Feira da Ladra

Photo: Valen

The stalls of the Feira da Ladra (Thieve's Market) has occupied the edge of Alfama for over a century. It is opened from Tuesday to Saturday from 7.30am-1pm.

Photo: Valen

As the fame of this flea market has grown, bargains are increasingly hard to find .

Photo: Valen

Few of the vendors have interesting peace of art, others sell shoes and second hand-clothes.

Photo: Valen

Among the mass of selling articles you can find things you could never imagine someone would actually buy.

Photo: Valen

In the central covered marketplace you can buy fish, vegetables and herbs. Around it you can buy anything else.

Alfama

Photo: Valen

On the way to Alfama, there is a Cathedral Se, a large Romanesque fortress was build in 1150 by Alfonso Henriques. It is te burial place for Lisbon's patron saint, St. Anthony.

Photo: Valen

A fascinating quarter with its steep streets and steps is also accessible by tram.

Photo: Valen

The old houses facing the river open picturesque gates at the heart of Alfama, like the Arco de Jesus in the photo above.

Photo: Valen

Casa dos Bicos - the conspicuous house, faced with diamond-shaped stones, was built in 1523. It stands in Rua dos Bacalhoeiros (street of the cod fishermen) so it is no surprise it was once used for salting fish.

Lights of Lisbon

Photo: Valen

Praça do Comércio

Lisbon switch one the lights around Christmas. The streets downtown and in major commercial areas are now lit up and decorated with the spirit of the holiday season.

Photo: Valen

The triumphal arc (Rua Augusta)

From November until Janaury, thousands of lights and illuminated monuments convert the city into a fairytale scene.

Photo: Valen

The triumphal arc (Praça do Comércio)

The impressive triumphal arc leads from Praça do Comércio into Rua Augusta and is a gateway to the Baixa.

Photo: Valen

Rossio square

The biggest attraction is Rossio Square, where shiny trees surround the statue of Dom Pedro IV.

Portugal passes austerity budget

Photo: AP

Portugal's parliament has passed an austerity budget on Friday, aimed to cut the country's high debt levels and restore the confidence of financial market. The budget provides for measures to cut the deficit from 7.3% of economic output this year to 4.6% in 2011.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates said the budget's passage concluded many months of political battles that at one point threatened the government's survival. For the next week he announced a series of meeting with social representatives, managers and worker unions to began a social dialogue.

The opposition Social Democrats oppose tax rises, preferring spending cuts, but agreed last week to abstain from voting. The conservative nationalist CDS-PP said the budget is insufficient to reassure markets about the state of Portugal's economy. The budget raised controversy also among public and private workers, culminating in the Wednesday general strike.

Cinema Odeon, Lisbon

The cinema Odeon was opened on 21. September 1927 and
modernized in 1933. It debuted with a silent movie The Merry Widow of Erich von Stroheim. The cinema seated 691 spectators over the parterre, two balconies and boxes. On the ground floor had a restaurant-brewery with the same name. It was closed in 1993.



Located on Rua dos Condes, Nº 2-20, this reamainder of the Art Deco period,which is especially observable in it's stage gable, was projected by Guilherme A. Soares.

Photo: Valen

Under a wooden ceiling of Brazil
in the form of ship's keel,
a central neon chandelier and
a mechanism to illuminate
the room with natural light,
it projected silent and spoken
movies from Portugal and foreign
countries from Laura Alves
to Madalena Iglésias, Joselito,
Lang, Tod Browning, Eisenstein,
Cukor, Capra etc.

Photo: Valen

Now

Photo: Valen

Years ago

Photo: Estúdio Horácio Novais

Fotografia sem data. Produzida durante a actividade do Estúdio Horácio Novais, 1930-1980.

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General Strike in Portugal

Workers against austerity cuts - First mass strike after 22 years

Photo: Valen

Public and privat sector workers has joind a one-day strike on Wednesday to protest government's austerity measures, which are meant to result in tax increases, lower wages, freezing pensions and cuts in social services.

The transport sector was crippled by the stoppage of flights, rail services, urban transport, including ferry, metro and 60 per cent of bus services. Rubbish collection, healthcare and banking were all disrupted.

On Friday the Parliament is set to vote on a budget to tackle the debt crisis. The Socialist government wants to quell international unease over the country's public spending and deficit by cost-cutting programmes. The budget is expected to have an easy passage through parliament, since the main opposition party sais it will not block it.

Photo: Valen

Photo: Valen

Photo: Valen

Gallery

Madrid

Photo: Valen

Forget the principal touristic areas and take the opposite direction. Torre de Madrid, the skyscraper constructed in the 1950s, will show you the way back to the center.

Photo: Valen

On cold November nights you can't miss a walk on almost solitary streets away from the crowd of Gran Via. There you can find unusual shops and restaurants frequented by locals.