PORTUGAL - I Don’t Know What Day It Is :) - MyShadowProductions #194

Olá, I am writing this on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, still in Lisbon. In a few hours I leave by Train to Portimão in southern Portugal.

I am going to list a few things to help me get organized.

I already Posted for Days 1 and 2.

Day 3 Friday Jan 24 went to Cascais and Cabo da Roca

Day 4 Saturday Jan 25 went to Cacilhas and Sesimbra

Day 5 Sunday Jan 26 went to Lisbon Botanical Garden

Day 6 Monday Jan 27 went to Sintra

Day 7 Tuesday Jan 28 went to Sintra and Alzenhas do Mar

Ok, that helps me get settled a little on things I want to Post.

But, I am going to Post Day 7, today’s adventure, out of order because I just can’t wait :) The purpose of the day trip was the fact that for the last couple of days there have been Severe and Moderate Coastal Event Warnings on the Weather.

Alzenhas do Mar is right on the Atlantic and fairly easy to get to by a Train from Lisbon to Sintra and then a Rollercoaster/Bus to Alzenhas do Mar. Kudos to the Bus driver, the streets are barely wide enough for the bus, let alone for oncoming traffic as well :) The scenery along the way was nice as the route goes through the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park and some other rural areas.

The waves were hypnotizing, it was hard to stop the video. Each vantage point I walked to had another perspective and accent on the sheer power of what was happening as far as the eye could see. The forecast said waves would be 12-15 ft high with some over 20 feet. The camera doesn’t show that very well and I didn’t want to get closer :).

The Video is over 19 and a half minutes long, but we are all adults and feel free to fast forward or, heaven forbid, stop it early :) I didn’t add music, I wanted you to be able to hear the wind and the waves. Oh, that is not me coughing in the train :)

CLICK HERE for the VIDEO. Please remember the Video shows best on a laptop or iPad.

Adeus por enquanto !! (Goodbye for now)

PORTUGAL Day 2 More LISBON Jan 23, 2025 - MyShadowProductions #193

Olá again and Obrigado for following along.

Lisbon is big, active, feels safe, fairly clean but worn, too much graffiti, there are a lot of cars both parked and driving, the subway is usually very full and on schedule with very frequent times, buses are well used (most stops a few get off and a few get on), also very prompt. The Navigante card, a magnetic card that cost 50 cents to buy and then you add euros to it at machines in the Metro Stations and “zap/tap” it when going through turnstyles, works on the buses, the Metro Subway trains, the Boat Ferries and I need to check if it works on the Electric Trams/Trolleys. The fees are very reasonable, usually under 2 euros. The fee is subtracted from the card after “zapping” the card when first entering and then on the turnstyle at your last stop.

People in general have been nice, very willing to help if I venture to ask if they speak English, which some do. Portuguese when spoken is not as close to Spanish as I imagined. It seems to have a strong French influence and is more “nasal”? I like to start with hello, thank you and the numbers.

Day 2 was Thursday and I went to Parque Eduardo VII and some little gardens adjacent to it and then to the Jardim da Fundacão Calouste Gulbenkian.

I loved the intentional little reflecting pools. Steel edging and a concrete base about 3 inches deep.

Click Here for a Video created from my photos on that adventure.

After recharging my batteries and the phone’s it was time to walk to the Alfama Bairro (district), one of the few sections of Lisbon that survived the earthquake, making it one of the oldest and most traditional areas of Lisbon.

I have to let the photos tell the story, it would take a lot of time to pinpoint and describe the location of each photo. I saw a lot but I know there is so much more that I missed, but I am trying :) Click here for my Video.

Where do you think these photos are from ??

Maybe the next Post will have the answer :)

BOM DIA !! (Good Day!!)

PORTUGAL Day 1 LISBON Jan 22, 2025 - MyShadowProductions #192

Olá everyone from Lisbon, Portugal.

Yes, I made it, no problems with flights, 2.5 hours from Chicago to Newark, 2 hour layover and 6.5 hours Newark to Lisbon.

At the airport, after immigration and customs, I got some Euros from an ATM, some coffee and then found the Metro station to buy a Navigante card (a “zapping” card) to use at the entrance/exit turnstyles to the Metro (subway) trains.

The Red Line serves the Airport and meanders toward Central Lisbon. I got off at the Alameda Station and transferred to the Green Line for a short ride to the Anjos (means Angels in Portuguese) Station where I found my way upstairs for my first street views in Lisbon.

My hotel was about a 10 minute walk, where I stored my bags in a locker they make available until check in is ready.

The time zone here is +5 hours to Eastern, +6 to Central, etc.

After a short nap I took the Green Line to the Baixa Chiado Station.

I need to go back there and count, but there is a series of at least 4 long escalators/stairs to get “out”. Very impressive really and the construction must have been interesting.

Ok, time to let the pictures do the “talking”.

CLICK HERE for a Video created from my photos on this Day One adventure. I apologize, some of the photos are “blurry”, I don’t know the reason but I will try to figure it out (sometime :).

A few tidbits about Lisbon:

• Lisbon is built on Seven Hills, similar to Rome.
• The 25 de Abril Bridge over the Tagus River is similar to the Golden Gate Bridge in SF.
• The Great Lisbon Earthquake on November 1, 1755 killed an estimated 70,000 people, caused some major tsunamis (in Morroco the tsunami breached 20+ ft high sea walls and in Cádiz, Spain the tides were about 65 feet high). Large areas of Lisbon were destroyed.

I have a correction from my last post, Obregado ends in the long o sound like “doe” not “due” :)

ADEUS POR  AGORA !! (bye for now :)

Upcoming Trip, GENEVA to BATAVIA, Miscellaneous Photos & FROZEN in AURORA - MyShadowProductions #191

Happy January everybody !!

This Title might be the longest yet? I like to give myself a little outline to follow :)

First up, if everything goes as planned, I will board a United Airlines flight on January 21, go to Newark and then to Lisbon, Portugal (arrive on Jan 22). My general Plan is to use Lisbon as a Base for one week and then go south to Portimão (the Algarve area) and use that as a Base for one week. I have never been to Portugal so it should be interesting. Fair Warning, I will take photos and make a “few” Blog Posts :)

Ok, now back to stuff that has already happened, you know, past “adventures”.

“Last Year” on December 23 I took the bus north to Geneva and walked the Trails south to Batavia and then took the bus back to Aurora.

As you will see in the video, the snow had partially/mostly melted but the views were definitely “winterish”.

I saw the area in the photo below that was almost like a living “find the hidden objects” paper :)

I also saw some sumac plants with their unique red colored fronds (they always made cool additions to Christmas wreath decorations). My iPhoto plant identifier said they were “Staghorn Sumac”. This is crazy but my first thought seeing that name I wondered if that would be a cool name for a child? Probably not, right? But, how about a name for a Band? :)

CLICK HERE for a Video created from my photos walking Geneva to Batavia.

Next, I would like to share some random “close up” photos that I have accumulated from Garfield Park Conservatory (GPC). Click this link for the GPC Closeups Video.

Did you notice this photo in the Video?

I will call it Bench 12. There is a row of concrete workbenches at GPC in the hall adjacent to the Greenhouses. They all appear to be assigned to certain Horticulturists and/or certain tasks, but Bench 12 stood out to me. I have to think that there is a “story” about this Bench?? :)

Remember back in Post #29, I tried the “picture is worth a thousand words” thing? Bench 12’s picture put to words would be interesting :)

Now, a few things from “this Year” :) Like the start of most new years, it is Winter, and along with winter comes the weather forecasts, the cold, the snow, the ice, the “it’s a little warmer” days, etc. I like to walk just about every day and if I pay attention there is almost always something interesting (to me at least:) to photograph. The ice and skiffs of snow caught my eye along with a few other random sights and I made a Video called “FROZEN in Aurora”. The Paramount Theatre here in Aurora has been featuring the Broadway Musical version of Frozen for a couple of months.

Click for my Video FROZEN in AURORA :)

Obrigado !! (Thank You in Portuguese)

Pronounced Oh-Bree-Gah-Due

MORTON ARBORETUM and OF THE EARTH EXHIBIT in the SNOW - MyShadowProductions #190

Happy New Year everyone !! 

I want to say THANK YOU to all of you for allowing me to send MyShadowProductions to your inbox, I enjoy the creative freedom :)

Well, as I mentioned at the end of my last Post, it snowed!! It was only 2 to 3 inches but it was ideal in my opinion. The snow was just wet enough to “stick” to the trees and bushes yet was not an issue for the roads. I was able to get to the Morton Arboretum early and take advantage of the Members Only entrance between 7am and 9am. Most times I was following a single path of footsteps and at others my footsteps were the first. I even saw a few Deer tracks (not as many as I expected though).

If you remember in MyShadowProductions Post #182 on 9/4, I was hopeful to get pictures of the “Of The Earth” exhibits in the snow and that day came on December 20, 2024 :) (I know, awkward with the “of the” twice, couldn’t think of a better way to say it :)

I think a new and different Exhibit is coming in April/May so we have that to look forward to :)

CLICK HERE for a Video created from my photos.

Here are some random photos in Aurora during the Snow (sometimes Mother Nature provides all the entertainment along with some lights and man made structures :)

No, I wasn’t trying to imitate the Statue of Liberty, that would have been the other arm :)

  I was trying to make the “peace sign” but had my gloves on :)

I have a new HAIKU poem and collage of photos to start the New Year:

I am going to quote a friend for a big nudge into 2025:

“Full BLOOM Ahead !! 🦚🦚🦚 “