Emanuel Melo torontonian azorean writer

Can you spot me among the treasures of this shop?

Feira da Ladra, Lisbon’s famous flea market, open on Tuesdays and Saturdays in Campo de Santa Clara, is always worth exploring. You never know what treasures you will find there, everything from old azulejos to records, prints, books, toys, and general bric-a-brac.

Since I was staying near the feira grounds, in the Bairro da Graça, I was able to get there early in the day before the crowds arrived. One of my lasting memories of walking around and visiting each booth was listening to Amália’s voice filling the air with a song called “Quando se gosta de alguém.” Luckily, I found where the music was coming from and I bought the CD, a collection entitled, Gostava de ser quem era. I still listen to it whenever I feel like revisiting the Feira da Ladra in my mind.

Here are some photographs of that memorable 2011 visit:

There is nothing I like more than to walk into Lisbon livrarias and discover books I didn’t even know I couldn’t live without.

All my trips to Portugal have included visits to bookstores, whether in the Algarve, Lisbon, or Porto. I always bring a list of books I am hoping to find and it’s always a delight when I do see them on the shelf waiting for me. There’s nothing as satisfying as returning to Toronto with a suitcase heavy with books. That’s what happened the last time I was in Lisbon in 2011.

Museu Berardo for Modern and Contemporary art

These are a few of the museums I enjoyed meandering through at a leisurely pace during my 2011 visit to Lisbon:

Museu Coleção Berardo

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

Casa-Museu Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves

and finally…

Museum Sé Patriarcal de Lisboa (Museu-Tesouro da Sé Patriarcal de Lisboa)

I can’t say that I like graffiti very much but it also tells a story. There are many photographs of graffiti and street art in Lisbon available for viewing on-line. It’s perhaps redundant for me to add a few more to the mix, but this is what I saw in 2011.

The Alfama is one of the oldest areas of the city and you can easily get lost in the maze of steep narrow streets and alleys. A perfect place to lose yourself in Lisbon.

Jardim Botânico da Ajuda

Lisbon has so many great public gardens. I had a wonderful time meandering through the Jardim Botânico da Ajuda, Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Lisboa, Jardim da Estrela. I had hoped to see them again this year but since I can’t, here’s some of my photos from my 2011 visit:

Jardim Botânico da Ajuda

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Lisboa

Jardim da Estrela

To end this post, I couldn’t resist adding one  photo of the Fronteira Palace garden:

Visiting Fronteira Palace in Lisbon

View of Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora and the National Pantheon dome 

I should be in Lisbon right now. That was the plan. But like everything else these days, the trip had to be cancelled.

The last time I saw Lisbon was in 2o11.  I stayed in a rented apartment in Largo de Santa Marinha in Bairro da Graça, with a view of São Vicente de Fora at the end of the street. It was a time of reconnecting with family I had not seen for years and of exploring the city on my own.

I don’t feel inspired to write many words these days. Instead, I will just post over the next few days some of my favourite photographs of the last time I saw Lisbon.

Castelo S. Jorge

York House, 2006

Castelo S. Jorge, 2006

Statue of poet António Ribeiro Chiado

Bairro Alto

Cemitério dos Ingleses

Chiado

Baixa

Centro Vasco da Gama, Parque das Nacões

Baixa

Amália in Bairro da Estrela

The Festa do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres has been celebrated since the year 1700 in the city of Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores. This is the first time it has been cancelled in its 320 year history.

I am grateful that I went in 2017 to experience the celebration. I already posted my impressions and photos of that visit but I am wanting to remember it again and so I share with you once more:  https://thetorzorean.com/2017/07/21/trampled-by-faith/

The Azorean Festa do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres has been celebrated in Toronto since 1966. Last year I went to see the procession and now I’m glad I did because the celebration that was to be held this weekend has been cancelled. All I have is the memories of 2019 that I shared on the blog last year. I now share it again with you:

Revisiting the Festa do Senhor Sando Cristo dos Milagres in Toronto.

Rosetta McClain Gardens in an April unlike any other April. An April when the garden starts to come to life on its own but with less people around to appreciate it. There are signs that the city garden workers come by, but I never see them. Perhaps it’s because I only walk through the park infrequently now. The benches are sealed off, so there is no stopping to visit with nature. The view of Lake Ontario, although so close by, feels closed off, too.  Everything feels like it’s in suspended animation, in quarantine, complying with the signs put up by the entrance gates. Yet the daffodils have started to bloom and their yellow flowers are a hopeful sign of better days ahead.

Thank you to the City of Toronto for allowing us to walk through the park as long as we practice safe social distancing.