LISBON, PORTUGAL 2015

LISBOA, PORTUGAL - AUGUST 16-21, 2015. SWIMMING-WITH-THE-FISHES.

The small apartment on Tv. de Santana, known as Casa Santana (note a), has been a perfect home for 5 days in Lisboa. We are up the hill above the Rossio, and have views from three sides of the apartment. From the front window is Rossio and the surrounding neighborhood, with the Tagus River in the background. From the side windows in the living room and kitchen we see the hill going up to Chiado neighborhood. And from the bedroom, if we lean out, the castle sits on top of the Alfama neighborhood. This is a great location. 

    The apartment, Casa Santana, is in the upper left (there is actually a tiny yellow star marking it). Rossio Metro stop is the blue M.

We travel at an easy pace. Even so, we've seen and done a number of things here that have given us a good sense of Lisbon and the Portugese people. On our list of things accomplished:

- we stormed the ramparts of the castle of St. George (Castelo de Sao Jorge) - well, we walked across the moat and climbed some stairs...

- we rode the famous old Tram 28E - got in line and I calculated by the rate of movement that it would be a 2-hr wait, so we bagged it and walked; however, later that day, we boarded an empty tram 28E, which quickly filled up again, and rode it to the end of the line near home

- we walked the Alfama neighborhood, did some window shopping (didn't buy any windows, but did buy some other items), sat and had a wine/beer, went into a cathedral, watched the scene a lot

- walked down to the river at the big plaza with the arch, had a great lunch at a canned fish restaurant (note b) - no canned laughter was heard

- visited the Museu de Arte Antiga, an art museum, and on Cousin Lenny's advice, spent time in deep relation with a triptych by Heronimous Bosch - I am scarred for life (luckily, that's not a huge long time)

- took a ferry across the river to the town of Cashilas and had a seafood lunch at Farol Restaurant - Sherry had a bowl brimming with lobster and crab parts in the shell, shrimps, mussels, rice, broth; I had a traditional shrimp and rice, that turns out is also mixed with bread by the waiter at the table, so it is like a creamy bread/rice pudding with lots-o-pink crustaceans

- shopped at a large organic grocery store...

- had dinner at the Argentine restaurant (huh?) with one of the owners of the apartment, Jordan, who is a terrific man and with whom we'll stay in touch

- did I mention wine? Vinho verde, tinto, blanco...and the place where we bought some things in the Alfama even gave us a taste of tawny port - excellent

- did I mention sardines? They are everywhere in Lisboa - no, not swimming down the street or in the fountains, but on aprons, towels, t-shirts, wall plaques, etc. - oh, and also on menus, so I had to eat some, of course

- hung out in the apartment reading, on the internet, cooking meals, eating the meals, drinking wine, looking out the windows.

Impressions: At first look, Lisbon is a charming European city with older areas filled with narrow winding streets, buildings with a lot of tile and wrought iron and red tile roofs, beautiful plazas and fountains, and some interesting architecture. One has to keep in mind that a huge earthquake in 1755 destroyed much of the city, so most or all of the building in many areas were built after that. Lisbon is a city of hills. And, yes, you know, I like maps and other graphics: 

     Topo map (thanks Google maps). Lots of hills. Our place is the tiny yellow star just above the flat area going inland from the river (estuary, actually). This visit had a lot of ups and downs! 

Walking around Lisbon is good exercise. We are here in August, so it is hot and filled with tourists - like us. The heavily used tourist places are fairly clean, but once you get into the neighborhoods, there can be litter and graffiti. The streets are paved with cobble stones, and so are the sidewalks. There are many places where the sidewalk cobbles are missing, so you have to keep one eye on the ground ahead (that might hurt...). 

Portugal was once a mighty colonial power that ruled the seas. As a result, there is a high diversity of cultures here representing immigration from Africa, Brazil, India and other places. It seems that there are also recent immigrants from African countries who are trying to escape the poverty and violence of their home countries. It feels good to be in such a mix. 

They say (who the hell are they, anyway?) that Portugal is the least expensive country in Europe. So far we have to agree. I went shopping for groceries and the total was about 12 Euros - maybe $13-14. What? A take-away whole rotisserie chicken with a huge pile of fries and a large mixed salad...less than 15 US dollars. Places that cater to tourists can be more, but even they are not that expensive in comparison. 

OK, want to see photos? Here it is, your link to a Flickr album. 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/95157126@N03/BZJA21

Want to know how to ask for a whole roasted chicken in Portuguese? "Eu quero comprar um frango assado inteiro, por favor." But the guy spoke English, so I didn't need it.  

obrigado, e desfrutar

Notes:

a. Casa Santana is one of several rentals owned and operated by VisitingPortugal.com through VRBO. Homeaway, and their own web site. The attention to detail is notable, from the gift of fruit, bread, cheese, wine and other items already in the kitchen when we arrived, to the wake-up doorbell ring and taxi arrangement we will get tomorrow morning for our departure. Austin and Jordan (transplants from Seattle) made the arrangements and the stay easy and very pleasurable. The intro walk through the neighborhood when we arrived was the best getting-up-to-speed ever. We very highly recommend visitingportugal.com for your visit.  

b. Can the Can is a restaurant by the river that uses canned sardines and tuna to make gourmet meals; and they have other good choices, as well. Truly a delicious meal.  

SUSTAINABLE BARCELONA (can Portland only aspire?)

August 18, 2015. posted by Pablo Pescahombre (Paul)

Barcelona. Read it again and let it trip off your tongue: Barcelona. Nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the hills, Barcelona is a complex and simple place. Filled with tourists in all the tourist areas, Barcelona can sometimes feel too crowded. But stroll on a boulevard such as Sant Joan and you will be enchanted by the beauty and design.

On our second day here, after touring the small Picasso Museum (I really like small museos), I put Sherry and three of the young people into a taxi for the apartment and walked there, with camera and notebook. I made my way to the Arch de Triumph through a business/commercial district. My first view of the arch had a very large rack of public rental bicycles in the foreground, and a large flatbed truck carrying more bikes. People with cameras were recording their moments at the Arch, as I did. People on bicycles rode past, and traffic moved busily along surrounding streets. From the arch to the sea was a park-like walk, and this also extended from the arch in the other direction, actually to our rented apartment.

Walking along a boulevard like Passeig de Sant Joan in Barcelona is an experience. The aware walker quickly understands that the boulevard does not just give a nod to pedestrians, cyclists and trees; rather, it is designed with them at the forefront. These boulevards are wide; I paced across Sant Joan and estimated it to be about 150 ft (about 46 m) across. This width is not mostly dedicated to motor vehicles. Starting at a building and walking across, one encounters: 1) a wide sidewalk, often paved with patterned blocks or concrete; 2) a green space with trees, shrubs, flowers and park benches amid paving of rows of bricks with soil and grass between the rows (storm water infiltration); 3) two traffic lanes, one marked for buses and taxis; 4) in the middle of the boulevard is a raised, curbed cycling path with two lanes and grass strips. From there it is a repeat of 3 - 1, above. The green space sometimes has a playground for children, and some areas have tables with umbrellas and chairs for adjacent cafes. 

Another rather unique feature of Barcelona boulevards is how the intersections are designed. Here is a screen shot from google maps:

The buildings at every corner are designed with a face towards the center of the intersection, resulting in an octagonal pattern. I think this does several things; allows more light into the neighborhood, provides greater visibility for drivers of intersecting traffic, crosswalks are set away from the center of the intersetion resulting in greater safety for pedestrians (more visibility for vehicles making turns), and provides a bit more parking for motorized vehicles, including motorcycles. 

Notice in the photo above where the crosswalks are located. You can also see the bicycle lanes in the middle of the boulevard running from bottom right to top left. And the trees in the green space almost obscure the wide sidewalks. 

Another interesting feature of BArcelona is that there are trash and recycling colletion containers - small dumpsters - located at many intersections. Residents and businesses carry their garbage and recycling to these containers, and the city picks it up. There are different containers, with different color tops, for a large variety of materials.  

How about some photos? OK, here is a link to my Flickr album "Sustainable Barcelona:"  https://www.flickr.com/gp/95157126@N03/B19Lww  

There are a couple of other things illustrated in the photo album. One is that there are numerous small trash receptacles located along the sidewalks. I never saw one of these overflowing; in fact, I often saw a uniformed worker taking away the bags with trash and replacing them with new ones. And they were also sweeping trash off the sidewalks.  

And Barcelona has a system of public bicycles, "bicing," that are everywhere. I saw numerous flat-bed trucks carrying bikes around to be certain there is a minimum number available at every bicing station. I checked online, and you buy an annual pass for 30 Euros (about $33). I was told that you can use a bike for up to 30 minutes before you have to re-rack it somewhere. I saw people on these bikes everywhere I went in the city.

How did Barcelona accomplish these sustainable ideas? The street designs originated in the mid-ninteenth century when the city government decided to tear down the old city walls and expand the city outward. Ildefanso Cerda' was the planner who proposed and started to implement the designs for the city streets and boulevards; he even coined the term "urbanization."  Here is a nice article from The Atlantic Citylab about Barcelona urban design: http://www.citylab.com/design/2012/11/6-ideas-every-city-should-steal-barcelona/3998/

As for the trash and recycling collection and street cleaning, I found an excellent article in the Journal of Urban Affairs that examined how the city government manages these services that are contracted to private companies. It is an interesting read, if this kind of stuff interests you. Here is a take-away couple of sentances: "The city was ready to pay more for a service with improved quality that was environmentally friendly. High-quality standards, sustainability, flexibility, and responsiveness are critical requirements in a complex global city with an important tourist sector."  Here is the link to: Managing Competition in City Services: the Case of Barcelona. (2009 Journal of Urban Affairs) - http://www.ub.edu/graap/JournalofUrbanAffairs.pdf  

OK, so maybe I'm being too wonky about this stuff, but I have to tell you, that as a proud resident of Portland, Oregon, USA, a city often touted by itself and others as one of the most sustainabale cities, I see a lot to envy about Barcelona. Yes, Barcelona is larger than Portland (about 1.6 million residents compared to about 600,000). And Barcelona has the advantage of a progressive urban plan that guided the construction of buildings and streets as the city expanded. But a major difference is leadership and political will to spend money and also to manage city services in ways that reduce monopolization and promote innovation. The City of Portland does not provide services that keep sidewalks clean, and the street sweeping in Portland is ineffective. There are no public trash receptacles along Portland sidewalks. The exception is in the downtown area, where there is a Busines Improvement District (BID - see the article in Journal of Urban Afairs, above) that taxes every business to pay for sidewalk sweeping and trash cans. Portland does not have a public bicycle system, although one was proposed a few years ago.  

So visit Barcelona and experience what a truly well designed urban space can be.

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LOVE PARIS IN THE SUMMER

August 8-9, 2015
by Sherry

Two wonderful days in Paris! Strolling Luxemborg garden, then incredible  dinner at Le Christine, followed by such gorgeous views of the Seine, and iconic visions of this beautiful city. Walking back, every cafe and bistro was vibrant; the sidewalk seating overflowed with laughter, converstion and bottles of wine.

After 4 times in Paris, we at last were able to see the Impressionism exhibit at the Musee D'Orsay (strikes interfered before, quel surprise!). We also saw the Italian Art Deco exhibit. It was interesting because last year at the Guggenheim, NYC, we had seen some of these same  Modernist Italian artists with the bent towards facism. Tonight a concert of Vivaldi and Pachelbel at Chapel St. Chapell. A blissful ending to this time in Paris. But, wait! There's more!

Our last week in Normandy takes us back to Paris for one evening and meal before going home.

PARIS 2015

August 9, 2015. Paris, France
posted by: Paul

First I want to say to people who visit the Musee D' Orsay, and any other art museum: Cheesy Crisps, enough with the smartphone cameras, already!! I mean, do you really need a digital photo of every painting in the building? So many of you were doing this in the impressionist galleries that many times I could only see a painting by looking at your display! Buy the book at the museum bookstore.

And while you are at it, learn a bit about museum etiquette and common courtesy. If I am standing back a bit and studying a large painting, it is mannerly not to step in front of me and block my view. As a test, I stood back a few feet from a nice painting and intently viewed it, with a pondering look on my face so there would be no mistake that I was studying the piece. In a span of about 30 seconds about 6 of you walked or stood in front of me, and I was bumped into 4 times.

OK, got that off my chest.

Ah, Paris! The city of light, love, cheese, wine and tourists. We highly recommend the Hotel Odeon, a small, friendly place in a great location. We have walked around a bit, viewed the sunset from Pont Neuf (bridge), had a very incredible dinner at Le Christine (highly recommended by Mia and Tim - we agree), struggled through the crowds in the impressionist gallery of Musee D' Orsay, and had a much more leisurely viewing of the Italian art deco exhibit. We even took a taxi to Helmut Newcake bakery, which is 100% sans gluten. Tonight a concert of Vivaldi at Chapel St. Chapelle was absolutely marvelous, with soloist violinist David Bracini and a string quintet.

Tomorrow we fly to Barcelona to hook up with the FriedFish, Radmacher and Tewfik families for a week of fun in that great city.

Here is a link to a few photos, for your enjoyment.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/95157126@N03/T6F6Dd

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