Thursday, March 29, 2012

Morning Light



This building mess, hiding a picturesque labyrinth of narrow streets and small squares, is Lisbon's oldest district known as Alfama(*). This is where the Moorish elite lived until 1147, when the city was conquered by the first Portuguese king. Later it became inhabited by the fishermen and the poor.

(*)All Portuguese names starting with 'al' come from the Arabic language.

34 comments:

cieldequimper said...

Sorry, but I'm not sure I'd call it a mess! :-)

Olivier said...

vue sur les antennes de la ville ;)) belles photos

Dina said...

Wonderfully chaotic and the ships above are the icing on the cake.

Halcyon said...

A bit messy, but a beautiful rooftop view!

Kate said...

The jumble of rooftops with the calm and placid sea certainly offers contrast.

brattcat said...

these are wonderful!!!!!

Kathy said...

To live here it's a must to love your neighbor!

Lowell said...

What a conglomeration of styles and what a maze of buildings and what a mesh of wires and antennae!

It's great fun to look at. Are those warships in the harbor?

Thanks for the info on "al" - I didn't know that.

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

I remember standing at a spot to overlook the Alfama neighborhood. It was charming. We don't have narrow pedestrian-sized streets in places that grew up in the automobile age.

Cezar and Léia said...

Amei o detalhe dos navios na primeira foto e os diferentes desenhos de telhados.
O pessoal nao vive sem TV, um monte de antenas (? ) falei corretamente!?:) Eu tenho uma colega portuguesa aqui que trabalhou 4 anos na marinha ai, mas acho que ela é de uma cidade vizinha de Lisboa.
Abraços
Léia

Arija said...

How gloriously the houses have grown together with their protective arms around each other.

VP said...

Great symphony of rooftiles, with even a strip of sea in the first image.

TexWisGirl said...

an interesting viewpoint.

magda said...

Lovely and nostalgic photos for me!!!
We went by tram and return on foot.
Best regards

Sharon said...

I love seeing this jumble of roofs situated in all directions. I especially like the top photo with those ships in the background.

Unknown said...

@Lowell: Yes, those are german warships. I have no idea what they are doing here.

Nathalie said...

Beautiful rooftops in the morning light !

Wayne said...

I like the 'chaotic' nature of the buildings, especially against the orderly ships.

Sylvia K said...

Yes, a bit messy, but a such an interesting looking old city -- old city, but with TV antennas to bridge both worlds! Thanks for info regarding 'al', I wasn't aware of that either. Great post for the day, JM, as always! Enjoy your evening!

Sylvia

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Brilliant images both JM but the first with the view over the many rooftops to the sea is just unbelievable, wish I'd taken it haha!

Carolina Louback said...

Gosto desta parte antiga da cidade, onde os telhados são todos juntos, a mim me parece uma cidade mais viva do que aquelas planejadas como Brasília, por exemplo

Simon said...

Your shots are always so wonderful, interesting, and intriguing. I visited Dubrovnik in Croatia a few years ago and these rooftops are reminders of that walled city. Go, if you get a chance-great destination.

joo said...

Wow, the first photo is smashing!

theconstantwalker said...

These images are wonderful to see.

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

What delightful photos of this historic and picturesque part of Lisbon. I can't help but think of Amalia singing "Madrugada De Alfama"... :-)

RedPat said...

It looks so exotic to me with those terra cotta tiled roofs - we have nothing like that here because of the cold!

Shaun said...

that village is beautiful, far removed from what you call a mess JM. i really like your shot

Kay said...

Wow! Wonderful, amazing images! Each is a fascinating story. And, of course, they lead me to wonder what it is like on those streets. Are they dark? Crowded? Filled with shops, or mostly residential?

And there's the added curiousity: German ships?

Great post!

Randy said...

I think the roof tops are cool. Love the first shot.

黄清华 Wong Ching Wah said...

A fantastic view !

Unknown said...

If have to be a pleasure have a walk on this narrow streets, also the wiew is wonderful , its remains me the city of Santander open to the Atlantic ocean.
Greetings.

Joan Elizabeth said...

It looks like a puzzle ... very beautiful.

Jeroen van de Ven said...

What a great picture...especially the ships in top of the picture. I didn't expect them!

AB said...

The shot with the boats and shimmering water in the background makes for a great composition.