Traveling in my armchair through detective fiction, songs, movies, food, and crafts
I started learning Portuguese because of Fado. When I first visited Lisbon in the early 2000s, I was immediately charmed by the city, the culture, and the people. I hadn’t heard anything about Fado until I found myself one evening in a Fado house for dinner. A whole new world of listening opened up for…
I love fado because of the passion that’s audible in the singer’s voice; because of the skillful (portuguese) guitar accompaniments that often become second vocals; because of the rubato, the free flowing, almost irregular use of tempo and pauses; because of the way fado is performed, up-close and personal; I love fado because it speaks…
My first attempt at making Pastéis de Nata, the portuguese egg custard pastry! They didn’t turn out the way I wanted and only faintly tasted like the original – but they were delicious in their own way! I’ll try a different recipe and if I get a better result, I’ll share it. Below you’ll also…
On my very first cab ride from Lisbon airport to downtown, I heard Amália sing of the city at night on the cab driver’s radio. It felt like a movie scene and it’s something I’ll never forget. I know Fado is an intense musical genre and not everyone’s cup of chá (🤓). It’s the perfect…
Have you ever been to a World Fair (World Expo)? I’ve been to one (I think I was ten?), but I don’t really remember much – except for the long car ride with my parents, and feeling overwhelmed 🙈🙉🙊 In Francisco José Viegas’s “Um Crime na Exposição” (1998) three corpses are discovered on the Expo…