Tag: Murals

~ Lisbon to Faro – Exploring Faro Old Town ~

We set off for Faro today to meet up with my sister-in-law and nephew. It was an early start and only a brief promised stop at a service station on the way! At least there would be coffee. The drive from Lisbon Airport to Faro Old Town takes approximately 2 hours 40 minutes. It maybe less with a certain driver. The journey is mostly inland so no nice coastal shots.

Crossing over the Vasco da Gama Bridge I was able to take a few photos, when my brother slowed down!

The bridge spans the Tagus River and is 17.2 kilometers long. It was until a few years ago the longest bridge in Europe. That title now belongs to the Crimean Bridge in Russia. It is a spectacular drive over with excellent road surfaces.

Stopping briefly for a much needed coffee at a service station, we huddled together under the smallest umbrella. The rain seemed to be chasing us from Lisbon.

We arrived in Faro around lunchtime in the middle of a storm. With the roads flooding and trees crashing down in the car park, we sat in the car and waited it out.

Sometime later after picking up Colleen and Greg we headed into Faro Old Town for lunch and a wander.

Arch of Rest

The Old Town features beautiful cobble stone alleyways and lanes. Murals adorn many of the walls and other walls are brightly painted.

We found the perfect spot for lunch, when I asked for the wine list the owner said there is none. He had over 2,500 bottles on display and told me just to describe the type of wine I was after. A tricky one, as who knew there were so many varieties of Alborinho.

by Opus

After lunch we headed over to Faro Cathedral. By this time the weather had cleared and the sun was shining brightly.

There is no fee to enter and look around which was a welcome surprise. It made me wonder how this place is kept looking so nice, inside and out.

The ornate ceilings inside the chapel. Decorated with blue and yellow painted tiles. The “ribs” of the ceiling are carved masonry.

Deciding to go up to the roof, we climbed some very uneven steep stairs.
Below is a photo looking through the open window to the sea beyond.

Image gallery image
Image gallery image

Up on top, raincoat back on as the sun has disappeared once again.

Stunning views over the tiled rooftops of Faro

Steady but slow wins the race

The Chapel of Bones and the Bell Tower

The Chapel of Bones is so called because it is lined with skulls and bones of ordinary people. Gruesome indeed, imagining working and handling these.

The Famalam

~ A Medley of Murals in Melbourne ~

During our week in Melbourne we saw many new murals. I managed to find a few without too much graffiti drawn on them. It seems to be a thing now that all murals are being defaced with graffiti.

It’s great to walk around the different neighbourhoods in Melbourne and find street art. You can often miss various artworks if you’re walking on the wrong side or not looking up. These murals really brighten up the drab walls and sides of the buildings.

Prahran

Prahran

Prahran

Prahan

Chapel Street
Duke Street, Windsor
Chapel Street

“The Phlegm Robot”
By Phlegm a British street artist. A five story tall robot depicting a small village inside his head. The light on the building has been incorporated to show the beating heart.

My favourite is the one with the dogs. Although the most interesting is the last one, so intricate. Also the only one with any information about it.

~ Three for one – Monochrome Madness ~

This week the theme is about cropping one photo three ways. I was surprised by how different the original could look. It took me a while to get this they way I wanted, hence just the one photo! Thanks Leanne for an interesting challenge.

The original photo which I’ve converted to a monochrome filter.

A mural by Australian street artist – Matt Adnate. Maybe the tallest mural in the Southern Hemisphere.

A young Noongar man holding a bunch of eucalyptus leaves.

A Middle Eastern Woman

A young Burmese Girl

My favourite is the Middle Eastern Woman. By cropping this image it enhances the smaller details, such as her scarf.

~ Taking it Easy – Perth, February 2025 ~

The Summer school holidays finally came to an end here in Perth. Master Lachie would be starting year 2 and Miss Rosie would be entering kindergarten. Time for new shoes. I took both munchkins to our local shopping centre to have their feet measured up for new shoes. Everything is so sophisticated these days, and feet are measured electronically. Back in the day your foot was put into a wooden contraption with a slide bar.

Rosie was going two and three days a week, so I can still have my days with her.

Larger than life Sylvanian Rabbit

Out shopping for her favourite toys.

We had some extensive tree cutting and bush pruning performed by professionals. Although my dear hubby said he would do it all – eventually – it’s the removal of all the debris that is a problem. Now I have an empty flower bed to replant, which I’ll be getting advice about.

I’m looking forward to discussing ideas with a lady I found locally.

The weather is turning slightly cooler in the mornings and evenings which is a relief. I’ve been able to sit out in the mornings with my coffee. This little guy has been visiting every morning and having a morning feed. Luckily Zac and Rufus didn’t notice.

Hubby and I had a lovely lunch in Fremantle last week. We tried a place that was new to us but I’d heard good reviews. It was such a beautiful day, we managed to get a table outside.

A couple of sculptures caught my eye. The dog is so cute.

Say hello to Dwert (noongar for dingo). Created by sculptor – Martin Jaine.

The above is a life size sculpture of a memorial to the migrant children. Between 1947 and 1953 over 3,000 children (many unaccompanied) from UK and Malta migrated to Western Australia. They went to voluntary and religious organisations. Many of these children we now know were little more than unpaid workers. They suffered untold abuse which has only come to light in the last ten years or so. The children were told they were orphans. Some of them were. Others had mothers who, due to extreme hardship, had no choice but to let them go.

We stopped at a local delicatessen to pick up some goodies and this exotic lady was posing in the middle of the shop.

Please don’t touch. I am very fragile. My name is Caffe’tina. I was made in 12 days. Arrived 8th January 2023. Multicycling in Brazil.
Coffee beans used on me __ kilo ___ grams.

I thought this was so clever and must have taken ages to put together. I wonder what the answers were?

Well that’s February done and dusted already. Have a lovely March everyone.

I’m joining in with a few challenges.
The Changing Season hosted by Brian and Ju-Lyn
and also Dan’s CFFC – Blue and…
PPAC by Natalie

~ Exploring Macau – A Visit to Taipa ~

After flying from Bangkok to Hong Kong, we immediately took the bus over the new HKZM Bridge. This is something Anthony has wanted to do for a while. Normally we would take the ferry, but after researching how to buy tickets, this was such an easy way to travel. There is no need to pick up your luggage as this is arranged for you. All we needed to do was follow the signs at the airport. Everything went smoothly and the bus ride was very comfortable. Our hotel was just a short taxi ride away.

HKZM Bridge (Hong Kong – Zuhai – Macau – Bridge) s a 55-kilometre (34 mi) bridge–tunnel system consisting of a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel, and four artificial islands. It is both the longest sea crossing and the longest open-sea fixed link in the world. The cost of construction was US$18 billion and is meant to last 120 years. Source: Wikipedia.

We were staying at Crowne Plaza, Macau. Possibly one of the few hotels without a casino! Our room was on the 21st floor and we had amazing views over the sea and looking towards China. Although there was massive construction going on below for more reclaimed land.

  • HKZM Bridge
  • Zuhai Hotels

Macau is a special administrative region of China. It is the most densely populated region in the World with a total of 710,000 people. It consists of three regions, Macau Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane. These three regions are connected by road bridges. There has been so much land reclamation over the last century that Macau has tripled its land size.

One of the places I wanted to revisit was the old Taipa houses. The last time we visited they were not open to the public. These houses were built in 1921 to house the wealthy Portuguese families.

Taipa

There is still a wonderful Mediterranean feel about Macau. With cobbled stone streets, louvered windows and street signs in Portuguese, you could imagine you were in Portugal. Being very near Christmas, there were hundreds of poinsettias lining the stairs and walls.

Old Taipa Houses

We only went into one house, all houses were free to enter. To have indoor plumbing on this tiny island would have been a blessing indeed!

When they were first built, there would have been a view over the sea. Since the land reclamation, there is now a wetland.

It was past lunchtime by now so we headed back to the main streets and found a cute Portuguese restaurant.

This was actually on the ceiling of the restaurant. I thought it must have been hard on the artist’s arms to paint this.

Our delicious lunch.

  • Cod Bacalhau
  • Grilled Sardines
  • Grilled Octopus
  • Empanadas

I hope you enjoyed visiting Taipa with me, next up I will be posting about Macau’s famous casinos.

I’m joining Jo on her Monday Walks also!

~ Postcard from Perth – 12-18 Feb 2024 ~

This February has been one of the hottest here in WA for decades, so I decided to get myself off to the beach most days. The sea is always chilly to start but you slowly get used to it, or maybe you just go a bit numb! Most days have been between 37 and 43! Everybody has the same idea so before 9am or earlier is the best time. The water has been like a mill pond and absolutely wonderful to swim, or water walk.

The Groyne, Cottesloe Beach

It’s also school swimming month and the sea fills up pretty quickly with small bodies. My own swimming lessons were a far cry from this, and if you are English and reading this you will know what I mean. Having to get on a bus for a 30 minute ride, changing in a communal room and those funny wooden pallets all over the floor. The overwhelming smell of chlorine still to this day brings back memories.

I met two of my friends on some of the days and after we treated ourselves to breakfast.

The famous stone elephants outside Indiana Tea Rooms
Anglers on the rocks

I’ve been lucky enough this week to have dinner out twice, once for a friend’s birthday and another night to our favourite restaurant.

Taken outside the restaurant

These three are my wonderful group of friends, I can always rely on one, two or three to join me in most outings. So very blessed to have them in my life.

La Pizza is like a Woman,
you have to look after her, tend to her, check on her…

I saw this in the restaurant the other night as I watched the chef lovingly shape and pat the pizza dough.

On Saturday Elena and the munchkins came for a sleepover which Anthony and I always love. After fun and games in the pool we came in and played more games. At 3 and 5 it’s great to be able to play a proper game like memory.

Today – Sunday – we went to the beach again. I think all of Perth had the same idea. We spent around 45 minutes driving along the coastline to look for a carpark. The rangers were out in force and I saw many cars already had tickets for parking illegally. Finally we spotted one at the “dog beach”. We parked and walked down to the beach. I don’t think I’ve seen so many dogs jumping in and out of the water.

The container port at Fremantle in the background
A long climb back up

I’m very fortunate that I live so close to some fabulous beaches and have changed my habits a little by getting up earlier to avoid the extreme heat later.

Well that’s my week over and done with, the next week is going to be much the same weather wise, hopefully I can get down to the beach on a few days.

Posted also for Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share and Sue’s Weekend Traffic Jam

~ Postcard from Perth ~ 28 October 2023

The last week here in Perth has been pretty busy for me and last weekend I was out and about in the hills of Perth. On Saturday I went on an art trail with a friend. In the hills and surrounding areas there are many small galleries, featuring all kinds of crafts, artwork and sculptures. There was an open day so we took the chance to have a glimpse at the work. It was also a great way to see some of the countryside. The weather has been fantastic, but I haven’t put away all my winter gear just yet as it is still very cool in the evenings.

The view from one of the galleries

Some of the artwork in the gardens

Rose Arch
The Secret – Vita Markovic
Rusted ironwork bandicoot

We saw some beautiful houses, all very different, I couldn’t live up there though with the danger of bush fires throughout the summer.

On Sunday we had our winery date and once again drove out into the countryside, this time to the Wheatbelt region. About an hour and 15 minutes drive from our house. I had booked lunch at Stringy Bark Winery. In the middle of the state forest (luckily we didn’t get lost this time actually in the forest itself as we did the week before!).

Stringy Bark Winery

It doesn’t look much more than a shack but nice and cosy inside and a good menu too.

Wine tasting bar
Table for four
Chicken liver pate with cranberry relish

This was absolutely delicious which I had with a glass ..or two.. of their Verdehlo.

A bottle of their Cabernet Savignon to take home

🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫 🟫

Monday I drove over to Elena’s and had lunch with her and Rosie in a cafe on the river. I saw some amazing murals on the toilet block. Better than having them look like a concrete grey block. My feature photo is looking across the river.

“Moments in Time” Art Project

Beautiful mosaic decorated box

Sculpture on the riverbank
Rest, Relax and enjoy the view

The parks and reserves on the river banks in Perth are great places to visit. There are always bbq facilities, picnic areas and of course intricately designed playgrounds for kids. There are also purpose built playground equipment for wheelchairs. A day out doesn’t have to be expensive, who doesn’t love a picnic.

Linking to Pull up a Seat and Weekend Coffee Share/PPAC

~ Melbourne Moments – July 2023 ~

After getting over our initial disappointment with the accommodation and realising we had to stay or spend more to move, we got on with enjoying Melbourne. There were lunches and dinners, mixing it up sometimes about who went out with whom, but mostly having fun family moments.

One thing I enjoy about Melbourne is the fantastic murals and artwork and the fabulous sculptures on display.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder“

These two paintings were next to the beautiful eye mural, so I looked up “My Dog Sighs” and realised that is the name of the painter. Click the link to find out more about this wonderful painter, who gave away his work free for ten years, but is now a world-wide renowned painter.

I had to cross the road to get the full impact of this mural, absolutely stunning.

Found in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Victoria

Quirky paintings on meter boxes

St Kilda, Victoria

There were many of these steel sculptures along the Yarra River, they look brilliant when lit up at night.

Walking around Melbourne and its suburbs is like being in a gigantic art museum, but outside. I much prefer looking at art outside than in a museum.

Views of the Yarra River

Lunchtime tipples

Below are five carved-wooden figureheads representing a dragon, woman, bird and man and lion.

They are placed where the river created a natural widening for the boats in the 19th century to turn around after unloading their wares.

Constellation Sculptures by Geoffrey Bartlett and Bruce Armstrong
Enterprize Landing

We finished our five day trip with a drive to a winery in Werribee, called Shadowfax. There wasn’t a table available inside so we made do with outside and a heater. This was good news for the munchkins as they had the run of the garden and we could see them from our table. The food was delicious and the wine was flowing.

Shadowfax Winery
“if only!”

Thanks for coming along for the trip to Melbourne with us!

Bright Lights and City Sights

I’m linking up this post with Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share and Public Art Challenge.

We arrived back in Perth very early Thursday morning, around 1 am and I’ve been busy ever since. Especially today as it’s Munchkin Monday and have been run ragged by my two adorable grandchildren. The plan was to see Santa and choose a Christmas decoration each. They both declined the visit to Santa, Rosie being particularly scared and anxious, she is only two. Anyway I didn’t push it and we just stood and had a look at the scene before us. We had a pitstop in a cafe, coffee for me and smartie cookies for them. Back to the house for some Christmas baking, more cookies and then chocolate cake for hubby’s birthday. A huge sugar hit today, hope they sleep okay!

Below are some photos of Hong Kong at night.

Let City Lights guide you home

One thing for sure about Hong Kong, it really knows how to dress up at night, Christmas especially. Walking around the city that never sleeps there’s always something to catch your eye. Brightly lit skyscrapers, shop windows and side streets.

Tram riding at night

  • Cobbled Lane
  • Christmas Disco Ball
  • It’s a holly jolly Christmas
  • French style mural

Oohing and aahing at every corner!

John “Rudolph” Travolta

Even the trams get a sprucing up, just captured this as it trundled by in a blur!

This is just because! I turned around walking through this shopping centre at night and just liked the clean lines and the diagonal pattern it made.

Just like to say thanks to Natalie for taking on the PPAC challenge after Marsha, something I’ve always enjoyed. This is also my first time for Weekend Coffee Share, although I’m a day late.

Australian Country Towns – Capel, Western Australia

I’ve noticed on the last few occasions travelling through these small country towns that the Councils have been doing their best to spruce them up and bring them back to life. The efforts have been so worthwhile making these small towns worth a stop or even a night’s stay.

We recently stopped at Capel for a coffee break on our way back from Dunsborough and we had a lovely walk up and down the high street, reading signs, looking at murals and enjoying a coffee in a quirky cafe.

The Capel area was originally inhabited by the Wardandi Noongar people. It was then established as a town in 1897. Historically Capel was a farming area, mostly dairy and beef. Nowadays it is very popular for hobby farms, including alpacas.

There was a real sense of community in this small town with lots going on and there was not a leaf out of place.

Capel Library

Once upon a time in a town called Capel,
I looked through the branches and guest what I saw,
Hidden deep in the Tuart Forest there was a Eucalyptus
Under the bridge by the river there lived a …pultenaea skinneri (Skinner’s Pea)

A place to sit and while away a few moments and taking a rest from toiling in the fields

We didn’t dare venture inside, imagining a butcher with a meat cleaver dripping in blood and a rifle under his arm.

Artist – Erin Rafferty

Stepping back in time!

Mosaic Mural with phrases from the local primary school children

St. John’s Chapel, Higgins Bell Tower and Church Door

Mother Horse and Foal sculptures outside the vets

I imagine this event would be well attended and everyone knowing each other. It would be like one big party, such fun.

Well that’s all folks and I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk along Capel High Street with me. There was so much more to see but not enough time. I will definitely be stopping here again.

I’m linking this post to PPAC hosted by Marsha and Jo’s Monday Walk.