• About
  • Who’s Who
  • Contributors

The Write Side of 59

~ This is What Happens When You Begin to Age Out of Middle Age

The Write Side of 59

Tag Archives: Portugal

Doors

04 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by WS50 in Art, Photography, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

doors, Portugal, Tunis

Heavy-duty door.

Heavy-duty door.

BY JULIE SEYLER

In May, 2001, 3 months prior to 9/11, I went to Tunisia for 5 days with a friend. We walked through the souks of Tunis and drove about finding the remnants of the Roman Empire at Dougga. We stayed in a lovely beachside hotel in Sidi Bou Said and toured the Bardo Museum in Carthage. We discussed the anger in the streets. It was not a violent anger- it was a percolating rage fueled by perpetual unemployment and lack of opportunity. I was lucky to visit when I did- Tunisia is a beautiful country with much culture, but its personal gift to me was that I became aware of doors.

From my photo album on Tunisia.

From my photo album on Tunisia.

The guide books pointed out that the doors in Tunisia were unique because of their massiveness, decorativeness and significance of separating the private domestic space from the world outside. So now wherever I travel I remain hyper-attuned to doors, to their size, their locks, their doorhandles, their mail box slots and whatever else catches my eye. It is never perfection, but the texture, shape, form, design and mystery behind these entryways that enchant me.

So as we walk through the door to 2016, let’s be hopeful it opens into a new and safe space.

Stairwell door

Stairwell door

Hand knocker.

Hand knocker.

Little Door

Little Door

Window doors

Window doors

Detail of door.

Detail of door.

 

Door mail slot

Door mail slot

Lisbon train station doors

Lisbon train station doors

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

A Honeymoon in Portugal, Birthday Included

03 Saturday Oct 2015

Posted by WS50 in Travel

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Coimbra, Conimbriga, Porto, Portugal, Viana do Castelo

Fatima. A woman makes a pilgrimage.

Fatima. A woman makes a pilgrimage.

BY JULIE SEYLER

Steve and I arrived in Portugal on Friday September 25 for a delayed honeymoon. Our first night we stayed in the Palacio Hotel do Bucaco, set in a fairy tale forest known as the Mata National Park. The hotel is a gingerbread confection, a little seedy at the edges, but so extreme and over the top, the peeling paint was insignificant. The ceilings were 20 feet high, a life-sized sculpture of a lute-player sat on the fireplace mantle, and the 18th century chairs were carved with the most detailed renderings of the Hindu god Ganesha. The gardens were bucolic and the trails easy to explore, where I found not Swan Lake, but a little carp filled pond inhabited by two graceful swans.

Busaco Palace. Mata National Park. 9.25.15

Busaco Palace. Mata National Park. 9.25.15.

The next day we drove to Conimbriga for a stroll through Roman ruins — the best on the Iberian Peninsula. There were some great mosaics and the remnants of ancient baths, but it did take some imagination to visualize the city that thrived about 2000 years ago.

Mosaic floor from Conimbriga. Circa 2nd c.

Mosaic floor from Conimbriga. Circa 2nd c.

Having gotten our fill of the days of Augustus, we headed into Coimbra — renowned for its university and its bibliotheca.  It contains over 300,000 ancient books. We also ate sardines because one does not come to Portugal without eating sardines. No mayo required.

Sardines in Coimbra.

Sardines in Coimbra.

We then drove up to Viana do Castelo for the purpose of going to a beach. The beach excursion was tanked due to illogical planning, and so we focused on the view and meandered through the port and the old town.

Sunrise view from the pousada in Viana do Castelo.

Sunrise view from the pousada in Viana do Castelo.

Time for Porto, but since port is way too sweet to drink as a cocktail, we did not do much port tasting. The old city is vibrant and hectic and loaded with things to see. Amidst the sardines and octopus, we saw the Church of Saint Francis, baroque, ornate, dazzling, the Se, the art galleries and the gardens and basically absorbed the feeling of the city. It’s fantastic to take in the old houses, adorned with faded ceramic tiles, even if some of them are a bit run down.

Then I turned 60!

Tasting Moscatel in Favaios on our way to the Alto Douro

Tasting Moscatel in Favaios on our way to the Alto Douro.

We celebrated me all day!

image

The GPS was set for Casal de Loivois, a village of three lanes, set amidst a landscape of terraced vineyards high above the Rio Douro in the Alto Douro.

Boat ride up the Rio Douro.

Boat ride up the Rio Douro.

View from terrace of hotel in Casal de Loivois in the Alto Douro

View from terrace of hotel in Casal de Loivois.

We left the Alto Douro on Saturday and stopped at the hilltop village of Monsanto (NO relation to the chemical company) to eat lunch and climb the ruins of the old castle.

image

We are now spending a few nights in the hilltop fortress village of Marvao with roots dating back to the Roman era and a fortified castle wall from about 1200 that’s still climbable. The town, which has the narrowest of cobbled streets, is hosting a festival very reminiscent of a New York City street fair — vendors of hand-made jewelry, roast pork sandwiches, and throngs of people.  Albeit there’s also music and dance. It made driving in a bit nutty as we dodged the pedestrians that shared the street. And the rains are about to come. In fact they arrived with gusto. So here’s to spending a few days of vacation in a downpour. Bring on the vinho verde and a game of chess.

Cloudy morning in Marvao

Cloudy morning in Marvao.

And one last vacation thought — here’s to all the sleeping cats in Portugal and New York City and those who care for them when their owners are in absentia! Obrigada!

Sleeping NYC kitty

Sleeping New York City kitty.

Sleeping cat in Portugal

Sleeping cat in Portugal.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 294 other followers

Twitter Updates

  • @lisamurkowski PLEASE PLEASE commit to NOT voting for her on the Senate floor. 5 years ago
  • Diane Feinstein "How could we possibly conclude that [Sessions] will be independent?” nyti.ms/2jReX6q 5 years ago
  • Check out these beautiful earring trees at etsy.com/shop/TheNestin… https://t.co/QZMGsBu4MU 6 years ago
  • It's the little things that keep the wrecking ball at bay. thewritesideof50.com/2014/11/17/the… 7 years ago
  • Nothing like a soulful pair of eyes. Check out thewritesideof50.com 8 years ago

Recent Posts

  • The Saturday Blog: Rooftops India
  • The Saturday Blog: The Heavy Duty Door
  • Marisa Merz at the Met Breuer
  • The Sunday Blog: Center Stage
  • The Saturday Blog: Courtyard, Pondicherry, India.

Archives

  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012

Categories

  • Art
  • Concepts
  • Confessional
  • Earrings; Sale
  • Entertainment
  • Film Noir
  • Food
  • Memoriam
  • Men
  • Movies
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Photography
  • politics
  • September 11
  • Travel
  • Words

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

The Write Side of 50

The Write Side of 50

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 294 other followers

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • The Write Side of 59
    • Join 294 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Write Side of 59
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: