the_lisbon_connection blog

Picture credit: www.cvilarpics.tumblr.com   This was my second time in the infamous Amsterdam . My first time there was in March 2013, and as we arrived the first thing anyone told us was “hey, welcome to the north pole. It’s the coldest month of March since 1920 something”. Jackpot! This time around was much better weather…not great if you consider that I am travelling from 30 degrees in Lisbon, but definitely better! So here are a few points on Amsterdam and Zaanse Schans the lovely place with the Windmills. Here are a few FAQ from my friends about Amsterdam: Public transport/trams On both trips I used the tram only three times. Twice to get to the hotel with the bags and another time to get a TerraVision bus stop to get to Brussels from a further part of town. I guess this depends on how much you enjoy walking and, where your hotel/hostal is. This time we were in Munk Hotel in Achtergracht Street and the other time I was near Leidseplein which was also...

Day 1 – Adventure begins! My friend Joana, who is quite a citizen of the world (having lived in São Paulo, Scotland, and New York in the past few years) is now living in Dublin! Since I went to visit her, there will be no reviews on where to stay - Joana is simply a fantastic host! In terms of Dublin and the nearby areas, there is plenty to discuss…and an urge to go again! First of all if you are travelling from Lisbon you can fly Air Lingus or/and Ryanair and have a cheap ticket if you avoid high season and book in advance. From the airport to central city just take the turquoise buses ( 10€ return). As I arrived a little bit after lunch hour, we grabbed some delicious sandwiches to go at a place smartly called Lunch and headed out to eat outside at Trinity College lawn fields, whereas most students were also soaking the fleeting sun. We spent the afternoon just walking around town with a little few shopping stops – check out Avoca, a very cool store with Irish made stuf...

Another art exhibition I truly recommend is Genesis from Sebastião Salgado.  "A love letter to the world" is how the Brazilian photographer sees his new work.  When you check out his exhibition, you will understand what he means. All black and white, his passionate shots are a mixture of very sudden captures and others where the world (and its inhabitants) just seem to be posing for the picture.  Salgado seems to have been everywhere, photographing simply nature in its pure state at the Amazonia jungle,  the glaciers, the grand canyon, the lost tribes - including the Zo'é which was only found 20 years ago in Brazil, and wild animals such as penguin communities or Uganda's last free gorillas. Yet, when you leave the exhibition you have a new perspective on how big our world is, and how many lost   paradises are still out there. I felt like grabbing my camera and just going out there to finish the work!

This past week my mother and I had the opportunity to check this year's World Press Photo awards in Lisbon at Museu da Eletricidade . From Malaysia airline's crash destructions, sports photojournalism, to a photographer who decided to use a drone to photograph American daily activities from above, this exhibition compiles a set of powerful testaments of lives surrounding us. Sometimes lives and situations which we ignored or others we knew about but never really looked in that perspective. A circus monkey terrified as he watches his trainer coming his way; an Iranian mother holding her long missing son's clothes; a picture taken from above of a very full boat which has been trafficking desperate refugees into Europe across the Mediterranean sea; a collection of moments in the life of  a woman/ mother/ daughter with AIDS and the red picture of a Christmas ornament factory worker in China are some of the works still vivid in my mind. To complete these amazing ...

We left Paris in the morning and after what seemed like a short train ride cross country we arrived at Fontainebleau- Avon station. A bit lost alongside with a few other tourists we all got in a bus and 5/10 minutes later we arrived at the castle.  Here is a little of this amazing place... I must say one of the things I regreted was not having taken a bottle of wine and some snacks and have a picnic in this amazing spot! Next time...

Good morning everyone, Woke up today missing one of my favorite cities to stroll, shop, eat...and so much more.  The lovely Paris, always ready to be photographed! Here are a few shots of one of my recent trips there!  Pauline is a lovely and charming lady who at her very advanced age is still selling paintings in the street. Sad I know. Her  painting  of lavender flowers' jar is on my bedroom wall, in a matching purple frame. Macaroons are such a coquete pastrie, it makes sence that the famous  La Durée store matched it! This gorgeous lady is my mom, walking alongside the Seine on a pretty sunny day, near Pont Des Arts, the famous bridge with the lockers you see on the movies. The timeless Polidor - my favorite restaurant in Paris Remember Last Tango in Paris? For me,l one of the most beautiful bridges in Paris