Street Art In Lisbon – Portuguese Pavement
“Where utility ends and decoration begins is perfection.” Jack Gardner
If you read my blog, you know I am a fan of street art. Lisbon is no exception. There is very interesting urban art but there is also calcada portuguesa .They are street tiles painstakingly laid down by hand in a variety of mosaic patterns throughout the city. It started in the mid nineteenth century and can be seen in the historic parts of Lisbon.
Fly safe,
JAZ
Things I Have Learned In Lisbon, Portugal
“We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.” Pascal Mercier, Night Train to Lisbon
Lisbon is known to be built on seven hills: Castelo, Graca, Monte, Penha de Franca, S.Pedro de Alcantara, Santa Catarina and Estrela. It makes the capital of Portugal similar to such cities as Rome, Istanbul and Moscow.
The views are crazy good from different parts of the city. My hotel was at the top of one of the hills because I was always walking up the wrong street to get there and having to walk down and up again. Walking the streets of Lisbon is a definite workout.
Lisbon’s superb natural setting, spread across seven hills facing the Tagus River, offers a network of terraces from which to contemplate the beauty of the city. They are called “miradouros” or viewpoints, they’re usually located at the highest points of each hill, and all have spaces to sit and rest. Some even have cafes serving snacks and light refreshments.
I’m usually not a fan of getting lost but I didn’t mind in Lisbon. There are interesting streets that I would have missed.
The Barcelos Rooster is considered to be the unofficial symbol of Portugal. The story varies but it has to do with a roasted rooster getting up from the table and declaring a falsely accused religious pilgrim innocent. It is carried for good luck. I buy every country’s good luck charms.
In Lisbon, there exists one of the oldest bakeries that makes Pastel de Nata. It’s located in the neighborhood of Belem. The Antiga Confeitaria de Belém is a favorite of locals and tourists alike.
The tarts here are called Pastéis de Belem and served plain with cinnamon and sugar toppings.
Lisbon has its own Cristo Rei (Christ the King statue) – a Catholic monument overlooking the city, standing on the left bank of the river. It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The statue commemorates Portugal’s survival of WWII.
The Jerónimos Monastery was constructed in the Portuguese Manueline style. The Monastery was commissioned by King Manuel in 1501 and took 100 years to finish. The monks role was to pray for the King’s eternal soul and give spiritual help to navigators and sailors leaving to explore the world.
Vasco de Gama who is buried here left from this site in 1497. There are no advance tickets so come early or be prepared to wait up to an hour. The cloisters and architecture are magnificent and worth the admission. The Church of Belem is free.
Tower of Belem is Lisbon’s iconic landmark. The Tower is located on the Tagus River a twenty-minute walk from the Monastery. It was built in the Manueline style the sixteenth century as part of a defense wall which was never finished.
Manueline style is a very specific interpretation of Gothic architectural structure and decoration only found in Portugal.The style emerged during the reign of King Manuel I (1495-1521) but the name was not adopted until the 19th century.
Buying gloves at the tiny Ulisses glove shop in Lisbon is a serious experience. They have made unique and high quality gloves in the same way since 1928. Place your elbow on a cushion and have the special opportunity of getting gloves fit to your hand. They are guaranteed for life and you don’t need a receipt as they know which are their gloves.
The Vasco da Gama Bridge over the Tagus River is the longest bridge in Europe – 17, 2 km (10.7 miles) long.
Fiera de la Ladra (thieves market) is a flea market in the Alfama district every Tuesday and Thursday. A market has been in this place since the twelfth century. It is one of the oldest areas in Lisbon and so beautiful to walk around in.
Lisbon was the first city in the world to import Guinness from the UK.
Sardines are a typical Portuguese meal . I can live without them but they weren’t that bad served fresh and much larger than the canned variety.
Canned fish seems to be a common staple in Portugal and there is a lot to choose from.
Right up there with sardines, octopus is the most fished species in Portugal. It is one of my favorite dishes and I had it a lot.
Eating grilled fish in Portugal (Peixe Grelhado) is an amazing experience.
Museu Berardo is a wonderful space for modern and contemporary art in Belem.The collection owes its existence to the Portuguese businessman Joe Berardo who, in his lifetime, amassed a great number of works of contemporary art. The space houses the permanent collection and changing contemporary exhibitions.
The Gulbenkian Museum is located in a modern complex with beautiful gardens and ducks, an extensive library and a Modern Art Center.The Gulbenkian collection was mostly collected by Calouste Gulbenkian during his lifetime.
The Modern Art Center(CAM) has an extensive collection of twentieth and twenty-first century modern Portuguese art. Temporary exhibits are scheduled throughout the year of Portuguese and international artists.
Lisbon was a love at first sight city for me. It is beautiful, colorful, full of layers and character. People are so friendly and helpful and many speak English or Spanish. The city is relatively inexpensive. Portuguese seafood is a reason alone to come here. It is very easy to get around by walking, taxi, boat or public transportation. I want to return soon.
Bom Viagem
JAZ
Last Ten Things I Googled
Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.” Neil Gaiman
Weather in Petra, Jordan.
What is apple cider vinegar good for?
How are the teams shaping up on the Voice?
Did the brother kill JonBenet Ramsey?
Best things to buy in Portugal.
Are there Starbucks in Jordan, Israel and Portugal? (for my collection not for the coffee)
Guy who asked me out in Lisbon.
Best stain removers.
How much water has to leak before you have mold?
Fernando Pessoa quotes.
Best falafel in Tel Aviv
and that was just this morning.
Fly safe,
JAZ
Ten Reasons To go To Lisbon, Portugal
It is important when in Lisbon to eat as many pastries as possible. There is a bakery on almost every corner. I had pastel de nata for the first time at a Portuguese bakery with a very long line in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I cant wait to try them here.
Lisbon is one of the cheapest European cities.
Lisbon gets 3000 hours of sunlight every year.
Lisbon is well-known for its excellent street art. Everywhere you turn you will be amazed to see a creative masterpiece.
Fado is the traditional folk music of Portugal. It is probably the most melancholy music you’ll ever hear and still somehow makes the ideal soundtrack for every trip to Portugal.
About a half hour by train from Lisbon is the fairytale town of Sintra. it is filled with castles, estates, palaces and amazing scenery. The monarchy came here to enjoy the summer.
One of the 20th century’s great philanthropists, Armenian Calouste Gulbenkian, left much of his art and historic artifacts to his favorite city, Lisbon. The museum now houses one of Europe’s most epic collections. There’s also an affiliated modern art museum nearby which I am interested in seeing.
Portugal seems to be in the second-tier in the wine world, right after France, Italy and Spain despite the famous Port Wine and even though Portuguese wines win the most prestigious awards every year. Chances are there is a great quality wine at a very reasonable price waiting for me.
See the Toree de Belem and the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. This 15th-century monastery was built to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s “discovery” of India. This Byzantine and Gothic tower stands out over the mouth of the Tejo, guarding the entrance to the city’s harbor
Go to the beach. Water is a big part of the Portuguese identity and mine too.
Fly safe,
JAZ
All Things Holland – Tulips, Cheese, Clogs and Windmills
“There isn’t a single windmill owner in Holland who doesn’t have a second job, for when there is no wind.” Johnny Ball
What comes into your mind when you think of Holland? Tulips, Cheese, Windmills and Clogs.You have to leave Amsterdam to see all these things properly. You are definitely missing out if you don’t get out to the countryside. I did such an interesting day tour with Gerk Kazemier. (gerkk@hotmail.com). He is knowledgeable and fun. I highly recommend spending a day with him in the country.
We started at Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, the best place in the world to see tulips and spring flowers if you are there between April 1 and June 20.
‘Keukenhof’ means Kitchen Garden and in the 15th century, supplied herbs and vegetables for the Castle belonging to Countess Jacoba van Beieren.
It is now a floral world of tulips in every color imaginable.
It is the largest flower park in the world.
Each year different artists are invited to show their work which adds a quirky element to the gardens.
There is a whole spectrum of magic in bloom with new creations and formations at every turn.
Walking along the paths of the park is an extraordinary experience.
I passed many tulip fields outside Amsterdam
I was there at the beginning of April. This winter was very cold so they were not in full bloom yet but still spectacular.
The picturesque village of Edam is particularly known for its cheese covered in red or yellow wax.
The canals and reflections are worthy of any great artist .
it was once a port, but today its main trade is tourism.
Cobbled streets, storied architecture and picturesque canals spanned by centuries-old drawbridges, can be found throughout Edam.
Every scene is a picture is a perfect postcard.
Wandering around the quaint and quiet streets is a photographer’s dream.
I did not see anyone wearing clogs in Amsterdam but it is still an important part of Dutch culture. They are the oldest surviving footwear in Europe and are still used in agricultural communities.
Though now they are machine made, at the Zaanse Schans, you can see the shoes being crafted by hand. They were recyclable and when they were worn out, they were used for fuel for the fireplaces.
My favorite are the wedding clogs. When a boy wanted to get engaged, he would place a pair of beautifully carved clogs, outside the door of the girl’s home. If she took them in, they were engaged.
Zaanse Schans is really touristy and there are better places to see windmills but if you are trying to do a lot in one day it is an excellent option. They have a collection of well preserved eighteenth and nineteenth century windmills.
The windmills are actually beautifully working mills that perform various functions including a sawmill, paint mill, oil mill and mustard mill.
I didn’t know that windmills were used to make paint pigments out of raw materials. The De Kat mill at Zaanse Schans is believed to be the only remaining paint making windmill. The huge grindstones inside crush the limestone into a fine powder and pack it with natural pigments.
It is paint used by the Dutch artists during the Golden Age of Painting.
It is the paint used to fix old paintings and the paint that Rembrandt used.
Who does not want a picture with a windmill in Holland? Sometimes even I have to drop my nothing fazes me New Yorker attitude and be a geeky tourist.
Fly safe,
JAZ
“Art is an evolutionary act. The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. At no point is art static. There are no rules.” Raymond Salvatore Harmon
Street art in Amsterdam is more satirical and fun then the street art in Third World countries.
It is much more accepted and looked at as art not vandalism.
Amsterdam doesn’t have as much street art as Paris , London or Berlin, but if you have a good guide you will find it.
It is not that hard to find nice street art in Amsterdam.
Nicole at http://www.streetarteurope.com/street-art-amsterdam-tour/ does an interesting comprehensive, reasonable priced group tour of Amsterdam street on Sundays.
I had actually never done a group street art tour because it never fit into my schedule in a city.
It was interesting to see the range of people who were interested in street art.- an older couple from Belgium, middle-aged couple from Shoreditch,who were very proud to be where Banksy was from, and people from Canada and the States who were living in or visiting friends in Amsterdam.
Nicole is self taught and passionate about street art. She knows a great deal about the art and the artists and has made a career from her passion and knowledge curating street art in Europe. It is nice to have a tour with someone who clearly loves it as much as the people who signed up for the tour.
Good street art will tell you a lot about the people who live there.
C215, Alice Pasquini, Space Invader, The London Police, Shoe, Faile, Icy & Sot, Bustart, Zaira, are all showing in the streets of Amsterdam.
The London Police are a British street art collective currently painting all over Amsterdam.
I loved seeing Icy and Sot’s boy Walking Alone in different places in the city. It was like running into a friend. He is all over Europe now and for some reason he reminds me of the refugees and how lucky I am.
Laser 3.14 is a street poet whose words are found all over Amsterdam on temporary surfaces only.
There is a lot more street sculpture in cities around the world these days. They are usually small and easy to miss without a guide.
Invader is a street artist known for creating tile pieces that are out of video games.
He created an app called Flash Invaders that gives you points for finding his work all over the world. He has made a game out of the hunt for street art. Nicole is doing well. I just saw a huge one on Beverly Blvd in LA.
Street art started as a creative outlet but has turned into a legitimate business with tours, galleries, books, design, fashion and art.
It definitely has more of an art movement feeling in European cities than the protest feel of South American countries.
Street art is always beautiful, funny, moving and in this moment in time.
Fly safe,
JAZ
Twelve Hours In Paris With A Wedding Dress
“Paris is always a good idea.” Audrey Hepburn
Check into a hotel so you do not leave the wedding dress in a taxi. Put the wedding dress in the closet.
See Syrian refugees begging for money and militia on the streets. Give away my Euros from Amsterdam. Big reality check.
Drive past Eiffel Tower and Arc Du Triomphe. Take bad photos from moving car.
Stop for lunch at La Carette.
Eat croissants, omelet, nicoise salad and cafe au lait. Have everything French in one meal.
Buy fabulous French pharmacy beauty products.
Go to Versailles.
Walk around the gardens and Petite Trianon.
A little Louis XlV and a bit of Marie Antoinette go a long way.
Drive to the Louis Vuitton Foundation by Frank Gehry. Get out and take a photo so it looks like I was there.
Crowd five people into a tiny French hotel room with the wedding dress. Two are napping. One is in the shower. Another is fixing her carry on luggage.The fifth one goes downstairs and has tea. The one fixing her carry on luggage left her favorite bracelet from Cambodia in that hotel. They called to tell her.
After much restaurant deliberation, the not sleeping people have appetizers at the hotel. The not sleeping people are the women.
Go back to the airport with the wedding dress. Have macarons at airport Laduree.
Fly safe to Africa,
JAZ
Art Museums in Amsterdam
“I’ve become like one of those people I hate, the sort who go to the museum and, instead of looking at the magnificent Brueghel, take a picture of it, reducing it from art to proof. It’s not “Look what Brueghel did, painted this masterpiece” but “Look what I did, went to Rotterdam and stood in front of a Brueghel painting!” David Sedaris
The best place to start exploring art in Amsterdam is the Rijksmuseum.
Many of Johannes Vermeer’s paintings are housed in the Rijksmuseum and though Girl With A Pearl Earring is in the Hague there is a lot to see. Several Rembrandt paintings are there including Night Watch. There are many rooms devoted to Dutch painters. Allow a few hours.
The passageway at the Rijksmuseum has the best outdoor acoustics in the city. Many professional musicians come there to practice. It is definitely worth a walk through.
The Van Gogh Museum is a crowd pleaser . Visit during the week to avoid the crowds.
However, it’s still worth wading through floods of tourists for a chance to get up close to so many recognizable works of art crafted by such a complicated fascinating man.
Sex sells . Easy Virtue explores artists’ fascination with prostitution in Paris in the second half of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries.
It was curated at the Musee D’Orsay in Paris and is now showing at the Van Gogh museum till June. It is confrontational, interesting and beautiful. It is filled with unanswered questions, double standards, hints and clues. Amsterdam with its red light district is a good city for this exhibition.
The Stedelijk Museum is also located in Museumplein with the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum and is usually overshadowed by them . All three museums are worth visiting because they represent different aspects of Dutch art. The Stedelijk focuses on modern artistic movements and is definitely worth a visit.
If you are a photography fan or not, the Foam Museum is a cool place to go. They always have fascinating exhibitions and change them often.
It is a large and interesting space with a great gallery and bookstore. It could be one of the best photography museums in Europe.
The Rembrandt House Museum consists of a seventeenth century house, his studio and a modern shop.
He painted many of his masterpieces here.
The rooms have all been refurbished with art and furnishings of that period. The museum also own most of Rembrandt/s etchings and many are on display.
The Moco Museum just opened in Amsterdam with an exhibition of work by Andy Warhol and Banksy.
It is located also in Museumplein and is hoping to reach a larger younger audience. It opened the day I left and I really wanted to see this.
There is a lot of art in Amsterdam. So do some research and decide where you want to go or randomly walk into a museum or gallery that looks interesting. You won’t be disappointed.
Fly safe,
JAZ
How To Lose Weight In Amsterdam
“Like drugs and alcohol, stairs take you up and stairs bring you down. Stairs are neither in one place nor another. They bridge the vertical. Stairs have no allegiance.”Chloe Thurlow
Amsterdam is one giant stairmaster with bicycles, You can eat fresh cheese, poffertjes ( baby pancakes with butter and sugar),brooje (raw herring and pickle sandwich -really),stroopwaffels ( yes they are crispy waffles),Indonesian food and beer and not gain weight. Here is why. When you are not eating – you are walking, riding a bicycle or climbing very steep stairs. It is never just one flight of stairs.
Fly safe,
JAZ
Jewish Amsterdam
“And my conclusion Is, since I had been on very good terms with Anne, that most parents don’t really know their children.” Otto Frank after reading Anne’s diary
One of the most famous residents of Amsterdam is Anne Frank. Every school age child in the United States has read her diary. It has been translated into 67 languages and sold over thirty million copies. She became the voice for those who did not have a voice. The secret annex where Anne, her family and friends had hidden for two years became a museum in 1960.
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The Anne Frank House was at the top of my list of places to visit in Amsterdam. I was much younger than Anne when I read her diary for the first time. Her yearning for love, freedom and peace were very real to me. I wanted to be just like her. When I saw the bookcase in the house, it changed from a story to reality. People move slowly and quietly through the annex. The rooms are dark and empty. There are quotes from the diary, pictures on the wall, an exhibit that tells what happened to the residents and at the end is a beautiful film which tells how her story affected different people’s lives. There are no photographs allowed. I was mostly in my head reliving the parts of the story I knew so well.
I took a walking tour of the Jewish quarter with Jeanette Loeb. http://jewishhistoryamsterdam.com Her knowledge of Jewish History in Amsterdam is extensive and I was lucky to find someone who gave such a comprehensive tour. She has a lot of background information and interesting stories about the places we visited – especially about the Portuguese Jews in Amsterdam.
The Portuguese Synagogue is Amsterdam was built in 1675. During the Spanish Inquisition, Jews in Spain and Portugal were forced to convert to Catholicism. Many escaped to Amsterdam for freedom of religion. The interior is a single very high, plain, rectangular space with wooden benches built in Dutch Protestant style by Dutch architects. It survived the Nazi Invasion unscathed because they were going to use the building.
The Hollandsche Schouwburg was a popular theatre. In 1941 the Nazis changed the theatre’s name into Joodsche Schouwburg, or, Jewish Theatre. After that, only Jewish actors and artists were allowed to perform there – for a strictly Jewish audience. Between 1942 and 1943 Jews from Amsterdam and surrounding districts were obliged to report at the Hollandsche Schouwburg before being deported. It became a transport center. The Jews were transported to the Dutch transit camps in Westerbork or Vught. These were the last stop before they were herded into trains bound for one of the extermination camps. It is now a memorial.
Jan Wolkers, a famous Dutch artist and writer, created a holocaust monument in the Wertheimpark in Amsterdam. The monument called “Broken Mirror”, is made from glass panels and reads “Auschwitz, never again”. It covers an urn filled with ashes from Auschwitz. The mirrors are supposed to reflect that air, sky and the world around us, will never be the same again. it has been vandalized several times.
The Stolperstein Memorial Project was designed by Berlin artist Gunter Demnig to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.The stolpersteins (which means stumbling stones) are small, cobblestone-sized memorials for individual victims of the Nazi regime. The idea was to commemorate them in front of their last chosen place of residence. It is the largest memorial project in the world covering several countries. Demig felt that you have to make a decision to visit a holocaust memorial but with stumbling blocks, you can look down and see them at your feet. It is not a memorial to six million but to individuals – one plus one plus one.
The Jewish Historical Museum has a permanent collection about the history and culture of the Jewish people in the Netherlands as well as temporary exhibits. They were currently showing the Amy Winehouse exhibit curated by the Jewish Museum in London. It shows unseen photographs, favorite outfits, her collections, influences and passions and of course her Jewish roots. I loved the videos of her singing.
My mother who lived during the holocaust used to have one question about politics. “Is it good for the Jews or bad for the Jews?” Amy Winehouse is definitely good for the Jews bringing a younger, hipper clientele to the museum.
Fly safe,
JAZ
Travel Well, Fly Safe 
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