Enlightenment

"In the world's highest religions, salvation and enlightenment are for individuals. The kingdom of heaven is within a person, not within the collective madness of a crowd. Christ promised to be present where two or three are gathered. He said nothing about his presence where thousands poison each other with the gregarious toxic." (in Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley) Landscape in the margins of Sorraia River, in Santarém District, Portugal. It forms at the confluence of the Sor and Raia, near the town of Couço. Having a basin of 7,556 square kilometres (2,917 sq mi), it flows for 60 kilometres (37 mi), joining the Tagus near Murteira. Along its length it receives the Divor, and, almost at the mouth, the Almançor. - Portugal, September 2025 -

Determination and Persistence

"Success is born of desire, determination, and persistence in achieving a goal. Even if you don't reach your target, those who strive for it and overcome obstacles will, at the very least, achieve admirable things." José de Alencar Situado à beira do Tejo, o MAAT is a cultural project for the city Lisbon that is focused on three areas - Art, Architecture, and Technology. The €20m museum sits on the River Tagus to the west of the city centre and "one of Europe's most lyrical new museums". - Portugal, October 2025 -

A Form of Eternity

EDITED VERSION | ORIGINAL VERSION "Deep down, we all have a need to say who we are and what we are doing and the need to leave something done, because this life is not eternal and leaving things done can be a form of eternity." José Saramago Statue of Saramago, in Azinhaga do Ribatejo, the birthplace of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature-winning author José Saramago. - Portugal, September 2025 -

Be

Be If you can't be a pine tree on a hilltop, Be a bush in the valley, but be The best bush by the stream. Be a branch, if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a branch, be a bit of grass And bring joy to some path. If you can't be a road, Be just a path, If you can't be the sun, be a star. It's not by size that you succeed or fail... But be the best at whatever you are. Douglas Malloch Landscape of the cliffs not far from Vimeiro, parish in the municipality of Lourinhã in west-central Portugal. Vimeiro was the site of the 1808 Battle of Vimeiro, where British forces under the Duke of Wellington defeated the French, ending the first French invasion of Portugal. - Portugal, September 2025 -

Hope

"The end of hope is the beginning of death." Charles de Gaulle Picture taken in Mira Beach. - Portugal, June 2025 -

Two in One

"Marriage makes two people one, the difficult part is determining which one will be." William Shakespeare Picture taken outside of Basílica de Santa Luzia, in Viana do Castelo. - Portugal, Junho 2025 -

Citadel

"My citadel is made of stone walls, without the windows that give wings to thought. I feel confined." Fued Elias Júnior One of the entrances to Bragança Citadel. - Portugal, June 2025 -

Prejudices

"The contagion of prejudices often makes us believe that things are difficult when they are not difficult at all." Pío Baroja The sculptural ensemble "Heroes of the Pandemic," created by Rogério Abreu, was erected on Passeio Carlos do Carmo in Belém, paying tribute to the work of doctors who were on the front lines during the Covid-19 pandemic. - Portugal, October 2025 -

Fishwives

And you fishwives who taste of salt and bring the sea on your apron! Almada Negreiros Varinas (fishwives) parade in the Santo António marches down Avenida da Liberdade, in the great Lisbon night. - Portugal, June 2025 -

Fly

"The higher we rise, the smaller we appear in the eyes of those who cannot fly." Friedrich Nietzsche Costa Nova walkways connect to Barra and offer one of the most enjoyable walks in the vicinity of Aveiro, north of Portugal. - Portugal, June 2025 -

Riches

"Only beggars can count their riches." William Shakespeare Picture taken in Afonsina Fair, in Guimarães. - Portugal, June 2025 -

Discipline

"Discipline is the bridge between objectives and achievements." Mother Teresa Located in the village of Almodôvar, the Ribeira de Cobres Bridge is 25 meters long, where there are three round arches of Romanesque architecture. It is located in the eastern area of the town, towards Mértola, and close to National Road 2. According to old texts, this bridge already existed in 1375, just like the Poço de Sacoto that is adjacent to it, having served as a public water supply to the men and animals that passed through here. The bridge was restored in 1973, after being damaged by storms and was classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1982. - Portugal, June 2023 -

Fragile

Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose! Turkish Proverb Rose photographed in my garden. Most species of roses are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and Northwest Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant. Roses have acquired cultural significance in many societies. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses to climbers that can reach seven meters in height. Different species hybridize easily, and this has been used in the development of the wide range of garden roses. - England, July 2024 -

I have a dream

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood." Martin Luther King, Jr. Known as Fox and Cubs, Pilosella aurantiaca is a perennial plant, native to the alpine regions of central and southern Europe, where it is protected in several regions. This plant is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens because its flowers are very decorative. It is often used in wildflower gardens because its bright orange flowers are highly attractive to a wide variety of pollinators. - England, July 2024 -

Forest

"The forest would be very sad if only the birds that sang best sang." Rabindranath Tagore Located five kilometers from the city center of Guimarães and 10 minutes by cable car, Penha Mountain rises to an altitude of 617 meters with 60 hectares of green area, which impresses with its beauty and harmony, a landscape of well-preserved dense trees, strongly punctuated by the grandeur of the granite and unique corners with rocks, hermitages, pedestrian paths, fountains and water courses, picnic areas and viewpoints with a fantastic landscape as far as the eye can see. - Portugal, June 2024 -

Direction

"The most important thing in life is not the situation we find ourselves in, but the direction in which we move." Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. Boats packed with tourists cross the Douro river quite frequently, an evidence of the fantastic dynamism of the city of Porto. - Portugal, June 2024 -

Reputation

"There is nothing so elusive as the extent of a celebrity; It sometimes seems that a reputation reaches the ends of a kingdom - when in reality it barely goes beyond the last houses in a neighborhood." Eça de Queiroz One of the streets in the historic center of Guimarães, on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2001, which makes the city one of the largest tourist centers in the region. Its streets and monuments breathe history and enchant those who visit. - Portugal, June 2024 -

Treasure

"In the cave you are afraid to enter is the treasure you are looking for." Joseph Campbell Artificial cave in the gardens of Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 2019. - Portugal, June 2024 -

Horizon

"The sea before us, your fears There were corals and beaches and trees. Unveiled the night and the fog, Past storms and mystery, The Far Away opened in bloom, and the South bleak Splendia on the ships of initiation. Severe line of the distant coast As the ship approaches, the slope rises In trees where there was nothing in the distance; Closer, the earth opens up in sounds and colors: And, upon disembarking, there are birds, flowers, Where the abstract line was alone, far away. The dream is to see the invisible shapes From the imprecise distance, and, with sensitive Movements of hope and will, Search the cold line of the horizon The tree, the beach, the flower, the bird, the fountain The deserved kisses of the Truth." Fernando Pessoa Photo taken at Praia Norte de Viana do Castelo. This beach is considered a very sensitive area, given the uniqueness of this place, it is the only beach on the Portuguese coast that presents a typical pattern of a sheltered beach with brown algae. - Portugal, June 2024 -

Family

"A family is like a forest, when you're outside it's dense, when you're inside you see that each tree has its own place." African proverb One of the attractions located in the municipality of Fafe, in addition to the Rally de Portugal, is the Queimadela Dam Reservoir and all its surroundings: walkways, river beach, campsite and absolutely fascinating scenery. - Portugal, June 2024 -

"The Loss"

"In the temple there is a poem called 'Loss', carved into the stone. It consists of three words that were crossed out by the poet. No one can read 'The Loss'. Just feel it." In Memoirs of a Geisha, film based on the literary work of the same name by Arthur Golden Known as "the Portuguese Rome", the ancient city of Braga is home to several important Catholic monuments, including the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro, one of the centers of greatest Marian devotion in Portugal. - Portugal, June 2024 -

Beauty

"Beauty is the only precious thing in life. It's difficult to find it, but those who can discover everything." Charlie Chaplin Alstroemerias captured near Gerês Blue Lagoon. - Portugal, June 2024 -

The river of life

"No one can build in your place the bridges you will need to cross the river of life – no one, except you, only you." Friedrich Nietzsche Since 2005, the upper deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge has served Line D of the Porto Metro and the lower deck has served motor vehicles. Real crowds, most of them tourists, fill the upper deck of the bridge for that walk with superb panoramic views over the Douro, between Porto and Gaia. An unmissable experience on a visit to these parts. - Portugal, June 2024 -

Living planet

"We are a living planet, Sophie! We are a big boat sailing around a glowing sun in the universe. But each of us is a boat in itself, a boat loaded with genes sailing through life. If we can get this cargo to the nearest port, our lives will not have been in vain." In Sophie's World, de Jostein Gaarder The moliceiros that today take us on a stroll along the canals of the beautiful city of Aveiro were not always tourist boats. In the middle of the 19th century, they harvested moliço, an aquatic plant that was harvested in the estuary and which, after being spread out on threshing floors to dry in the sun, served as fertilizer for the sandy lands of farmers in the region. Uses change but vessels and memories of our traditions are preserved. - Portugal, June 2024 -

Paths

"Not all paths are for all hikers." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Traveling along the coastline of Viana do Castelo, heading north, next to the sea, we can observe, in the parish of Areosa, four windmills that are currently devoid of their sails, but that in ancient times used to grind cereals, taking advantage of the strength of the offshore winds. If there are idyllic seaside settings, this is certainly one of them. - Portugal, June 2024 -