Ferias, dia 40. The holiday is over (and a little #urbanphotography), 2 September 2022

It was time to go home. We arrived in Lisbon with plenty of time before the train was due, driving over the famous ponte 25 de Abril. I even had an opportunity for a little #urbanphotography at the Estação Oriente to grab a quick smartphone photo of a view I have had in mind for

Ferias 2022: Day 0, 25 July 2022

We’re off on our annual pilgrimage to Meco. After a casual and uneventful journey we arrived at our holiday home before resting and heading out for a bite to eat at the best restaurant in Alfarim, the Tasca do Marcio. #coast, #coastline, #landscape, #bridhe, #nature, #old, #portugal, #portuguese, #sea, #lisboa, #street, #town, #traditional, #travel, #village,

Day trip to Sesimbra, 9 August 2021

Instead of going to the beach, today we took a short trip to nearby Sesimbra. https://keithdevereux.blogspot.com/2021/08/day-trip-to-sesimbra-9-august-2021.html

Christmas Eve at the Praia da Barra

It’s not just in Australia that you can head to the beach at Christmas, despite what everyone might be led to believe. Last Wednesday, Christmas Eve to be precise, we were fortunate enough to enjoy a pleasant afternoon at the Praia da Barra. It might look tranquil, but there were lots of freestyle surfers enjoying

Freestyle surfers at the Praia da Barra

I managed to get to the Praia da Barra on Sunday. It’s been the first time for a while but it was a beautiful day; clear blue sky, decent waves and not too cold (especially with my gloves and little hat). There were a fair number of surfers out, along with SUP riders and a

Back to the Praia da Barra

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the Praia da Barra to photograph the freestyle surfers. This hasn’t been deliberate, a combination of other commitments and a minor health issue means I haven’t been able to get out much. But for the first time for a long time I was in a position

The Volta á Portugal, 2014

A couple of weeks after the Volta á Portugal do Futuro passes through Oiã and Carris, the big race, the Volta á Portugal, starts. Normally, the smaller race takes the same route as the main race, which means that we get two national races passing by within a couple of weeks, and few can say

Volta á Portugal do Futuro 2014

Every year the Volta á Portugal, the Portuguese equivalent of the Tour de France, passes our house in the stage that starts or finishes at Oliveira do Bairro. A couple of weeks earlier, the Volta a´Portugal do Futuro, for new racing cyclists, passes on the same route. This afternoon, we were delighted to see the

Interlude: A visitor to the garden

Last year we had a cricket, I think it was a cricket, that was hurt and spent weeks in the rose bush in our garden. This morning I found another, who I followed around the garden, from the house wall to the same rosebush. For a brief time, s/he also found a little friend, before

A quick video tour around the district of Oiã

While we were travelling around the District of Oiã, taking photographs for the exhibition, we took the opportunity to record a video. For a bit of fun, I spliced it together, added some inserts and effects, and it’s gone down very well.    

A busy couple of weeks…

These last two weeks have been pleasantly busy. First of all we were approached by the local council, the Junta da Freguesia de Oiã, to provide images for an exhibition about the area, then there was the festivities themselves. So we were covering musicians, unveiling ceremonies, Zumba sessions, a fashion show and an Oiã version

Tough times at the Praia da Barra

The last few months have been difficult for the Praia da Barra. Late last year the Salinas Bar was destroyed in an arson attack, and this was followed soon after by heavy storms that swept away most of the beach, including most of the bar/restaurant Casa Demar. We lost a third bar, the Offshore Bar,

On the Streets of Portugal

One of the oddities of Portugal is the mixture of buildings you find in most towns and cities. Alongside a modern villa you’ll find an old house, or alongside an apartment block will be a patch of unused land, and there are half-built structures all over the countryside. Partly a comment on the current state

Interlude: Not for the faint hearted

Just for a change, I’m going to add a couple of off-the-cuff images from this afternoon. I noticed the web earlier in the week, but it looked abandoned. Today, though was this magnificent spider, just sitting and waiting for his lunch. I managed to grab a couple of images before lunch, then after our lunch

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Iced Earth

The first band of the evening was the American power metal band, Iced Earth. This was their first visit to Portugal for a long time, and they seemed to be enjoying their visit to Vagos Open Air immensely. With a hugely enjoyable set, Iced Earth performed two encores and left the crowd wanting even more.

Miss Sumol Cup 2013 – National Surfing Championship

Following the Body Board Championship at Miss Sumol Cup 2013, the following day was the national surfing championship. Won buy Carina Duarte (in pink), this was an exhibition of stunning surfing, which I hope the photographs portray.

Miss Sumol Cup 2013 – Women’s Bodyboard Championship

Today we were lucky enough to be able to go to the Miss Sumol Cup 2013 for the Women’s Bodyboarding Championship. This was the first time we had covered a tournament instead of individuals, but we had a fabulous day. With the tide out, I was pushing the lens to it’s limits, but everything worked

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Interlude

On the second day of the festival, the crowd really started enjoying themselves… During the performance of the Greek black metal band Rotting Christ we had the first crowd surfers, which everyone, surfers, band and crowd alike, really joined in with. Of course, of all of the photographers in the pit one of the crowd

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Tarantula

Keeping up the arachnid theme, Web were followed by the veteran Portuguese Heavy Metal band, Tarantula. One of the first heavy metal bands in Portugal, Tarantula, fronted by Jorge Marques, provided a powerhouse performance. Setlist: Spiral of Fear, Afterlife, Dark Age, The Nature of Sin, You Can Always Touch the Sky, Changes Coming, Face the Mirror

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Web

Day two of Vagos Open Air kicked off in style with the Portuguese Thrash Metal band Web. Setlist: Life Aggression, Mortal Soul, Awake, (In)Sanity, Beautiful Obsession, If Only There Was Light