Fin di Siman na Korsu

Curaçao is an island near the western part of Venezuela, which together with Aruba and Bonaire is part of the Dutch Caribbean (the so called ABC islands). One explanation for the origin of the name Curaçao is that it is derived from the Portuguese word “coração”, which means heart.

Fin di Siman na Korsu is in Papiamentu, the local idiom, a form of Creole that is taught in primary schools, as well as Spanish, English and Dutch. It means “Weekend in Curaçao”.

Queen Emma Bridge

The capital is Wilemstad and the city centre is divided in 2 parts: Otrobanda and Punda. Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge separates the two halves of the city.

Queen Juliana Bridge is the tallest bridge in the Caribbean and from there you have an amazing view of Otrobanda and Punda in one side, and of the industrial area of the other side .

When oil was discovered in Venezuela (Maracaibo) in 1914, the economy of the island changed as Shell built a huge oil refinery which employed around 10 000 people. Curaçao was an ideal site for the refinery- it had an excellent natural harbour that could hold large oil tankers.

The rapid industrialization of Curaçao, based on oil refining, resulted in an urgent need for labour, which the small community could not provide. The Portuguese, mostly from Madeira, were among the immigrant workers who came from the 1920s until the 1950s. A small group managed to stay either at the refinery or in the agricultural sector while others came to join them.

The Portuguese citizens evolved since the 1960s into a group with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, particularly in the supermarket sector. Nowadays there are about 40 different “cultures” in the island.

A special hat used for "culture week". At this time there is a hat competition.





Although the florin is the currency, the dollar is used everywhere and you can even withdraw dollars from the ATM machines.

You can find many different sorts of cactus.

This Divi-Divi tree has been "sitting" for more than 80 years, according to our guide, Mr Eric Sommer

Mt Christoffel, the highest point (375 metres)

The iguana is a typical animal and you can find it easily in the woods. Iguana soup is a delicacy eaten mainly by men: as iguanas have two penises some people think it can improve their sexual performance by eating this soup.

Flamingos can also be found

and many birds...

Main attractions in Curaçao:

Willemstad is included in the Unesco World Heritage.

Floating market

Wedding cake house in the district of Scharloo where the rich Jews lived

Rif Fort was built at the beginning of the 19th century to provide defense for the harbour.

Plantation Houses  (Landhuizen) are historical and cultural characteristics of the island. They date back to the time of slavery (slave trade was officially abolished in 1863). They were the main building of the plantation, where the family of the owner lived. Nowadays they are used for different purposes (restaurants, art galleries, foundations...)

The beaches are quite small compared to the ones in Aruba and are hidden in bays but each one has its own charm.

A touch of Caribbean art by Nena Sanchez

It was indeed a very good "Fin di Siman na Korsu"!!

So true...

This was kindly shared by my nutritionist, Dr. Júlio de Castro Soares

CR 7 na Venezuela

Cristiano Ronaldo tem projeção em todo o mundo, como pude constatar recentemente na Colômbia onde bastava dizer que era portuguesa para se referirem a Ronaldo (James Rodriguez, colombiano e colega de equipa de Ronaldo, também gozava de grande prestigio).

Julgo que a Amália e o Eusébio, da minha infância, encontraram um substituto à altura e com fama ainda maior devido aos media atuais.

Quem pode, pode…

Ontem fui à festa nacional da Arábia Saudita. No dia 23 de setembro de 1932, o rei Abdulaziz anunciou a fundação do reino da Arábia Saudita.

À maneira árabe, fomos muito bem acolhidos e a festa, farta, mostrou que por lá “a crise” não passou. Devido às receitas do petróleo, descoberto em 1938 e que mudou radicalmente o país, a população vive com prosperidade e o seu nível de vida é bastante elevado. Todavia, a Arábia Saudita é muito arreigada às tradições, o que afeta essencialmente a liberdade das mulheres que nem estão autorizadas a conduzir ou a vestir-se em público da forma que lhes apetece.

Oferta aos convidados

Pequena elegia de Setembro

Não sei como vieste, 

mas deve haver um caminho 

para regressar da morte. 

Estás sentada no jardim, 

as mãos no regaço cheias de doçura, 

os olhos pousados nas últimas rosas 

dos grandes e calmos dias de setembro. 

Que música escutas tão atentamente 

que não dás por mim? 

Que bosque, ou rio, ou mar? 

Ou é dentro de ti 

que tudo canta ainda? 

Queria falar contigo, 

dizer-te apenas que estou aqui, 

mas tenho medo, 

medo que toda a música cesse 

e tu não possas mais olhar as rosas. 

Medo de quebrar o fio 

com que teces os dias sem memória. 

Com que palavras 

ou beijos ou lágrimas 

se acordam os mortos sem os ferir, 

sem os trazer a esta espuma negra 

onde corpos e corpos se repetem, 

parcimoniosamente, no meio de sombras? 

Deixa-te estar assim, 

ó cheia de doçura, 

sentada, olhando as rosas, 

e tão alheia 

que nem dás por mim.

Eugénio de Andrade

Flor de Mayo

The Flor de Mayo became the national flower of Venezuela in 1951. This orchid, whose scientific name is Cattleya mossiae was named in William Cattley´s (1788 - 1835) honour - an international horticulturist who collected plants from all over the world and was particularly fond of orchids. He cultivated this plant for the first time in England with bulbs he received from Brazil in 1818. Twenty years later this plant was also found in Venezuela.

This orchid is commonly called Flor de Mayo because it blooms in May (Mayo) and was used to decorate the May Cross, a holiday celebrated on May 3 in many Hispanic countries. Religiously, the festival is rooted in the search, by the Byzantine Empress Saint Helena, for the cross on which Jesus died.

Beautiful Orchids in Caracas

Beautiful Azores

A friend has just sent me a link to spectacular views of the Azores by the  Hola magazine.

Have a look here

The first photos were taken in the island of Pico in 2010.

Yes or NO?

September 18: Scotland´s referendum

25 best museums

These are the 25 best museums in the world by Tripadvisor:

1- Art Institute of Chicago*

2- National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia), Mexico *

3-State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace, St. Petersburg , Russia *

4-The Getty Center- Los Angeles, California

5-Galleria dell'Accademia/Statue of David, Florence, Italy*

6-Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France *

7-The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York *

8-The Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece

9- Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain*

10-Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Jerusalem , Israel

11-The National WWII Museum, New Orleans, USA

12-National Gallery, London, England*

13-Vasa Museum, Stockholm , Sweden*

14-National Gallery of Art, Wasghington DC

15-British Museum, London, England *

16-Hagia Sophia Museum, Istambul, Turkey *

17-Instituto Ricardo Brennand, Recife, Brazil

18-Borghese Gallery, Rome, Italy

19-Musee du Louvre, Paris, France *

20-The Rijksmuseum (National Museum), Amsterdam, The Netherlands*

21-Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC*

22-The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, China

23-Inhotim, Minas Gerais , Brazil

24-Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa Tongarewa)

25-Gold Museum (Museo del Oro), Bogotá, Colombia*



I still have a lot to see...


http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Attractions-cMuseums-g1

Recordando o Chile

Ontem fui à receção do dia nacional do Chile. 

Tive a oportunidade de falar, pessoalmente, com o embaixador chileno. Revelou-me que foi um exilado político neste país de 1976 a 1980, após ter estado preso 3 anos, em consequência do brutal golpe de estado militar, que derrubou o Presidente Allende e impôs o regime político ditatorial do general Pinochet. Contou que nessa época viviam aqui 50 000 exilados, uns por motivos políticos e outros económicos.

Recordámos Victor Jara, cujas canções se tornaram muito populares em Portugal, após a Revolução de 25 de Abril de 1974, cerca de um ano depois da imposição da ditadura em terras chilenas. Victor Jara foi um professor de jornalismo na Universidade do Chile. Desempenhou um papel fundamental entre os artistas chilenos, estabelecendo o movimento da Nueva Canción Chilena, que gerou uma mudança profunda na música popular do seu país, durante o governo de Salvador Allende. Logo após o golpe militar de 11 de setembro de 1973 foi preso, torturado e fuzilado.

Santiago

Palácio de La Moneda- presidência da república

As minhas memórias do Chile são, porém, muito agradáveis e já deste século (2007). A democracia plena tinha sido restaurada.
Passei três dias em Santiago e visitei a zona vinícola de Vinas del Mar.

Valparaiso

E de Valparaíso iniciei um memorável cruzeiro, que percorreu as altas e escarpadas costas chilenas e o Estreito de Magalhães e nos levou, depois, até ao Cabo Horn, Argentina, Falklands e Uruguai.

Punta Arenas

Reuniões à 6ª-feira

ao final da tarde....

...revelam uma mentalidade mesquinha e atitude tacanha. Parece que o único objetivo é aborrecer colegas e estragar o começo do fim de semana.

A arbitrariedade de quem tem o poder transforma o exercício de cargos em ridículas tiranias.

Aquilo que poderia constituir um momento de partilha e talvez até prazer entre colegas de trabalho, transforma-se em momentos desagradáveis.

Eu sei bem do que falo...

Quando os salários são cortados, as vidas pessoais muitas vezes complicadas, caberia às chefias, se inteligentes, não adicionar fardos e esforços desnecessários.

Mercado da Ribeira in The New York Times

A Makeover for a Lisbon Food Market

Teacher´s Pet

I have just seen this fabulous 1958 romantic comedy starring Doris Day and Clark Gable. Don´t miss it!

Doris Day as Erica Stone – journalism teacher at a local university.

Clark Gable as James Gannon, editor for a large newspaper, who is convinced that formal education is “a waste of time” for anyone who would like to get into journalism and newspaper business and that experience in the workplace is the key to success.

Also, Doris Day´s performance and singing in the Hitchcock film “The Man Who Knew Too Much" is outstanding and unforgettable for anyone who enjoys cinema. 

International Day of Democracy

In 2007 the United Nations resolved to observe 15 September as the International Day of Democracy—with the purpose of promoting and keeping its principles.

Democracy: "a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives.”

2014 Theme: Engaging Young People on Democracy 

"Education is the mopst powerful weapon which you can use to change the world"
Nelson Mandela.