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portugal

aveiro: azulejos

Portugal, Aveiro, azulejos, tiles

For years I’d read that Aveiro had fantastic tile work. But when to visit? After finishing a tour in Porto, I had a few days off to rest… the perfect opportunity in spite of this 2015 heat wave. Such a variety of azulejos that I couldn’t stop taking photos. Pics above are only a sample of what I saw. Wow.

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portugal: how to eat bone-in fish

Portugal, sardinhas assadas, grelhadas, before, after, antes, depois

For years I joked about making a video on how to eat grilled fish with the bone in… now that I’m guiding groups for Rick Steves in Portugal, I’ve been convinced to do one. This example demonstrates sardinhas assadas or grelhadas which are a Portuguese staple, in season from the end of May to the end of October. Make no mistake; these are fresh, not canned. And because their season coincides with summer as well as Lisboa’s biggest party —the feast day of Santo António— just the smell of these yummy fish on the grill conjures up all kinds of great memories.

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lisboa: galerias romanas

Portugal, Lisboa, Lisbon, Baixa, galerias romanas, cryptoportico

After years of visiting Lisboa, at long last I’ve been able to see what I consider one of the city’s holy grail sites: Roman galleries buried beneath the modern downtown district. They are difficult to visit because since the 1980s, the city government only opens them once or twice each year. I still remember them being open for one day only, & either I was too exhausted from doing tours to visit or just not in town. As of this post, the galleries are now open twice per year for three consecutive days during mid-April & the end of September. Nevertheless, lines are long & on-line reservations go quickly. Be prepared!

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business: designing for android

Endless Mile, Android app

Time for a change.

Despite owning several Apple products, last September I decided to experiment & bought a second-generation Nexus 7 tablet. In about two months I became a big fan… much more so than with any Apple product. Phenomenal screen resolution, truly light weight, crisp & clean design plus amazing adaptability won me over. The more I used the tablet, the more I realized how fantastic Endless Mile guides would look on Android.

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