Boo!!

I love my little Halloween ghosts.

They came from an expedition to Festival in the Park.

So, they are almost as old as Mark.

Have a Happy Halloween!!!

Anne and John and Prince

Lisbon - City of Tile

The Museu Nacional do Azulejo (The National Tile Museum) is housed in the Convento da Madre de Deus. The convent was founded in 1509 by Queen Leonor, wife of Joao II and sister of Manuel I.

The Church was built in the 1550's. The baroque interior was installed in the late 17th and 18th centuries. The tile wall panels were commissioned in Holland in 1698, and the remaining walls and ceiling were covered by paintings in gilded carved frames.

Adoration of the Shepards - Central tile panel of Our Lady of Life Alterpiece. Attributed to Marcal de Matos in 1580, and originally installed at Capela de Nossa Senhora da Vida (Church of Santo Andre) in Lisbon.

Detail from a Three-Section Altar Frontal originally installed in a Carmelite convent in the Coimbra region of Portugal and dating from 1650. The composition of trees, fruits and flying birds are belived to be representations of the Garden of Eden.

Frame with Angels, Early 17th Century Border (Seville). Large scale production of repeated patterns began in the late sixteenth century as a less expensive alternative to large unique pieces like the alterpiece. Repeated patterns often added friezes and borders to emphasized doorways and windows or separated different patterns.

Portion of the Grand Panorama of Lisbon depicting the Terreiro do Paco. The Panorama dates from 1700 and depicts the entire city of Lisbon prior the the great earthquake of 1755. Taken from the palace of the Courts of Tentugal in Rua de Santiago, Lisbon.

Museum Cafe with tiles from a kitchen used to smoke meats. These tiles are from a private home in Lisbon and date from the second half of the nineteenth century.

Contemporary Mural and Wall Tiles in the Rossio and Gulbenkian subway stations.

Patterned tiles from random buildings in Lisbon create a unique visual experience. Many of these tiles date back to the nineteenth century and were created by stenciling.

The wall tiles at Pasteis de Belem.

More to come on this yummy location!

Spain and Portugal - Introduction

We had a fantastic trip to Spain and Portugal. Two weeks of traveling in the cities and the countryside. Sometimes at 180 kilometers per hour in our little mini-Mercedes!

I took a zillion photos, so I'll give you the edited version over the coming week. And in small chunks-- probably by city or region. :-)

These are a few of my favorite shots to get the ball rolling.