patrícia furtado

The weather was glorious on the last Sunday in October. By the end of the afternoon, Carcavelos beach was still crowded. And the sea presented a pattern of little black dots, the silhouettes of surfers floating patiently, waiting waves that were few and far apart. The sea was a surfer soup.

When I was studying, I used to cruise downtown Lisbon on a daily basis. Nowadays, I don’t go there often anymore. When I needed to go in that direction, a couple of days ago, I decided to take the camera with me, let it dress me as a tourist again, and take some casual snapshots to post here.

It’s amazing how having a camera on your hands can change your attitude so much. Things that have been there since long, had certainly crossed my eyes, but never grabbed my gaze until now.

I assume lots of observant people grasp those colourful details without the need for a purpose. Not me. If I don’t force myself to lookout, my distracted mind will turn my attention inwards and I’m as good as blind.

Last week, as I was heading to Barcamp08, I had the chance to take some snapshots of beautiful Coimbra. And it was indeed by chance, as the event’s venue was in the modern but remote Polo II, well removed from the city centre. Head in the clouds as always, I failed to check google maps before I left home, and made my way up the hill to the old University buildings instead.

Downtown Coimbra was teeming with strollers and shoppers, silently inviting me to slow down and enjoy the sun that was finally coming through the dissipating clouds. I did have some time to spare before the meetings, so why rush?

It wasn’t until I reached the summit of that very steep climb over irregular stone pavement, and dragged myself around the impressive university buildings in a wild goose chase, that I realised the department I was looking for was miles away.

My high-heeled feet weren’t too happy to find that I needed to walk all the way back down to my starting point and catch a taxi. But inn the end, the touristing around such beautiful surroundings, with my camera in hand, was worth the pain and made my weekend away just a bit nicer and richer.

Praia da Areia Branca, Portugal.

Banned as I am from sunbathing this year, this is probably as close to the beach as I’m going to get. As it happened, there were pretty big clouds over the sky, so I could keep my jealousy of the sun-basking- holiday-makers in check, and use up my time taking photos of the dull grey misty skies.

But it’s funny how Photoshop works. You just have to pull a few sliders to cool the temperature, up the contrast and the saturation, lower the exposure, and you end up seeing things that were hidden to your eyes.

Spotting Sunday and Cookie cuddling together like this, I had no choice but to reach for the camera.

In case you’re wondering, Sunday, the mom, is the one on the right.

I can’t help but to have mixed feelings for Venice. Much like a theme park, it’s ridden with loud American tourists, the food is not so great but very overpriced, as are the gondola rides, and you can’t find any decent ice-cream. Also, it literally reeks of old and decay, it feels like it all could crumble down at any moment, and you’re likely feel seasick by the end of the day.

However, the beauty and charm of this living ruin tend to make you forget all that, once you step out of the touristic bustle of the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge and get lost into the small and almost deserted alleyways and canals, where you can be surprised by picturesque views and architectural gems every corner you turn. Venice is such a cliché, it can even turn you into a romantic person while you’re there. No worries, it wears off…