Solo Shot 10

Photo taken at Wicklow Mountains, Dublin, Ireland with Canon EOS 77D and lens Canon 50mm f/1.8 in July 2018.

Shot no.25

Shot no.25 (Canon EOS M10 with lens Canon EF-M 15-45mm and Canon EF 75-300mm, Huwaei Mate 9)

Photos taken at Palácio da Pena, Sintra, Lisbon District in October 2017.

Quick trip to Lisbon to watch Benfica for the Champions League and on the following day, photo mission for the blog. Palácio da Pena in Sintra was the chosen place. I was meant to wake up at 8.30am and go early, of course that didn't happen! Woke up at about 9.45am, got ready very slowly, had a huge breakfast at the hotel (very slowly again), planned to get the train from Lisbon to Sintra but I was so lazy that I had to call an Uber to pick me up at the hotel door and drop me at the palace entrance. My laziness was probably due to the rain in Lisbon but fortunately, in Sintra, the rain only arrived in the evening.

Sintra is a very beautiful village, very posh, just about 30 minutes driving from Lisbon. Sintra was always a very important town in Portuguese history, from Roman times to modern history,  that town has a castle from medieval times, several palaces, extravagant houses and beautiful gardens. The most important one is Palácio da Pena which was built in 1836 on the top of a mountain at 476m high and surrounded by forest that is part of Parque da Pena. From the start it was the favorite residence of Portuguese Royal Family until the end of monarchy in 1910. It's a beautiful piece of architecture visited by hundreds of thousands of people per year. I should have thought about that better because I don't really like to photograph crowded places and that palace was crowded (that is my excuse for so little photos and in none of them you can see the ground). Inside the palace the light wasn't the best, it was crowded and tripods weren't alowed so there is only one photo in this post from the chapel. The palace is the second highest place in those mountains so you have a great 360º view. Spent the whole afternoon shooting and in the evening (when the clouds started getting heavier) went down town to try Travesseiros de Sintra and Queijadas de Sintra, two typical pastries and they are just delicious!

One day in Sintra is not enough! There is several palaces to visit and the beach is not too far so it's a perfect spot for holidays, not far from the capital but not that busy! Certainly I'll visit it again!

Info:

• Sintra:
• http://www.sintra-portugal.com/index.html
• https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/discovering-sintra
• https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g189164-Activities-Sintra_Sintra_Municipality_Lisbon_District_Central_Portugal.html
• http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/
• Palácio da Pena:
• http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/parks-and-monuments/park-and-national-palace-of-pena/description/
• Castelo dos Mouros:
• http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/parks-and-monuments/moorish-castle/
• About the sweets:
• http://piriquita.pt/?lang=en
• https://www.lisbonshopping.pt/en/points-of-interest/queijadas-da-sapa/queijadas-da-sapa/

Shot no. 18

Shot no. 18 (Fujifilm Finepix SP8200, Canon EOS M10, Huawei Mate 9)

Photos taken at Lisbon City, Lisbon District, Portugal in August 2017.

Lisbon, the city that I love to visit but I keep saying that I would hate to live in. The traffic kills me and driving is one of the things that gives me most pleasure.

For me, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, perfect for photographers. At each corner, one good shot between a modern city, old fashioned buildings and medieval buildings.

Normally my visits are always very quick, just a layover between Dublin and my hometown in Portugal but every now and again I'll spend the night in Lisbon and walk around the city.

This time I stayed for a day and a half, part of that day was spent on the beach (of course, my vital environment!!!). Still managed to walk around downtown (Baixa, Praça do Comércio and Rossio) and Parque das Nações for some photos, didn't have much time but got a few good shots. Visited the Arco da Rua Augusta (3rd photo from the top) and took some nice photos from the top. Also, wanted to visit Elevador de Santa Justa but about 11am on Saturday morning the queue was too big. It's an excellent spot to watch the city from a higher perspective but if you want to visit it go as early as you can... like everything else in Lisbon.

My suggestion for staying is Ibis Hotel Parque das Nações. A modern three star hotel with continental breakfast very well located, close to airport, train, metro, shopping centre and many places to eat!

Probably will never live in Lisbon but I will always return for a visit! 

Info:

• About Lisbon: 
• https://www.visitlisboa.com/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon
• Parque das Nações: https://www.visitlisboa.com/lisbon/lisbon-region/parque-das-nacoes
• About Arco da Rua Augusta:
• https://www.visitlisboa.com/see-do/sightseeing-activities/museums-monuments/arco-da-rua-augusta
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rua_Augusta_Arch
• Elevador de Santa Justa: http://lisbon-portugal-guide.com/Baixa-Lisbon/Elevador-Santa-Justa-Lisbon-elevator-lift-guide.html
• Hotel Ibis Parque da Nações: https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-8501-ibis-lisboa-parque-das-nacoes/index.shtml

Shot no.6

Shot no.6 (Olympus SP820)

Photo taken at Dame Street, Dublin, Co. Dublin (IRL) in September 2013.

Let me have the pleasure of introducing you to the one of my favourite Dublin streets... Dame Street, tcharaam! Ok, the traffic is mad, extremely busy day and night but so what? Each way leads you to two of Dublin's most beautiful buildings, Trinity College and Christ Church Cathedral (is not located on Dame Street but is very close), on both sides you can see beautiful buildings from the 19th century, you can enjoy a gig in the Olympia Theatre and then go for drinks and live music at the Mercantile or in Temple Bar where you have a huge range of pubs to entertain you. If you are up for a more quiet plan you can visit (besides Trinity College and Christ Church Cathedral) the Dublin Castle or the Irish Whiskey Museum (located in the junction with Grafton Street) and then have a meal in the best brazilian restaurant, the "Taste of Brazil". After all this, if you have some spare time (and money!), you can walk south of Trinity College, towards Grafton Street and go for some shopping!

Well, I could keep going and tell you more things to do on Dame Street but...maybe another day! This post was just meant to explain why Dame Street is my favourite Dublin street, I hope I did the job!

Info:

• Dame Street:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dame_Street
• Trinity College: https://www.tcd.ie/
• Christ Church Cathedral: http://christchurchcathedral.ie
• Olympia Theatre: http://www.olympia.ie/
• The Mercantile: http://www.dublintown.ie/business/the-mercantile/
• Temple Bar: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/ireland/articles/the-best-bars-and-pubs-in-temple-bar-dublin/
• Dublin Castle: http://www.dublincastle.ie/
• Irish Whiskey Museum: http://www.irishwhiskeymuseum.ie/
• Taste of Brazil: http://tasteofbrazilireland.weebly.com
• Taste of Brazil- TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.pt/Restaurant_Review-g186605-d2419134-Reviews-Taste_of_Brazil_Cozinha_Brasileira-Dublin_County_Dublin.html
• Taste of Brazil - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TasteOfBrazil