In August ...

... Paris completely shuts down. Oh yes, it absolutely empties out, the locals all leave for the south of France, or Spain or Morocco, and it's a LAW that as a French employee you must take two weeks of your annual leave entitlement in August.

What this means for those locals that don't leave, is that the streets of Paris are an absolute joy to walk down, because you don't have to share them with anyone! The traffic moves well, and the place is (relatively) quiet, and smog free and there are park benches bathed in summer warmth available for everyone. What it also means of course is that it is impossible to find anywhere decent to eat, and it's a much longer walk to the local boulangerie because they are ALL closed!

So, what did I do? I took off on adventures as well. First stop Lisbon, Portugal.


Ah, Lisboa!

What a magical view? Marianne had a three-day stopover on her way to Brazil so I decided to join her - I keep making decisions like this ...


Sunshine anyone?

... thankfully, because I'd forgotten how much I miss the sea. Even though I'm a lousy swimmer and not much into fish or other sea creatures, after growing up so close to the ocean I do find it very strange to be living so far away from a coastline (and to have chosen to do so)!


A tram!

And they have trams too! But unlike Melbourne there are hills and staircases everywhere, so the trams are tinier and the routes more circuitous and precipitous!


Fellow traveller

But the passengers are still just on a mission to get from A to B ...


In the Alfama

... past the gorgeous tilework on the walls of all the buildings ...


Basilica da Estrela

... a Basilica or two (note the lovely effect overhead cables have on the image!) ...



Windows

... underneath the brightly coloured walls ...


Laundry

... and past the daily routines on view for everyone. In fact, we discovered that the washing hanging over head provided a refreshing and unexpectedly cool misting as we got lost in the Alfama. Under the unrelenting sun of high summer this was a true delight.


The pavement

Wandering the streets was a joy in this UNESCO World Heritage listed part of town, the pavements are all works of art on their own (but also glossy and slippery which can be hazardous for the unadept, such as myself - let's just say that it's good thing I don't get embarrassed too easily!)


Marianne

Marianne is a little more nimble than me and we just took our time enjoying each new vista ...


Archway to ...

not to mention the ...


Fashionistas!

Oh yeah baby - the eighties are officially BACK!


Street party

I guess these loud colourful clothes can be more easily explained.


Menu du jour

Naturally, there was some foraging to be done ... es necessitar!


Can you tell me where to find ... while I eat this pastry?

And for a foot-weary traveller, who could go past our ...


Cheese extravaganza


Enjoying a spot of tapas

Yes, two lovely ladies find that happy place!

And revive again the following morning with ...


Pasteis de nata

... from the ornate and glorious ...


A Brasileira

But if you aren't in the neighbourhood there's always a new local ...


Inside the pastelaria

Of course it may not be anywhere near as historically significant (!)


Working out the deal

And so the residents of Lisboa will continue to sort it all out, whilst enjoying their lovely ocean views, perhaps taking time to sit back and meet a friend or two at their local ...


Coffee spot

And I'll head back to Paris and continue to the same in my adopted town, while I reminsce over the colour, light, and magic that was my experience in this small corner of the world.


Abrigada Lisboa