I ASKED A WATER-LILY TO BE MY MESSENGER TO YOU

June is about to end within few hours from now and July will be showing up with its warmth, blue sky and a special fragrance in the air. Intentionally, I chose the above photo of a water-lily, I took last week when I paid a visit to Sintra, a very romantic town near Lisbon. I don't know the name of the insect that was having rest on one of the petals but it seemed that he was feeling not only pleased but also relaxed as he laid on such a velveteen-like 'mattress'. This makes sense, considering that water-lilies symbolize pleasure and peace.
The first image that will come to mind when we talk about these floating flowers is the elegance of the bloom. I'm sure you know well that all ancient cultures around the world have associated the white lilies with gods and spirituality, which explains why the bloom became associated with Buddha himself. Mind you, the lotus position commonly used for meditation!

I wish you a pleasurable July filled with peace of mind along with an excellent physical condition.

Thank you!

'YOU ARE EVER IN OUR HEARTS, MY DEARS'

Char Minar, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The Russian rehabilitation of the chimney-tall minarets and its mosques made me wander in fascination.

A Shadow of The Silk Road, nicely crafted by the British travel writer and novelist Colin Thubron, was another interesting book that gave me a very pleasurable reading. The author trudges from the Chinese tomb of the Yellow Emperor, in the Chinese Xian, to southern Turkey, more precisely the Mediterranean port of Antakya (known as Antioch in ancient times), in search of the lost hope of struggling with transition.

In this epic journey through China and Central Asia, the literary travelogue, with elements of history, anthropology, personal experience and quest, I found a lot of information about places where I have already been and others that have been in my bucket list for a long time, already.

Bukhara (the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia), the Holy and Noble, still burgeons with crafts and merchandise: rugs, silks, furs are sold everywhere, even in old madrassas (educational institutions). 

Today, I end this post by mentioning an 'intriguing'  reference made by Thubron about an inscription he saw at a memorial park for the II World War, near Samarkand.  Roughly translated into English, it would be: 'You are ever in our hearts, my dears.'

Do you think this might relate to the arrival and expansion of American goods, such as Nike or McDonald's, in Islamic lands??? I would like to hear your comments about it.

Meanwhile, I wish you all, a wonderful weekend!

A GOOD COMPANION TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

One of the books about history and travels that I have recently read was titled "The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean" by Professor David Abulafia who considers Dubrovnik as one of the most important trading ports in the 16th century. Its merchants possessed what was probably the largest merchant fleet. The secret of their success was that they were neutral, paying tribute to the Ottoman sultan in return for his protection. Furthermore, Dubrovnik was a Roman Catholic city, whose inhabitants called it 'Ragusa'. The Ragusans were great specialists in trading woollen cloths manufactured from Balkan wool. 

I love Dubrovnik that still preserves that charming architecture from the Italian Renaissance and sooner than I had ever expected I will be strolling once again those city walls.

        Enjoy every day of the week

TRAVELLERS' WRITINGS - A PRECIOUS HERITAGE

European travellers left us with fabulous descriptive writings over many centuries. "Persia through writers´eyes" is a selection of writings about history and customs of the Persians during three thousand years. I think I could say that one of my favourites is the description of Shah Abbas´s capital of Isfahan by the end of the XVI century.

Isfahan was "most pleasant, elegant as to building, populous for inhabitants, rich in trade and noble by being the usual residence of the court".

 Have an enjoyable weekend! 

 Thank you!

I DO IT VERY OFTEN!

Azenhas do Mar is a quaint little town, perched high on a cliff, with its characteristic white houses scattered for centuries here and there by very old narrow streets designed not for cars but donkeys and people, instead. 

When we walk throughout the village we have the illusion Time has stopped over there like a memory of life struggling either by fishing or farming. In those ancient times, house construction on the cliffs was authorized.

This village, not far from Lisbon, boasts a very peculiar natural light that changes permanently during the day, during the seasons.

Azenhas do Mar is the kind of landscape that teaches her beauty with a cliff until you get closer to a point you have to stop, get out of the car and admire the view. I do it very often!

Thank you!

I MISS ROME, I MISS HOT WEATHER!

When I think of hot weather, Rome in summer comes to my mind. It was extremely hot that walking outdoors was only pleasurable either early in the morning or in the evening. It was precisely early in the morning as I strolled through the Navona Square that I took the above photo of the Fountain of the Four Rivers that collectively represent four major rivers of the four continents: the Nile, the Danube, the Ganges and the Rio de la Plata for Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas, respectively.

Fortunately, Rome has so many ice-cream shops at which we can get our palates refreshed.

I miss Rome, I miss hot weather!

Thank you!

A NICE RAINY ARTY DAY!

The weather has been very weird all over Portugal this winter and, today, worse than ever: very strong wind and heavy rain pouring almost all the day long. A good day to paint...

I have been wishing for warm breezes, sunshine and naturally 'flowers' of every colour and shape. So,  I started with brush strokes of greens followed by red, blue and yellows. For a while, I had the illusion the colourful flowers were all blooming before my eyes. I completely forgot the bad weather outdoors. 

Fine weather is not only related to colourful flowers but also to meals taken in the open air. Long hours of conversation with friends as we enjoy a good wine and different varieties of home-baked bread. How I'm missing all these and much more!

Painting helped me to dispel gloom...

Thank you!