Meow... This cat's name is Silvestre, and he belongs to one of our friends. I believe he's six and I found him huuuuuge compared to our own little feline...

Shadows over an apartment block, Av. do Brasil, Lisbon.

Summer is not far away now...

The ship was travelling incredibly fast. In two minutes it had passed the Bugio lighthouse, miles away.

This huge luxury liner was just leaving the Tagus, heading to the high sea.

The local townhall seems to be repairing the pavement across the Caparica beaches, before Summer begins.

I felt happy to see so many stray dogs, just like when I was groing up. Most were taking an afternoon snap, like this one, that kept sleeping even with all the noise around.

Lisbon, just across the river... A small ferry connects the two shores, over 2 kms apart.

Many ships use these docks to unload cargo, and that strange mix of industry and traditional fishing activities (and very degraded buildings) still puzzle me.

Today we passed through this small village near the sea, Trafaria, that looks even uglier than in the years of my childhood... I often used my bycicle to get there as kid (over an hour riding each way) and keep fond memories of the place.

An old lady passing by told me that "the brothel plane" doesn't disturb anyone, although it was quite an unusual sight when it first landed in the park a few years ago...

The local residents seem quite used to this quite original nightclub already...

The jet engines were spread around the grass, and they are now part of the garden...

There is something like a "continuous Go-Go dance" show, as well as private cabins... They accept Visa, MasterCard and even the not so common American Express... They also have "Vip Shows" for bachelor parties...

So just welcome aboard...

Lisbon's airport is just across the road, and this plane is surely one of the first things tourists see when they leave to the town...

That was over a decade ago... A shrewd businessman bought the plane and a small piece of land in the nearby suburb of Olivais, and parked the plane in what seems to be a park. The plane is surrounded by social housing blocks...

Apparently, the plane belonged to some African head of state who passed through Lisbon in the 80's for a few hours. There was a technical problem and the plane couldn't fly, so it ended up in Lisbon's airport; it was never repaired and never claimed back. After many years rotting away in the airport, the authorities took possession of it and just decided to dismantle it and send it to the scrap...

I decided I was going to beat Metallyptica's list of Portuguese urban oddities today (her site, "The Eye of the Beholder" in my links list). How about a strip club located inside a plane, parked in a garden in the middle of the city?! It's name: "Show Girls".

A tree outside Cidade Velha, the first Portuguese settlement at Santiago Island, Cape Verde. J. took this picture during the trip to this African archipelago.

Windows... Another view from the Chiado area.

Taking silly pictures of houses at 03.00 AM...

I know, you must have seen these buildings from the Expo 98 area a million times in my blog :) But I'm so happy that it didn't come out blurred that I can't resist sharing with you!

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