Here are we: in Porto! This wonderful city in the North of Portugal readily welcomed us with its colored buildings covered with tiles ("ajzulejos") and with its streets filled with silent people - it seems they're always whispering rather than talking, not to disturb the breeze of the ocean that sings from a few miles away.
After our first lunch in Porto, the smell of the "bacalhau" and the beer inspired Ilaria the very first sketch of the Flying Sketchbook:
The lower part of the sketch was completed after seeing the nice Ponte Dona Maria bridge, built by Gustave Eiffel in 1877. (errata corrige: It is actually Ponte Dom Luìs, built by Téophile Seyrig - formerly a collaborator of Gustave Eiffel. Thanks to Geooorge for pointing out the mistake).
Nearby the bridge lie some old abandoned houses, which were covered by these wonderful violet flowers that can be found all the way through Portugal...does anybody know their name?
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ReplyDeleteThe bridge on the photo is Dom Luís, and Téophile Seyrig, partner of Eiffel, engineered the bridge ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks! Indeed I remember that I read that the engineer was not Eiffel, but one of his fellows, but googling I found the Wikipedia article linked and I thought it was that :) thanks!
DeleteThe name is "Morning glory" (Glória da manhã in Portuguese). A sacred plant used by ancient Mayan healers! The beautiful flower lasts one day...
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_glory
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_violacea
Wooow! Sounds wonderful :) thank you, Lua de Sol! We have been thinking at you very often during our trip! We´ll send you some nice pics we took :) atè logo!!
DeleteThe bridge made by Eiffel himself is another one, very similar and not far away: "Dona Maria" bridge, also known as Maria Pia:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Pia_Bridge
Thank you for this information!
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