When you have just two nights in a place, you have to do some cherry-picking to make sure you spend the time wisely. This week in Lisbon I whittled my choices down to:
:: eating the wonderful cherries that are in the shops at the moment. Cherries are my favourite fruit which is a bit of a pain as they have such a short season. So I was delighted to arrive at the height of the cherry season. Morellos are also on sale (they have an even shorter season than sweet cherries) and I did think about taking some home but didn't know what the line on importing cherries is, and I didn''t fancy confessing in a police interrogation that I was a cherry-smuggler in order to feed my clafoutis addiction.
:: walking and walking to look at outstanding examples of twentieth-century architecture, mainly from the 1930s to the 1960s, but this kiosk from the 1920s caught my eye.
:: admiring the artistic arrangements of the grocers. This one (where I bought my cherries) had only fruits in golds/oranges and reds/pinks and was utterly beautiful.
:: luxuriating in real warmth (up to 35 C) and connecting the climate to the amazing flowers growing all over the city. Fabulous bougainvillea (above), huge plantings of pale blue and white agapanthus, clumps of canna, and oleanders in full flower.
And more...
Love that last picture! My absolute favorite, it doesn't seem like a proper holiday to me without it.
Posted by: Gemma | June 19, 2009 at 15:47
I think future editions of that city guide need to be printed with the cherries on the cover. :-)
Posted by: Sasha | June 19, 2009 at 15:52
Gotrgeous photos, as ever! When we were in the Black Forest this time of year we brought home some wonderful plums from one of the nearby farms, which I bottled and we were able to enjoy in the depths of winter. Such a lovely souvenir (continuing your earlier Proustian musings...)
Posted by: deborahs | June 19, 2009 at 16:08
That sounds like a very colour coordinated green grocer x
Posted by: lucy@theantidote | June 19, 2009 at 16:25
Olá!!!
I am a recent reader to this blog, actually just beginning this week! And lo and behold, she is writing about my city!!!
I have lived in Lisbon all my life (except for a short 7 month period in Paris) and love it. Every place has its defaults, of course, but oh the light in the streets here is so unique...
It is a real treat to read your remarks about Lisbon - I have been delighted to read them about every thing else for the past week... :)
Congrats on your blog!
Know a few fans of your blog and books that will be thrilled... :)
Até breve!
Posted by: Ana | June 19, 2009 at 16:26
Those pictures of cherries are making me salivate! The cherries are not doing well near Washington, DC this year and they are so awfully expensive. Sigh.
Posted by: TrishD in MD | June 19, 2009 at 20:14
Yum! I passed on the cherries at the supermarket today and now I wish I had splurged on some. They sat in their bag, looking so inviting, but not as inviting as the cherries of Lisbon! The peaches and the apricots are sporting favorite colors, too! Thank you, JB!
Posted by: Pom Pom | June 20, 2009 at 00:05
I fondly remember my only trip to Lisbon early May 2009. I am trying to figure out how to get back there soonest.
Glad you had an excellent visit, but it sounds too short!
Posted by: Lisa in Toronto | June 20, 2009 at 02:39
The cherries reminded me of another blogger who was designing quilts and knitting based on book cover colors.
Posted by: knittingoutloud | June 20, 2009 at 12:26
Oooh. I love cherries too. When I was younger, growing up in Tasmania, we'd drive "down the channel" to the cherry farms and buy big bags of them. We'd roll down the windows and spit the pips out the window as we ate most of the bag on the way home. I think it's a wonderful image. I remember my feet up on the dash board (I won't do that these days as I always worry what would happen if the air bag went off) and the feel of the wind in my face. Ahhh. And I thought that first photo was a little brooch. Very clever.
Posted by: Georgia | June 20, 2009 at 13:59
If you ever visited California you would see all those same flowers! Is this an enticement?
Posted by: willow | June 20, 2009 at 16:49
I've never seen bougainvillea. Thanks for the introduction.
Clafoutis... ah. I make it once a year even though my family will never really understand.
Posted by: bethgem | June 20, 2009 at 19:03
The pictures are great! Lisbon is stunning.
Posted by: Kristina | June 21, 2009 at 18:01
What beautiful pictures! In case it comes up again in future, I am pretty sure it is OK to carry fruit and vegetables between EU countries.
Posted by: Anna | June 22, 2009 at 09:44
Pasteis de nata are superb. I haven't had one in almost 2 years... :-(
Posted by: Girl from Mozambique | June 23, 2009 at 18:37