THE CEMETERY GATES

 Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo. The inscription reads something like:

"May you carefully consider this place of terror
Where vanities of this deceiving world are ended"
1864

Happy weekend!

HEXAGONAL ENCAUSTIC TILES

Private House, Coimbra

STRANGE STRUCTURE

Palácio dos Biscainhos (17th century), Braga

THE MEANING OF LIFE

"The meaning of life" was the expression the guide used to present me the gargoyles that are overlooking this cloyster in the Museum of the City of Faro. There are 12 gargoyles in the cloyster: one male gargoyle, one female gargoyle, nine pregnant gargoyles and another one holding a baby.

Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Museu Municipal de Faro), 16th century, Faro

TILES

Palácio dos Bicainhos (17th century), Braga

CHIMNEY

Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Museu Municipal de Faro), 16th century, Faro

BAROQUE DOOR AND WINDOW DETAIL

Palácio do Raio, Braga. The Rocaille mixes with the the Northern Baroque of André Soares, Braga's architect of wonders.

MONSTERS

Museu Municipal de Faro (cloister). Beneath the pregnant gargoyles, these bas-relief flowers in bloom open up like a twisted mouth at their core.

ITALIAN WINDOW

Palácio Episcopal de Faro, Architect Fancisco Xavier Fabri.
Not really full on baroque, but the two-dimensionality is made up for by the charming profiles, which could also be called neoclassical save from the pointed "chinese" pediment on top.

CHICKEN

Palácio dos Bicainhos (17th century), Braga. A stone bird at a water tank's edge in the garden.

INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Braga, Braga. The church came after the luscious baroque garden stairs and pavilions, hence its already "neo-classical" straightness of design. The relatively cool emotional feeling of the temple contrasts with the fireworks in stone displayed in the ascending path.

DOOR

A simple baroque door on the street. Faro.

CUPOLA

Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Museu Municipal de Faro), 16th century, Faro.
This dome is as pure as anything in Renaissance Italy, with a few charming flourishes and soft plaster flaming urns. Inside, simple ribs and palms are the only decoration.

OSSONOBA - ANCIENT PORTUGUESE STUFF

"Mosaico do Oceano de Ossonoba" - More info here.

Museu Municipal de Faro, Faro. This roman mosaic was found in Faro, ancient Ossonoba. The pattern is simple, but its subtle distortions hint at the solution found to adapt it to the size of the room, now long lost.

BLUE CABINS

The restaurant Estaminé is not the only structure on the "Deserta" Island in Faro. Here's some small storage cabins located in the island, made of wood boards and covered with zinc roofs.

Ilha Deserta, Faro

TILES AND PILASTER DETAIL

Palácio do Raio, Braga

BLOGLOVIN

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CHAPEL

Chapel of the Last Supper, Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Braga, Braga

TILES

Private House, Rua de Passos Manuel, Porto

OCTAGONAL DOMED FOLLY

Palácio dos Bicainhos (17th century), Braga. In plaster and stone, this folly is hidden in a quiet corner of the gardens, and remains cool and damp inside, great for Summer hideouts. Its interior is pure architecture - the square plan transforms into octagon dome via semi-circular arches.

On site - Faro

There is a serious hindrance to taking photos of things under 30 degrees Celsius. Even worse when the beach is not far and we are on our measly week of vacation. Still, some good old Portuguese stuff will come next week, and we'll be sure to come back to the Algarve!

CHEMIST'S GLASS BOTTLES

Laboratório Chimico, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa

UP AND DOWN

This Up and Down signals (on the other side of the stairs) are hand painted tiles from the Aveiro ceramic factory "Fábrica da Fonte Nova" (1882 - 1937). The white tiles are most probably from the same factory.

Mercado do Bolhão, Porto

ENCAUSTIC TILES

Private House, Rua de Santa Catarina, Porto

STONE COFFERS

The vaults and crossing of S. Vicente de Fora, one of the most exquisitely designed churches in Lisbon. Late 16th-early 17th century, the original architect was Filipe Terzio. A sort of High Renaissance from an estranged Italian, every piece relates to the whole and the detailing is superb, sharp and highly inventive.

BALCONY CORNER

The multiplication of different materials harmoniously blended at this corner in Régua is staggering. Plaster walls, stone balcony-cornices, painted corrugated sheet metal siding, clay tiles, wood trim and wrought iron railings.

HANDRAIL

Palácio dos Bicainhos (17th century), Braga.

DOOR KNOCKER

Private House, Rua de Santa Catarina, Porto

FLUE

 

Palácio dos Biscainhos, Braga.

This "flue"  is nothing less than the whole meat smoking room. Sausages and other meats would be placed at the hooks shown on the top photo, and be smoked from a firepit below. The small holes in the wall, and the roof itself, would let the smoke out. The wonderful iron structure lifts the tiles so there is an air gap at the junction with the walls. Needless to say, the kitchen has been cleaned and no curing has been done in a while!

PAINTED WOOD CEILING

Palácio dos Biscainhos, Braga