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lisboa: linha verde tiles

Portugal, Lisboa, Metro, subway, linha verde, tiles, azulejos

Got your pass ready?

Let’s start our exploration of the Metro at the waterfront. A ship symbolizes the green line, at one time alternatively named the Linha Caravela. Although I can’t confirm this theory, I believe Metro officials adopted dual names as a navigation aid for the 1998 World Expo: four lines, four colors, four symbols. Text references to these navigation aids have been abandoned, but their symbols still decorate signage.

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lisboa metro: tiles

Portugal, Lisboa, Metro, tiles, azulejos, Rossio

Almost every Lisbon guidebook calls the subway system “an underground museum.” Sounds a bit cliché, but Metro stations contain so many different tile panels that the phrase holds true. However, the original network almost neglected any type of decoration. Here’s how Lisboa’s Metro became a vibrant gallery space & the perfect thing to visit on a rainy day.

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usa: cedar rapids

USA, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, houses

Pretty much everything about this year has been unexpected, including major health problems for both my aunt & uncle… at the same time. We’re a family of three people only, so I went in February to Cedar Rapids to help however I could. Almost 25 years had passed since I’d last visited! Normally I would have looked forward to the trip, but I was in crisis mode with very few days available. Plus a wind chill of -25°F prevented me from exploring more. About the only memories that come to mind are yummy smells from the Quaker Oats factory plus a couple of beautiful, cold weather sunsets.

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aveiro: architecture

Portugal, Aveiro, architecture, Art Deco

Since I work as a tour guide, when I go somewhere new I adopt a very different philosophy from most travellers: minimal research before arrival, explore on foot once there, then investigate online at night. This method works well since I’m often several days in a single spot. My kind of travel. As I walked from the train station to my hotel along the main avenue, the architecture of Aveiro turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

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