We had gone to Merida for the weekend, which began sunny over here. However, this is what the weather looked like on Sunday, very rainy and cold. We were sitting in the city's main square when this huge amount of water fell all over the place.

The theatre could acommodate over 6 thousand people in its glory days.

The columns in the theatre are made of some wonderful blue marble, as it can be seen in this picture.

This statue is above the main gate at the Roman anphiteathre - very likely a goddess, Diana, but I'm not sure. Quite amazing that it has been standing there for 2000 years!

A picture from the Roman theatre in Merida, built in 1st century A.D. It is not in Greece or Italy, but in Spain, near the Portuguese border.

An old lamp, possibly from the beginning of the century, near the stairs in a docking area in Alhandra, Oct. 2004

The shore here is filled with fishing boats, like this one - very traditional still, with no engines.

A dead tree, used by the fishermen, possibly, to hold their boats with a rope, when there is a high tide.

Alhandra, a small village west of Lisbon. It is mainly an industrial area, with very few things to see, except for the Tagus and its views to the south bank of the river. Some more attempts in B/W photography...

A detail of the neoclassical arch, where you can see statues of Vasco da Gama, who reached India by sea, and the Marquês de Pombal.

In the middle of the square, there is a statue of the king D. José I, who ruled Portugal at the time of the earthquake (although no one was as powerful as his "prime minister", the Marquês de Pombal, who rebuilt the city and ruled with an iron hand). The square has always seemed to me more munumental than the Brussels Grand Platz, although it seems very neglected compared to the belgium one. It has a stunning view to the river also.

Lisbon's Terreiro do Paço, one of its main squares, rebuilt after the big earthquake of 1755. One of the best loved elements of the square is the triumphal arch which welcomes visitors to the Rua Augusta, a popular shopping area, with traditional trade.

But what really made me go back to these pictures - some of them already posted a few days ago - was the use of colour, or black and white, in a photography. I'm still "experimenting" with that, and refining my senses. A friend from America, K. (check her nice website at http://spillforthchameleon.blogspot.com/) liked the shadows and contrasts in this picture in its B/W version. Does it look any better in colour, I wonder?

I do want to go back to this same spot near Vila Franca de Xira, however. You can see some old trees in the horizon, and after that, you reach the river, in a place where it looks as wide as the sea. Hopefully, there will be a few seaguls, flamingoes and frogs around, and, with some luck, no rats to photograph.

I'm looking forward to go back to the countryside and take new pictures. Days ago, when I took this one with my cheap 3.2 megapixels digicam, I was just passing by and took the opportunity. I stopped the car, got out out and walked for half an hour, until I had nothing but greenery and river around me. I hadn't done anything like that since I was a teenager. It seemed quite idylic until I heard some noises coming from the vegetation. No, it was not a rabbit but a group of big rats. It made me wake up to reality in quite a shocking way and I fled to the car.

Heading home... Another day in the traffic jam. Oct. 2004

A view to Lisbon from Almada. Oct. 2004

Ponte 25 de Abril, the brige that connects Lisbon to the south of Portugal, viewed from Almada. Oct. 2004

Cristo Rei, Almada. This monument is over 30 floors high and, right below the statue, there is a terrace with a viewpoint to the surrounding area. It was built as a sign of gratitude for allowing us to escape World War II and is a popular attraction among tourists.

Caparica, Oct. 2004. Even with this kind of weather, some people are brave enough to still go jogging, like the man that can be seen over the rocks. These huge stones were put here decades ago to divide the beaches and offer some protection against the waves, that would otherwise reach the city.

At the beach in Caparica it was not so bad, though. We had coffee in one of the bars, where by popular demand the owners were planning to start the heating, as it was windy and chilly. When I was growing up those apartment towers you can see in this picture weren't there yet, and to be honnest, I've never liked them...

Saturday morning, and it's finally raining. Autumn has at last arrived, but it was quite sudden. It was 28º Cº two days ago, and today it was around 17º Cº. By the time we had luch a small storm had arrived and we could even hear some thunder. And what do you in a day like that? Obviously, you just grab you camera and go to the beach...

The countryside near the Tagus river in Sacavém, Oct.2004.

Fishing boats near the river, in Sacavém. Oct. 2004

Garden near the river, Vila Franca de Xira. Oct. 2004

Contryside near the Tagus, at Vila Franca de Xira.

The Tagus, near Vila Franca de Xira. Here, heading west from Lisbon, the river turns into the Sea of Straw ("Mar da Palha"). It looks wide like the sea, but with a brownish colour sometimes. It can also look like a big lake or group of swamps, with flamingos and seaguls flying around. I was driving nearby and couldn't resist taking some pictures. The Tagus is the most magical river I have ever seen, and I find it soothing just to look at it. Oct. 2004.

Évora, Oct. 2004. Church façade.

The temple of Diana, Goddess of the Hunt, in Évora, an old Roman building from the 1st century AD.

Church façade in Évora. Oct. 2004