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Attack
Will pouncing on Kim in the Praca dos Restauradores in front of our hotel. Today was Will's choice of activity. We headed out to the MUDO - the Lisbon museum of design and fashion. As we neared the waterfront location we coudln't resist the urge to go right down to the mouth of the Tagus River for which one assumes the location of Lisbon was chosen.
Marika and Will ran around the Praca do Dom Jose I while Kim took in an outside gallery of huge photos of Gaza. There were several such exhibits near the waterfront - a unique way to have a photgraph installation display - but the enormous size of the "prints" must dictate construction and production of the shot.
The Museum was FABULOUS - in an old building that once housed the national bank and had subsequent reincarnations, each adding its own statement. The inside had been abandoned and the 2 floor museum constructed around the bare and slightly decrepit pillars, suppporting beams and ceiling - exposing the layers of design of the buildsing's core. The exhibit was bright and breezy and laid out with oodles of space - covering a century and a half of mostly western fashion, furniture and day-to-day materials design from bic pens to Galliano
Today's path
The trees mark the fashion district avenue we explored today whiich starts in front of our hotel. Way in the distance is the Marques de Pombal park Will and I explored. to Alexander McQueen. For a reason I don't understand the only variation from the Euro-north american content was a few varied Japanese pieces. (No photos allowed in the museum)
What Will said he liked the most... "I liked the chairs the most, honestly - because they were so creative, so unimagineable. One that looked like a piece of a broken column you might see at a rich person's house, and the crazy tall red one where you (Dad) could lie down, Marika and Mom could sit on different levels and I could lie on the top".
Marika? "The red chair because I like the colour and second because it really gets me going with all the levels where five people can be on the chair with two lying down."
Then we strolled through the fashion district - Will and Kim took in Prada, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Hugo Boss, Zara and Dolce and Gabana (Willl had to explain these to me - the last three sound like Portuguese pastries to me).
Lunch was a buffet at Hotel Fenix and Marika and Kim headed back to hang out by the rooftop pool. Will and I hiked up the
Tagus Waterfront
The Dom Jose I statue in the foreground with the Arc de R Auguusta behind near the Tagus waterfront. hude ornate square rising up from the Marques de Pombal. This square was dedicated to the then Prime Minister of Portugal generally praised for his swift response to the devastating Lisbon earthquake of the mid-1700s. We strolled through pubic gardens, will played on some children's park activites we haven't seen in Canada. We then took the immaculate subway back to our hotel to join the girls for a swim. Marika and I had various races and handstand contests in the pool.
We headed back to Alfama for dinner. What an amazing community. Ok, ok - first dinner - highlight was octopus carpaccio !! Paper thin slices of about 2 and a half inch diameter tentacles nestled in a vinaigrette of lemon and oil with capers. YUM - Kim and I loved it - Will had a good serving and said it was OK, and Marika had a taste and wasn't too keen.
Leaving the restaurant we saw people playing music and couples from 5 to 85 dancing under lights - a group of young people with a hiibachi going in a public square and sardines about to be grilled. A lovely lively eve capped with Kim and Will
Ornate big lantern
I just liked it against the blue blue Lisbon sky. dacning to the music in Alfama.
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