Birds of Esporao - "Territorio com Vida" just released

If you are thrilled by freshwater birds - and otters! -, don't miss an early morning in Esporao, in April or May, watching the ballet of ducks, pranticoles, terns, herons, .... Two portuguese photographers spent there this month of April. The outcome is a great picture exhibition in the main hall of Esporao and a nice little film - "Territorio com vida" - that was just released and that can be watched here. I'm adding a few pictures of mine from May 2010 (Gelochelidon nilotica, Glareola nordmanni, and Netta Rufina)

Porta de cortiça

I admired it so often, this door covered with cork from one of the streets of Monsaraz. And then, a few years ago, it disappeared and was replaced by a wooden door. While I was visiting Convento da Arrabida earlier this month, I came across such a door covered with cortiça again and I remembered the Monsaraz one. Is it aimed at protecting houses from noise, from the heat, cold, fire or the four altogether?

Monte de Conde

Monte de Conde est une de ces fermes dont on aimerait mieux connaître l'histoire. On sait qu'y vécut l'oncle Zé da Tocha, personnage haut en couleurs décédé en 1990 dont on se souvient encore au village voisin d' Estrela. Grand chapeau, des gros verres sur le nez, le cigare à la bouche, l'oignon en poche, il était amateur de Tia Maria. Mais quel est ce Conde et quelle est l'origine de cette petite chapelle sertie au milieu du Monte? Mystère. Le barrage a modifié l'environnement de ce lieu sans rien lui retirer de sa beauté, le transformant en une péninsule. En voici deux photos d'avril 2009 (ci-dessus) et deux autres d'avril 1998 (ci-dessous), dont ce petit abri de berger qui a sans doute disparu sous les eaux...

Les mains de Rosalina

Elle a dû l'accomplir tant de fois, ce geste d'inciser les olives, une à une, patiemment dans l'humidité de l'hiver (ici, autour de Noël 1997)...

Orchids close to Monte Castelhano Velho

I recently came across a few non-digital pictures I had taken on April 8, 2002 - pre-Alqueva times! - at a spot rich of 6 species of orchids, somewhere between Luz and Povoa close to Monte Castelhano Velho. At that time, we had spotted Ophrys lutea, O. incubacea (below), O. tenthredinifera (below), Serapias parviflora, Orchis laxiflora and a large number of Orchis italica (below). I thought it would all get flooded by the dam lake. Did it?

Paraty's influence

In 2010, my friend Fabio brought me to Paraty, a wonderful coastal town in the State of Rio de Janeiro, founded in the 17th century. Gold was carried from there to Portugal over two centuries until the harbor got supplanted by the city of Rio. Today, the sea still enters the streets at high tide and the old façades are really inspiring. Did they get influenced by the architecture of a specific portuguese region? What is sure is that they influenced a small building lost somewhere in the montado alentejano...

Olhares de cabras (Monte da Duqueza)

Political philosophers in the fields (sept. 2010, sept. 2013)

In september 2010 (below), Monte das Cebolas and Herdade do Esporao hosted 7 political philosophers from 6 universities (Harvard, Stockholm, Jerusalem, Aarhus, Minho and Louvain). The experience was just repeated this year (above) with 7 philosophers from 7 universities (Harvard, Stockholm, McGill, LSE, Aarhus, Limerick and Louvain). Two days of intensive discussions on draft papers with no internet around...

Saudades da Violeta

Algumos dias sem ver a Violeta (fotos: Agosto e Dezembro 2013) e ja temos saudades dela... Pode ser que o Tim (autor da foto seguinte) tambem...

Warm late summer evening with warm colors in Monsaraz

On warm summer evenings, one of the greatest places to enjoy the wonderful landscapes around Monsaraz is the Xarez restaurante, where you can sit on the terrace and try Rui's wonderful bolo rançoso (if you are hungry...). Here is the view you get from there (sept. 2013),... usually followed by a red sunset.

Two watercolored vegetal collars

Delphine was also inspired by the plants around, fresh or dry, flowered or not,... Oleander flowers and leaves, green olives, leaves of a fig tree, flowers of mock verbena,...

Les couleurs de la grenade

En ce début septembre, les fruits de nos trois grenadiers ne sont pas encore mûrs. Mais le plus âgé d'entre eux fait déjà l'effet d'un sapin de noël chargé de belles boules en cette fin d'été. Delphine nous en a fait quelques superbes aquarelles, dans des styles différents. Et je ne résiste pas au plaisir d'y joindre un vase arménien de Jérusalem (juin 2009), une caisse de grenades d'une échoppe de Tbilissi (octobre 2012), ainsi qu'une explosion de grenade (végétale!) d'Ori Gersht que m'a fait découvrir mon ami Dan W!