arlon & luxembourg

These are the pictures from Arlon and Luxembourg, my second trip since I've arrived in Belgium. (The first was a quick visit to Binche, to celebrate Carnival. But since their tradition involves throwing oranges at people I thought I might want to skip on photographing that one!)

We hopped on a train to Luxembourg a couple of hours after seeing a bit of Arlon. Luxembourg is small but it does hold quite some beauty. I was particularly enamored with the Old Quarters and Fortifications. The place got me curious mainly because it's a country I normally wouldn't have the opportunity to visit. And after that, since so many of the Luxembourgish community has Portuguese roots, I was curious to see to how our cultural footprint influenced the daily life there. Luxembourg is very international - I'm thinking the average Luxembourgish speaks about 3 to 4 languages. And while I didn't get to speak Portuguese with anyone, I was able to find products from Portuguese brands, Portuguese establishments and someone who thought they ought to learn Portuguese already. It's a weird way to put it and not entirely accurate, but it was probably my most Portuguese day since I've arrived.

diaries // 04 2015

The perks of living in this part of Europe are growing on me more and more. It is incredibly easy and cheap to travel. I went to Lille... I went to Ghent... I went to the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken in Brussels - I guess you couldn't consider this one travelling, but this something that opens for less than a month every year and is exactly the kind of place I'm bound to like. Put me anywhere with flowers - greenhouses, gardens, fields - and I am going to be happy. In fact, the main reason why this post is late is because I spent my weekend too busy looking at flowers and other pretty things.
But anyway, here's April in a nutshell.
(More here.)

1. ghent i // 2. serres royales de laeken i // 3. new stationery

4. ma belle ville // 5. the view from the palais // 6. amadeus

7. gravensteen // 8. ugly belgian houses i // 9. avez plaizier

10. ugly belgian houses ii // 11. souvenirs de lille // 12. lille

13. cornichons // 14. serres royales de laeken ii // 15. writing my journals

16. leaves // 17. easter sunday // 18. film & a mix of gifted and bought postcards

19. gent from the canal // 20. r // 21. serres royales de laeken iii

P.S. - I've been thinking. Is there something you'd like to see on this blog? A type of post for instance: Brussels travel guide, reviews, anything? I'd love to know :)

brussels #1: the vanishing act

(Quartier de la Cour: Place Royale, Montagne de la Cour, Mont des Arts)

Ever since I've arrived, I've stopped countless times what I am doing just to watch the sunset from my window. It is particularly beautiful in Brussels. Or maybe it's just me - a passer-by that wishes she could stay a little while longer already, that is noticing things she'd otherwise take for granted.

One day I was on the bus though, coming back from one of my many walks in the center, and I looked back. The view from the Mont des Arts towards the Grand Place was pretty special, and I decided I had to come back for just that. So I did.

diaries // 03 2015

Seeing these bits & pieces together makes me realize that March was a good month for travel. I got to know 3 new places:

Arlon, a little city in Wallonia right next to the borders. Not a very touristic place, but quite charming for its size.

Luxembourg, a country that surprised me for the beauty of their old quarters and fortifications.

Bruges, my first stop in Flanders. Everyone says you see Bruges in a day. And it's true. But contrary to what's usual, we stayed for one night and experienced Bruges by night as well. It was so absolutely wonderful I've been thinking about it all week.

How was last month for you?

1. 18:30 // 2. luxembourg i // 3. rue montagne de la cour

4. bruges i // 5. begijnhof // 6. spring shoes

7. giboulée // 8. postcards from brussels // 9. bruges ii

10. MiM // 11. bruges iii // 12. lonely walk

13. memory-keeping // 14. little church in arlon // 15. luxembourg ii

lisbon in the morning

This is my last set of pictures from before my departure. I have felt such a strong desire to cling to my analog camera lately that I barely took digital pictures, apart from the ones I take everyday with my phone. I feel that changing slowly but surely, as I once again want to explore the city through yet another set of eyes. And I expect that from now on I'll finally be catching up to more recent events. 

As for these though, they were taken on a unusually cold morning. 3ºC by the Tagus river, in Lisbon. The streets were almost completely empty. But right where downtown Lisbon meets the river, I saw a moment I had to steal. A man on his own, feeding the seagulls at the pier. The juxtaposition of Man and Nature - a sight that never tires my eyes.

I hope you had a nice weekend.

:)

à paris

from November 2014.

Being in Brussels now, these photos from Paris seem like they were taken forever ago. I was visiting a friend who was spending a semester abroad. I remember feeling like it was a taste of what was to come. 

And now I'm here, and it's been a month and a half. 

Despite feeling that I'm slowly settling into a routine here, it still dawns on me every now and then that I'm stepping on the streets of Brussels everyday. In those moments, I am completely overcome with happiness, a tingling childlike exciment.

I can't wait to develop the rolls I have finished already and show you some pictures. 
(In the meantime, this is where you should go for some timely updates.)

But to get back to the topic: Paris. Pictures from Paris. Well, everyone knows that a weekend in Paris is a weekend well-spent, and it's always nice to remember.

diaries // 02 2015

This month I've been carrying around bucketloads of happiness even when I get 24h of rain in a row.

(And I promise it's only partly due to the chocolate here.)

I hope you had a month as good as mine.

:)

1. departure // 2. la maison du roi // 3. late afternoon

4. grand place // 5. waffles i // 6. pharmacie

7. servez vous // 8. les gilles // 9. manneken pis

10. brussels // 11. le comptoir de mathilde // 12. a gift from a friend

13. waffles ii // 14. flying over spain // 15. ici

16. brussels camera bag // 17. le mardi gras // 19. tastiest macarons

end of the season

to belgium, with love

Almost two weeks ago I was anxiously waiting at the airport to embark on a twice-delayed flight to the one adventure I've been looking forward to for an entire year (maybe more): my Erasmus.

This semester I'll be living in and updating from Brussels, Belgium.

A lot of you already knew, I'm sure, because I first annouced it on my Instagram, just as it all started. In the meantime, a few updates have already appeared, and I think that for now this should be the easiest way to share content.

This doesn't mean I'll stop posting for the next half a year. It just means that, for the moment, I'm still settling in. Most importantly, I'm still looking for an affordable way to develop all my rolls as I go. I am completely convinced it's manageable, but we'll see.

All in all, I just didn't want to let the occasion slip by without so much as a mention. And, you know, I wanted to let you know that exciting things are happening but new pictures may take their time. Up until then I still have a few photos to share, including the ones I took in Paris a while ago. So stay tuned! (And wish me luck!)

:)

canada & usa roundup: the polaroids

To give this series a proper ending, here are my very last photographs from last Summer's travels, taken with a Polaroid SX-70. 

These feel like some of the most special memories to me. I guess it's in the numbers. I shot many, many pictures on my digital camera, but only a few with my SX-70. Special and dear as I may hold my digital snaps, there is one thing I cannot remember... I remember taking photos as I went on... But the action of taking a picture is a burry thought, in most cases. 

With these, it's different. These take me back. In the most literal sense possible. I can remember every little detail about the moment I took the shot. Where I was, whether I was standing, sitting or in some weird position to get the shot, I can remember changing the settings for the light, checking once or twice because I haven't had this camera for that long... And taking the shot. I am able to evoke the feeling so well it's almost like I'm there again.

Here's to unforgettable places.

{previous posts}

Vancouver, BC

Seattle, WA

San Francisco, CA

Yosemite National Park, CA

Sequoia National Park,CA

Los Angeles, CA

Route 66

Grand Canyon, AZ

Las Vegas, NV