see it). Although, despite myself, I was mildly interested, I couldn't help but have the feeling that they were just laughing at me the whole way through, and when I say me, obviously I mean the general public, not me specifically, but you know what I mean, they just churn them out and we turn up and pay our hard earned money, and, I don't know, I couldn't help but feel cheated, a definate 5.8 for me.

Anyway the following blog is inspired by In Search of a Midnight Kiss (you should watch it) and The Lost Shoe Project, which featured in the film.

We arrived on Lisbon's beach on Sunday afternoon, and it was beautiful, as you can see.




But all was not as it seemed.

Within a minute, Benny, our super finder extraordinaire, had found an old shoe. Nothing unusual about that you might think.




But then we found another..




And another...




And another...




And then we began to lose count.












It was (as they were), all rather odd!

I don't know, how can you find so many odd shoes on such a small beach in such a short space of time? Was it some kind of bizarre art project? Were they all lost at sea by some swashbuckling wooden legged pirate (with a spanish speaking parrot;)?

I am searching, but I cannot find the answer.

No, still don't know.

Love
Est xxx


" it’s just hard to imagine how someone
wouldn’t notice that they are missing just one shoe..."

www.thelostshoeproject.com

Parrot talk

One more thing!

We went to the Zoo in Barcelona, of course, you say, they go to the zoo in every city they go to. Yes, this is true.

We saw a lovely parrot there.





Alex and Benny and Naomi spent a while trying to make it speak before Alex said, 'Oh, of course, it's a spanish parrot, no wonder it doesn't understand us' and then thoughtfully (and seriously!), 'I don't know the spanish for Pretty Polly'.

Oh dear.

Love
Est xxx

La Rambla

La Rambla is one of the main streets through Barcelona. It is always busy and bustling, there is never a dull moment. On our last day we walked down there and encountered a horse and carriage parade to celebrate the feast day of St Someone(?), the patron saint of animals, which involved lots of sweet throwing and collecting, much to the childrens delight, then a few minutes later, a peaceful protest against, something or other, with banners, and whistling and shouting. Very exciting!




We made friends with a few of the locals down there.










There are beautiful quaint shops.








And lovely flower stalls and art stalls. We purchased a piece of local artwork, a watercolor of La Rambla to take home, to join the others on our wall of travels.







So, in summary, I would like to live in Barcelona please, I would like to live in a Gaudi designed house, take Spanish lessons and learn Flamenco dancing. I would like to ride my bike and sit outside this cafe every day, on the beautiful cushions, and drink wine from 10 o clock in the morning. Yes, they do, I have seen them!





Alex has even found me a nice little renovation project.




Thank you Barcelona, we will see you again next time!





Love
Est xxx

Enjoy the present...

Speaking of which, I must now go and get some beautiful peaceful moments, of sleep.

Night night.

Love
Est xxx

You have to look up

Here are some of the beautiful, interesting and sometimes downright crazy buildings of Barcelona. Enjoy.










































































Even the door furniture is beautiful, I hope this has inspired you Kate (my lovely friend in Auckland who is currently choosing door handles).

And, don't even ask me about the eyeballs, it was Benny who spotted them, of course;)

Love
Est xxx