the long view

Lisbon recently was chosen as Best Destination by the organization European Consumers Choice http://www.europeanconsumerschoice.org/winners-2010/best-destination-lisboa/. From the website it seems that tourism offices submit their city to be considered, and then volunteer consumers rate each application according to a set of criteria. In my opinion the description they give of Lisbon is pretty naff, at times veering on the far-fetched and romanticised, but maybe those are just parts of Lisbon I haven’t seen – obviously visiting a place is different to living there. However, the review is very accurate about a couple of things: the fabulous light and how Lisbon is a city of views. Sometimes I am walking around, I turn a corner, and a view (especially one of the river Tagus) takes my breath away.

Japão x Portugal 150 anos

2010 marks the 150th anniversary of the Treaty for Peace, Friendship and Commerce, signed between Japan and Portugal. There are a number of things going on to mark the occasion, and this exhibition is the first one I came across.

I had some pictures, but I didn’t like them so I deleted them. The crux of the exhibition were some wonderful paintings by Yuichi Fukuda, an example of which you see on the website. Clean Japanese lines mixed beautifully with more elaborate Portuguese architecture.

a new bookshop opened in Chiado

http://www.assirio.pt/

a lovely flat with a view

Start as you mean to go on

Well, I’m not sure I like this saying much. Or maybe I’m just a firm (and deluded) believer in second (and third, fourth, fifth…) chances. Things will have to change at some point.

I decided to start this blog to relate the interesting things I get up to in Lisbon and Portugal. I suppose they are interesting to me, because I have a perverse pride in Portugal, and especially in Lisbon, I who am so against nationalism. Anyway, I have decided to do this project, and will therefore attempt to see it through.

I moved to Lisbon three weeks ago now, and I have been meaning to start this blog ever since, but I have a tendency to procrastinate, and take on too many things, which all means I end up doing none. But today is the day. The time is now.

Só mais um pouquinho

Coming very soon