My Great British Adventure

Image by Olga

I am finally back from the UK, where I spent last week - mostly for work. I didn't have much time to explore everything I wanted to in Tiverton, Exeter and London where I was as a part of my trip, but still there is a couple of interesting things to share and come back in memories to :)

Image by Olga

This is Millennium bridge, which links St Paul's Cathedral and Tate Modern, located on the opposite sides of the Thames. The picture looks almost unreal, but I didn't modify it in any way. I was very impressed by Tate Modern - I think it is definitely a must-see in London, and it is totally worth devoting a whole post to!

Image by Google

The pace of life in London is notably very high and I'm not too sure if I would quite enjoy to live that way, still it was an interesting experience although I found myself in too much hurry to find decent places to eat and was using 'faster options' :(..

Image by Olga

I must admit though that I quite liked the Art Nouveau sign of this pizza chain:

Image by Olga

Even with such fast pace environment the city made me stop not once to enjoy some unexpected little things - and here are at least some of them:

Image by Olga

And so my days in London flew by...

Images by Olga

British countryside as always impressed me with its picturesque sights and well trimmed gardens, but again I discovered something I didn't know existed - the beautiful Exe Valley:

Images by Google

I also was quite liked the thatched houses of Tiverton and its surroundings.

Image by Google

P.S. My last day in the UK turned out to be a day of worst luck ever. I missed my plane due to transportation problems in London - seems everything including underground, trains and buses service was against me that day. Then I had a very hard time to find a hotel for the night and after I found what seemed to be the last remaining room in London I couldn't connect my laptop to the internet to buy a new plane ticket. So it is good to be finally home!

Colours of Óbidos

It seems that summer and busy time at work are a really bad combination for blogging :( . And unfortunately it doesn't seem to be getting any better for me... I'm not sleeping much these days. I was in Warsaw this week and the next one I am going to be in the UK - also for work. So today after such a long absence I'm back with some colourful memories of our trip to Portugal. There are so many things to mention about this trip... I just wish I had enough time!

Image by TI

We were lucky to visit a small town called Óbidos. It is located on a hill and is encircled by a fortified wall and has an ancient Moorish castle. The well-preserved medieval look of its streets, squares, walls and its massive castle make the town a very picturesque place to visit. And when visiting, it is compulsory to try the local cherry liquor called ginjinha. But what struck me most about Óbidos was how colourful the place looked. And here is the reason why - the town was literally drowning in flowers! (and I couldn't stop taking pictures)





The colours are so bright, that sometimes it is hard to believe from the distance all these flowers are real. But when you come closer...

Images by TI, Arek, Olga

Portuguese Impressions

I am finally back, trying to find the suitable words to express the incredible experience of visiting Portugal. Portugal definitely is a whole world to discover..!

...We wake up in Ericeira to the sound of the birds welcoming the new day, open the door and see the bright sun's glittering light reflecting in the ocean, which spreads right in front of us.

Image by Arek

Later on when in Lisbon we hit the streets and walk on the patterned cobbles up and down - surrounded by the white, yellow or azulejos covered buildings with their beautiful big windows traditionally painted in white and dark green.

Image by Arek

We smell the old city from every nook and crack but feel that it's also as new as ever... We pass by the girl in the company of her 6 dogs (1 is sleeping in the baby carriage) on our way from a walk in Alfama.

Image by Arek

We visit a bookshop very close to Fernando Pessoa statue, and right in front of it we pass a magic place, one of the oldest and most famous cafes in Lisbon - A Brasileira.

Image by Arek

We get into the car with TI and ZÉ and set off to discover this beautiful world. After many kilometers of castles and vilas we find ourselves in a very old and picturesque town Óbidos.

Image by Arek

We stop at a little local restaurant to ask for grilled bacalhau with some fresh vinho verde and while we wait we amuse ourselves by looking at the town's narrow streets with white walls of houses covered with flowers and at the Medieval Óbidos castle. It is calm, quiet and the beauty is all around us... it seems we went back in history...

Image by Olga

We continue exploring the magnificent history of the country with a trip to Alcobaça, where our friends amaze us with the romantic story of the most famous Portuguese couple Pedro e Inês... and we make a small break to have some coffee. People here say that ever since coffee arrived in this country, it has never changed its flavour. Even if the machines change or the waiters change, the coffee is always good :)

Image by Arek

We walk along the bank of Tejo in Belém and let ourselves be carried away by the river to the ocean, where the surfers take advantage of the waves. Centuries ago, the brave Portuguese sailed off from here in caravels to conquer new territories and discover the whole new world!

Image by Arek

Is it necessary to go to touristic places? I don't think so... Maybe it's better to have a look what artists will bring to the streets today... Will it be a show of clowns, another pavement painting or the street theatre? Or just an old man singing same songs we've just heard at a cafe in Baixa?

The evening approaches, but the night is still young. The world comes together. The old people dance to disco, the young people sing fado and we are experiencing this whole new world with a huge smile on our faces - a sea of emotions and impressions... When it is almost midnight, we walk in through the Rua Augusta Arch just to find ourselves enetering MUDE - fashion and design museum and taking part in an exhibition and a live music party.

Image by Google

With a little help from white sangria

Image by Olga

or Super Bock - all the impressions would end up whirling around and a warm feeling would settle inside us... Here, in this place called Portugal we magically found so much warmness, history, beauty, great food and hospitality...