Detail of the statue.

During the long decades of dictatorship in Portugal (which ended in 1974), most buildings were required to have some kind of "work of art" in its façade. It could be a statue, a painting in it's gate, mosaics or some other similar form of art. I think it actually worked quite well most of the time, and buildings of those years (under fascist rule, just like in Spain or Italy) still look modern and tasteful today. The green building is located in Lisbon's Av. de Roma, and I was testing my Casio's 3x zoom. Look at the statue at the top.

Could I live without it?

I was out with J. last night and took that ridiculous 2 MP Fuji F402 with me. I'm surprised with what a camera can do at night with a tripod or if it's based on a solid surface to avoid shaking (as in this case). Most pictures I take at night are always blurred.

Canasvieiras, Florianópolis, Brazil

Summer is coming, and I keep thinking of Brazil and the wonderful beaches of Florianópolis... These pictures were taken last November.

Beach, Florianópolis, Brazil

And how about living in an apartment like this one, in an old building, in some remote village in the countryside? I like the idea...

Just like I never get tired of looking at the sea...

Sometimes I think we can look at the sky forever...

Looking at the sky, near a fake boat chimney in the Freeport shopping center...

"Hi guys, I'm J.'s cat! They call me Bindu... Can you imagine? Bindu?!"

My SLR-looking camera... One day I'm gonna buy a Canon EOS 20D! Now that's a real SLR...

No car today, so I'm walking again. It was a warm, although clowdy day. Some of the streets near Alvalade really look peaceful.

I wonder what flower is this...

Spring time, and I'm taking pictures in my mum's garden...

J.'s pictures in Cape Verde...

An add for a local cottage... Portuguese is the official language, and several creoule dialects are spoken in these islands.

A church... Catholicism is the main religion in the islands.

Beach near Cidade da Praia

View of a beach. Cape Verdians are one of the warmest peoples in the world, and it's huge diaspora has taken its food, music and joy of living to several parts of the world.

Cows...

Ilha de São Tiago, Cape Verde

Picture taken from the car...

Desertic landscape, Ilha de São Tiago, Cape Verde.

J. sends more pictures from the trip to Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony, halfway between Africa, Europe and America. This map shows its location.

View to the downtown, Hotel do Chiado.

A view to the Baixa Pombalina, an area rebuilt after our major earthquake of 1755.

In case any of you guys ever comes to Lisbon, you may try to stay in a wonderful hotel in the Chiado area - the Hotel do Chiado. It is located in the downtown, has a stunning decoration and, above all, a cafe, restaurant and a hanging garden in its top floor. I was there a few days ago and took these pictures.

Tropical trees, Cidade da Praia.