BRINGING THE FAR PAST TIME TO PRESENT DAY

I always like revisiting countries, regions, places that have impressed me at the first sight.

In July, I travelled for my second time to Ephesus, the great metropolis and Roman capital of Asia Minor, now Turkey. At that time, Ephesus had a population around 250,000 inhabitants.
It's amazing how despite the passing of the time, the city is the best preserved Greco-Roman city we can see in Turkey.

 One day, I was caught by surprise when I set my eyes on three young women standing out from the crowd of tourists. 

Why?

 Because they were wearing Roman attires. 

As they were walking towards the magnificent theatre, I started imagining that most probably they were going to take part in a debate of public interest, which would be held in that structure with a capacity of 25,000 seats, making it be the largest in Anatolia.

My imagination took me back to the the year 100 BC. What would then be the subject of the discussion? Perhaps the construction of new fountains at some strategic points. It was believed that the sounds of trickling water fountains had calm healing effects. Do you think that belief made sense?

 Thank you!

May you have a wonderful weekend!

SWEET Birthday Cake

A birthday without a cake is not a birthday, don't you think? Well, last saturday, my daughter who, sometimes is in cooking mood, decided to make the above cake for a special relative, whose birthday was on the following day.

She got up earlier than the usual, went to a nearby farm and got very fresh strawberries and of a good size: neither too big, nor too small. As she didn't know the exact age of our relative, she thought the best way would be to buy candles simply reading 'FELIZ ANIVERSÁRIO' (Happy Birthday). Perhaps I wouldn't have ever had such idea. As soon as she returned back home from her errands and showed me the candles, I fully agreed with her shopping. It was a smart way of not unveiling our ignorance about the precise age of the birthday person.

She spent a few hours in the kitchen while I was watching her meticulously decorating the cake that had been home baked, too.

Once it was ready,  I looked at her and I saw a soft smile on her face. 

When we go to a birthday party, shouldn't our goal be to make the birthday person feel special? At the moment of handing the cake to our relative, I realized that my daughter's goal had been achieved.

I felt proud of her and for her!

Thank you!

MOBILITY IN URBAN CENTRES

  

Sustainable mobility means "Satisfying the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability to satisfy the needs of future generations", Brundtland report (1987)    

There are several modes of transport, either in a big or a small city. 

Some are really cool...

Others are romantic...

Not to mention walking that is an excellent physical exercise. 

But... we appear not always to care about sustainability.

However, there are not many but a few people that show concern about it.

A GIFT FROM NATURE

After fifteen days of travelling across Turkey, I returned back home to enjoy summertime that this year has gifted me with a very nice surprise… 

Last winter choppy seas boasted the sand in different ways on the beach near my second house: now, I can see low water ponds as if I were somewhere in the Caribbean!!!

I can also reach other beaches by simply walking on the sand. Amazing!!!

~~ Thank you for stopping by ~~

FROM SPRINGFIELD TO CASCAIS. WHY???

Cascais is a lively resort all the year round, yet in summer more lively than ever. Last week, in the evening, one of its beaches that is often dotted with fishermen had turned into an atelier for two foreign sculptors who looked delighted as they were making not sand castles but Homer Simpson lying on a couch grabbing a bottle of beer in one of his hands.

As Homer looked a bit homesick, despite being free from the family piling on to the couch, he soon had two family members lying on the floor...

Why on earth, a middle class American family living in Springfield (ILL.) flies to this side of the huge Pond and lies on the fine sands of a Portuguese beach? Perhaps Homer was tired of doing nothing or very little. Had his wife and children pushed him to board on a plane and as they regretted it later, they decided to take a cheap flight with destination to Lisbon?

Questions I'll never get the answer, unless you stop by and let me know them.

~~ Thank you! ~~

REVISITING A CHARMING TOWN

Returning to a place for a visit after having been away for a certain time is always a pleasure for me. It happened recently when I was in Chaves, an old town that is way up in the very north of Portugal right by the Spanish border. The town was  settled by the Roman emperor Flavio Vespasiano, in the year 78 AD. Acquae Flaviae was  its original name, owing to the superb thermal springs that the Romans found in its surrounding area.

Chaves is by a river that gives it a special charm with the shimmering green of the sidewalk gardens. It's not unusual at all, to see local fishermen enjoying the beauty of the river as they try to get a good catch. I love the colour of the river ... it's so peaceful!

Interesting contrast between the two pedestrian bridges that span over the river:

The Roman Bridge

and...

the contemporary bridge

The traditional housing, mainly with four levels, has big windows and balconies as one can see at the main square, where the archaeological findings are still in place, following the first stage of works for an underground parking. Once, a Roman thermal complex existed there.

After wandering around the town, my legs asked me to have rest for a while. 

At that time of the day, my stomach would never welcome the local specialities: smoked ham, puff pastry with minced meat filling or the special bread-like filled with cubes of pork and sausage.




I know well that some day in the future, I'll drive up again to this old town, where in the quietness I can have a break from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon.

~~ Thank you! ~~

CHERRY FESTIVAL

Lamego, a small city in the central region of Portugal, every year is the stage of a cherry festival that attracts many people from every corner of the country as well as many foreign tourists. I happened to be over there last Sunday. 

White stalls displaying red cherries dominated the scenery, while people giggled and chattered as they were eating the cherries offered by the producers whose faces showed pride of their harvests. You may ask why Lamego and not any Portuguese city. There is a reason: cherry trees, originated from Asia, suit very well the climate and the soil in the region. 

Cherries are sweet and they exhibit a very beautiful hues of red colour. The harvest is not mechanized but by hand, due to the delicate characteristics of the fruit.

I was told that the yield per tree ranges from 30 to 50 kilos (66.13  to 110.3 pounds), while the cherries are marketed in boxes containing 2 kilos (equivalent to 4.42 pounds) of this delicious fruit, at a retail price of €2.0 (equivalent to US$2.6) Other than the fresh fruit, there were cherry liqueur and jam produced by the local farmers. 

Even the fake blackbird could not resist to enjoy a cherry banquet!!!

Of course I bought a box of cherries and I can't help  indulging myself with cherries and cherries that being delicate as they are, don't keep their freshness for a long time. A good excuse to see the box getting empty, quickly.

~~ Thank you for stopping by ~~