Dia da Espiga

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“Dia da Espiga” (roughly translated to Day of the Wheat) is a Portuguese tradition dating back centuries and is believed to have originated from an ancient Pagan ritual. In some parts of the country this day is declared a holiday and the tradition is to go for a morning walk in the countryside to pick a variety of wildflowers, various grains (wheat, oats etc) and olive branches to form a bouquet which you then hang behind your front door and should only be replaced the following year by a fresh bouquet. The various plants in the bouquet all have different…

Festas de Lisboa – Lisbon Festival

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Summer time is party time in Portugal, and a party just isn’t a party without sardines and chorizo cooked over the coals and served with heaps of Portuguese bread (which is officially the most delicious in the world. Officially) and ridiculous amounts of beer. Welcome to the Lisbon sardine festival…

A bit of random Cape Town

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Albert Rd, Woodstock – 2011 Long Street, Cape Town – 2011 Full moon rise seen from Signal Hill – 2010

Hout Bay

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So it appears I have an obsession with fishing villages… yet another subject added to the long list of things I already covet and obsess over. Also on the Cape Peninsula, but unlike Kalk Bay, Hout Bay is on the Atlantic coast on the other side of the mountain. This town is also the home of the best fish and chips in the entire world. And while I know that this is a huge statement to make (and one that could very likely start a war) but my Portuguese husband can vouch for the complete deliciousness ( I know it’s…

Kalk Bay

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Kalk Bay is a small seaside town on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula. Populated mostly by hippies, fishermen, vegetarians and homeless people… with a sprinkling of the hip young crowd seeking solace from the big city… it’s the kind of place where anything goes, really. The vibe is vintage bohemian and could very easily turn into one of those authentic towns ruined by the noveau-riche but luckily for us all the working harbour (and the homeless shelter) ensures that there are still normal people living here… well, I guess normal is relative here in Kalk Bay.

In which I obsess about windows and doors:

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We have previously discussed my bicycle fetish and so it was only a matter of time before I had to confess to another photographic obsession. Windows. And doors. So technically 2 obsessions but who’s counting. I have recently been trying to ignore the windows as I walk down the street, because really… enough already. But last weekend we were in the Alentejo and I saw a window that I couldn’t resist, and so the floodgates have been opened… Casa Branca, Portugal    Lisbon, Portugal    Serra de Sintra, Portugal   Gradil, Portugal  Alcaçovas, Portugal   Ericeira, Portugal   Ribamar, Portugal  Óbidos, Portugal  Carvoeira, Portugal  Tabuaço,…

Alaska

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Alaska is stunningly beautiful, breathtakingly expansive, almost unbelievable in its raw beauty… and yet, there is a sense of sadness. Like a powerful and majestic symphony played in a minor key, it leaves you with the feeling, after the music has died away, that something feels… odd. Behind the cheery facades and the tourist souvenir stalls filled with cruise passengers there was an undercurrent of loneliness, perhaps because of the isolation or the lack of sunlight in the winter.  Perhaps because the majority of people are only there temporarily, working the summer season and those who have stayed, or still stay,…

São Vicente, Cabo Verde

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It was late in 2005 that I visited São Vicente, the biggest of the Cabo Verde islands. This was long before I had any idea about Portugal or her former colonies and even though my brand new Portuguese boyfriend was excited to drink a Sagres (beer) and feel a little bit at home it just seemed like Africa to me. Now, however, looking back at these photos after having lived in Portugal for over a year, getting to know the culture and traditions, I can see the influences. Cabo Verde is definitely more Africa than anything else, but the connection…

Istanbul: Cultures and Contrasts

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I was trawling through my photo archives recently and have decided to do a few posts about some of the awesome places I have travelled to over the past 5 years. Istanbul is the capital of Turkey and is definitely one of my favourite cities in the world. It’s a crazy place, very busy, constantly buzzing with people, traffic, boats, noises, an awesome place just to get lost in the crowd and wander. The history and culture here is incredibly rich; it’s the city where Europe and Asia meet and you can see it everywhere. Istanbul is a melting pot in…