A dreamy world: at the beach

Cats in the sun I

Cats in the sun II

I'm here

The photographers

Tennis player

In line for ice-cream

A dreamy world

.... every Monday, a trip without moving, a breath of inspiration for a creative week.

Lemons + Quince (Marmelo in Portuguese, hence the Marmalade)

Lovely coffe + hand crafted furniture shop

In bloom, Visconte da Luz Park

Antique Post (Correio) box

Reading on Baia Beach

Love from Cascais, Portugal.
Cristina

Feira Na Fábrica

Hello Monday, hello cats. How was your weekend?

We've been attending a fair in Lisbon yesterday so it was all good: kittns saw awesome stuff other cool people invent + had delicious home made cake. We had a wonderful time along with our amazing public relations manager Marco and new friends we met.

Here are a few photos... here's a bit of sunshine to begin this new week!

Ocean T-shirt

Hello from near the ocean.

You might think this is a long-winding descriptive post about how beautiful the sights are on this Portuguese coast. It's not.

If you visit kittn blog you already know it's all about human nature.

These days I've been focusing a lot on how much time of our lives we waste with intrigues, unhealthy games + complications instead of experiencing, discovering, living and actually honoring the place.

We judge and we hate without even trying to see more than what meets the eye. We always wait for another to make a change first.

Here near the ocean everyone has positions, statuses, education, hierarchies, grades.

But the funny thing is when you look down they all have sand on their feet.

Estoril Craft Fair

A very popular summer event around here is the Craft Fair held in Estoril for the last 48 years, yep you've read correctly. I don't know a lot of administrative details, just that it takes place from June 29 until August 28, each evening from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. You can learn about Portuguese traditional crafts as well as cuisine + see & buy (more or less) handmade items in a range from designer jewelry and let's say wool clothing to ceramics and paintings.



What I like about Portuguese traditional arts is the generous use of the color blue (cobalt) as you can see:



Although there were a lot of cute things, I can't say I was impressed much nor inspired. I guess it was the atmosphere, or better yet people's attitude. How come?

Hiding in our booths on a chair in the back or behind the counter isn't exactly the best marketing option. So are not smiling and not saying hello. No matter how tough times are, I believe we should be the first to speak about our work be it through words or body language. We may create + sell the cutest felt plush, customers won't be interested if we look like we're guarding them with a gloomy face.

I understand how a bad day or even a bad year feels like. But if I can't make it (and also not fake it) I prefer to think of other solutions, ultimately postponing my attendance.

We should probably think of ourselves as customers too and ask: what would draw my attention? What would make me want to know more about an item? What would make me buy it?



I was nevertheless amazed by miniature houses + furniture + settings, gosh, I was glad I hadn't seen them when I was younger. You can see a bit in these two photos, for example that scissors in the sewing kit next to the girl (photo above) was about 5 millimeters. Everything was so charming that I almost wanted to live in those settings.

The lowest price for a miniature room was about €70.


I also liked the wood crafts, especially chairs, drawers, trays, boxes and toys. They're great because they're noble and safe. Plus you can paint and decorate them in your own style.

The price for a small wooden box was €3, €7 for a small chair, €15 for a horse etc.



How about you, what would you hope for when you visit a craft fair? How about when you participate as an artist? I would love to share more with you, as the subject is so rich and ever open for improvement.

Estoril Fair was nice, even though I felt like saying: and now people... one more time with feeling!

Olá, Portugal! :-)

Kittns have never been good with numbers or calculations, that is an indisputable truth. Because of that it looks like we're going to live in sunny Portugal for a bit more time. Oh, and remember those soapy reality people I was telling you about? They disappointed us even more, but we're cool cause we've also made mistakes in life and probably disappointed others, to whom we meow for forgiveness.

Being here won't be so bad actually, as the view is great anywhere you look. And if it's meant to be, who knows what goodies are set aside for kittns...



So yesterday we found ourselves in the touristic part of Cascais, heading to Boca do Inferno to see furious waves striking from the deep bottom of a chasm up to the rocky cliffs on the shore.



The show the waters put on is amazing, especially because it's completely natural + in such contrast with the stillness of the horizon. Just like a huge problem for us means nothing in another part of the world...



Then we put our feet back on the ground and went to check the almost traditional artisanry which locals showcase nearby...



... but bought just Suspiros (eng. sighs), delicious meringues that really make you sigh after you have a bite. When I was able to use reason again I thought, please somebody stop me.



Today is very windy and I probably won't wander around, but I promise I will continue to show sights. Meanwhile have a stirring weekend, brave friends!

Feira da Ladra, finally.

Hooray, this week I visited the flea market on the right day! :-) I took bus 735 from Cais do Sodre, but if you're coming from the center of the city you can take No. 28 tram which is a must as it is traditional (but also a thrilling ride as it goes abruptly up & down the hills). If you are in the mood to walk, you can easily arrive going uphill from Baixa.

You're not going to regret it, as the surroundings are picturesque and really wonderful, believe me. I wish I had a better camera to capture all the details that I've seen, but I only photographed the fascinating narrow streets and whimsical balconies. It seemed like every building and every window had a great story to tell!

When I arrived at the fair at about 9 a.m. the temperature was so hot that we all almost started a war for a spot in the shadow (I already had packed a 1.5 liter bottle of water, be proud of me mum). I spent my time looking at household appliances, pots and pans, glasses, paintings, frames, bed sheets, apparel, shoes, electronics, cosmetics, vinyls, books, pop art, azulejos (Portuguese tiles), toys, pieces of toys, jewelry, Indian fashion, furniture... Big or small, new or old, everything was there.

Feira da Ladra means The (female) thief's market and the traders show their wares in Campo de Santa Clara street, São Vicente de Fora district of the city, close to Alfama (the oldest district, you will read about it in a future post).
Besides all the charming places and feelings, here is some practical advice when going to the fair:

• hold your belongings tightly, have change and small bills;
• the earlier you go, the better the finds;
• the more you advance in the fair area, the cheaper the prices;
• negotiate;
• if you saw it and you love it, just get it otherwise you will regret not having it. :-)
  

After four hours of trance, calculation and indecision, wish lists, dreaming and making occasional friends I bought a replica Hermès scarf (which I had to have, but I don't know if I will wear), a bracelet for M. and these sweet hand crafted Mary Jane shoes from a couple who created beautiful leather works (I promised myself I would return for more).

PS. I forgot to explain the lack of posts: I've been feeling very nauseous and sleepy (11th week of pregnancy :-). I've been crafting many t-shirts and the rest of the time I've been walking around but more as exercising than visiting . Place-a-day project seems difficult to do every day, but I can extend it over a month's time, what do you say?

Baixa - Chiado, Lisboa.

Big plans today: I woke up at 5 a.m. in order to get in time for goodies at Feira da Ladra, Lisbon's flea market. The market is on from dawn till evening, but it's in the early morning when you can find, for example, cool shoes for €5. Well, a 30 minutes train ride and one bus ride later, I found out the market was only held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Hello sunshine, hello Cristina...
Very well, I said, it was about 7.30 a.m. so I could feel the city waking up. I love mornings with their promises of new beginnings, with inviting smells coming from the bakeries about to open, that soapy clean scent on the streets... Except on Sundays, when the city looks like it's deserted! :-)

I'll have fun anyway, I said to myself as I started to walk uphill to Chiado, a fashionable area filled with cafes, restaurants and shops, the place where all the parties start. (A Brasileira cafe right next to Chiado subway stop is a very famous meeting place, for example.)


Nothing was open, not even H&M (why, why?) so I walked further down to Baixa (more closed restaurants and shops), ending with Praça do Comércio which opens with a beautiful view of River Tejo.
A cool thing about Lisbon is the contrast between its vast squares and narrow streets. It's an adventure walking up and down, getting a glimpse of daily life - like neighbors in front of the local bar whistling the day away, clothes hang to dry at each window or seeing some fragile tree just burst out and growing from a stone wall and everything just quivering of life - and then arriving in a huge square that's monumentally still. You really have to experience it!

It was noon already so I decided to head home - not before buying The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (yay, I found an open shop). I tried to take photos using the self-timer function (as no one was around), but this is what I got:

Nevertheless I hope you enjoyed reading about early morning trips to Lx (short for Lisbon) and I wish you a fun week ahead!
(Feira da Ladra, I'll be back.)