A visit in the Santa Luzia Basilica and the nearby attractions

Basilica de Santa Luiza, Viana do Castelo, Portugal

Santa Luzia Basilica has a familiar look. Built just over a hundred years ago, this basilica stands on the mountain of the same name. Her architect Miguel Ventura Terra, was inspired from the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre, Paris. It is named after Saint Lucy, patroness of eyes. The iconography of this saint is gothic and very interesting. She holds a palm branch in one hand and a golden plate with two wide open eyeballs in the other. The palm branch symbolises the victory over evil and she is said to be the protector of the sight, since her name from latin means "light". You can take the Santa Luzia elevator to reach the basilica. Classified as the Mecca of Architecture, Viana do Castelo is famous for the monuments in and around the city, and the surrounding natural beauty.

Panoramic views from Santa Luzia Basilica

Where the Lima river and the ocean meet

View from Santa Luzia

From the Santa Luzia Basilica you can spot the Eiffel bridge. It is at the end of Avenida Marginal, above the marina and was built in 1878 by the Eiffel house to replace an old wooden bridge, linking Viana with the Parish of Darque. This bridge is 600 meters long and stands over the river Lima. It is made of iron, weighing over 2 tons and sits on 9 pillars hewn more than 20 meters deep. It has two levels, one for traffic and one for the railway line. The pedestrian access is via a metal staircase.

Eiffel Bridge

A nearby city worth a visit is Vila do Conte.  It is one of the oldest towns in northern Portugal. First things first, you can stop by the Maritime Museum that is situated in the building of former Royal Customs and dedicated to the sailors and shipbuilders of Vila do Conde. In front of the Maritime Museum, you can have a look at the replica of typical Portuguese ship of end of XV, beginning of XVI centuries and feel the spirit of first Discoverers. This ship “Quenhintista” was originally build in Vila do Conde according to medieval drafts and technologies. Many mariners from the village were involved in the epic voyages during the Age of Discovery. This ocean-going ship was large enough to be stable in heavy seas, and roomy enough to carry provisions for long voyages, displayed in the harbor of the city. A DJ preparing his things for night music, was another element of this view .

A carrack in the harbour of Vila do Conde

Another thing that was amaizing to me was the way that water was brought from the mountain to the Santa Clara monastery fountain. An artificial wall canal, originally with 999 arches, more or less 4 km in length, was built between 1705 and 1714 from the Santa Clara Convent to the east, with the aim of bringing water to the monastery fountain, through its arches. 

The aquaduct, second largest in Portugal

Convent of Santa Clara was founded in 1318 by Infante Afonso Sanches and his wife Teresa Martins de Menezis. He and his wife are buried in the church of Santa Clara situated near the huge building of Convent. The present building of Convent itself was built in 1777 in early neoclassical style. There is the statue of Saint Clara with elephant on the top of the building. Unfortunately after 1974 that building was abandoned. There exist some plans to convert the building of that convent into a modern hotel. 

Santa Clara Convent and a view of the Gothic Santa Clara Church (1318) behind

Convent of Santa Clara is situated on the top of the hill dominating the city of Vila do Conde so it is impossible to miss it.

The town of Vila do Conde on the River Ave

On the way back to the highway you can notice a building that is neither mosque nor synagogue, located on a massive rock overlooking the River Ave. It caught my attention. This is the Roman Cotholic Nossa Senhora do Socorro Chapel and it presents a peculiar architecture, with a square plan, covered by a dome. It was built by Gaspar Manuel, a knight of the Order of Christ who traveled much to India, China and Japan and his wife Barbara Ferreira de Almeida. They both are buried there.

Nossa Senhora do Socorro Chapel

You can end your day with the best view of the sunset in the ocean.   

A trip to Netherlands...

Utrecht, Netherlands

Welcome guys. This post is about a spontaneous trip that I did to Netherlands. It was all last minute. I found a very cheap direct one way plane ticket and I flew like 7 hours later. It was a two hours and half plane trip. I booked my hotel from booking.com and it was at a very good discounted price. I would definitely suggest you to book from this site. The funny fact is that when I extended my stay from the hotel reception, it was at full price, while at booking.com the hotel still had the discounted price. So definitely check this site out. I stayed at Hotel Theatre Figi in Zeist, Utrecht and it was a very good choice.

Hotel Theatre Figi, Zeist, Utrecht

Here is the view from the front door of the hotel. Actually the street was full of little shops and restaurants.  In this pic it is shown the Hermitage Restaurant. There I had the chef's special 2 course menu, which was great in design and very creative. Overall it was a very good atmosphere and service.

Actually each restaurant in the street had its own beer. I noticed people would spent hours in a restaurant with a beer talking with each other, same as we do with a coffee. The day was really long, too. It wouldn't get dark before 11 PM, so the hours were well spent. Another thing that surprised me was that the shops would close before 6 PM everywhere. 

If you happen to visit Utrecht, definitely book a bike. You could do a nice ride down the woods. 

Zeist woods, Utrecht, Netherlands

The second day I took the bus to the Utrecht University. Well, this trip wasn't for nothing... Just saying ;)  I can't really remember its number, but the buses were really punctual there. The bus station was next to the hotel too, so great location Figi... Here there is a pic from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Utrecht University. Do you notice anything strange?

Well, these sheep are not like any other. They are just out of the university and have graduated 'Magma Cum Laude'... Hahaha. Just kidding ;).

After I left, I took the train to the Amsterdam Centraal. I had to visit Amsterdam, being so near it. If you are in Amsterdam and you don't know where to start your endeavors from, definitely try a canal cruise and boat tour. It will show and tell you, all you need to hear, even in three languages, Dutch, German and French. Don't forget to tip the Captain, when you leave...

Pirates ship in Amsterdam

Clover Sign on the door 

Centraal Station Amsterdam

After the boat trip I really wanted an ice-cream. Kind of random, isn't it? While I was searching for an ice-cream shop down the street, I could see a crowd of people, some with cameras, coming and going... I do not know if in the neighborhood I was in, that was a rare thing, but a little smoke was coming from one window and everybody was like panicking a bit and trying to register this moment with their cameras. I took example from everybody else and I photographed it too. 

I really like the curtains and yellow flowers in these windows. Aren't they lovely? 

Finally I found the ice-cream shop and I sat at the park near a canal to eat it. Immediately some pigeons came near me to eat the crombs from the ice cream cone. I was feeding them, when this proud seagull, flew down from a high roof, with the severity of an Army General. 

He frightened all the pigeons and after that did three marches up and down, as to take my permission to eat the ice cream cone, I previously gave to the pigeons. 

When he saw that the 'human' didn't do anything to stop or banish him, he proudly took the ice cream cone as a trophy and flew, where he came from. 

I looked up and saw that most of the roofs in Amsterdam were filled with seagulls. So know this as a fact. In Amsterdam "the Seagulls are watching you!!!" Hahahaha...

Before leaving I went to the Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek. I really enjoyed my time there. 

It was a nice day in Amsterdam. This is the car I bought back there... Do you like it? 

Just kidding, again... ;) As I mentioned in the first sentences of this blog I had found an one way plane ticket to Amsterdam. It was a difficult task to find the returning ticket, so I had to do a 2 transit stop plane trip to get home, after about a 20 hour journey. Other than that, it a was a very nice experience. 

That was it, for this post, too. Best wishes! 

Hagia Sophia, the door opens...

Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul, Turkey

I went to Istanbul because of a World-meeting Congress in the field of Pharmaceutics, where I had the possibility to present my research done at that time. One day after my presentation I had the possibility to visit the Hagia Sophia.

Once upon a time a Byzantine Church, now a museum, the Hagia Sophia stands a top the first hill of Constantinople at the tip of the historic peninsula, surrounded by the waters of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn on three sides. 

The entrance to the Hagia Sophia Museum

It was in a beautiful location, but a bit of a hassle to find the way to the entrance, since there were a lot of reparations being done on the streets and our taxi driver was one of those, who would run you into circles, just for the extra miles. However, all aside, we finally entered the location. Instantly a feeling of peace surrounded me. 

Waiting in line in front of the walls of Hagia Sophia Museum

It was apparent that this place was full of mysteries and that intrigued me. I wish I had payed more attention before entering the museum, because just around the corner there was a small wooden shop offering headphones that would assist you, just as a cicerone would, for just 10 euros. Oh, well... 

Secret Chambers in Hagia Sophia

A very deep and dark tunnel like hole in the underground labyrinths of Hagia Sophia

I could not see the end of this tunnel, surely filled with secrets I can only imagine...

Underground Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is the only building in the world designed as a great church, not to have extensive and well-explored underground areas, whether they be crypts, burial chambers or catacombs. This pics were taken before entering the museum.

Burial remains in front of the Hagia Sophia Museum

Careful not to fall, he he 

This is also the only building in the world that has altogether symbolism from Paganism, Christianity and Sunni Muslims. To be honest I felt that the restorations left a lot to desire... When visiting Hagia Sophia, the neglect due to the water damage and decay that exists in the building is apparent...

View of the magnificent Hagia Sophia Dome

Most of the Christian features were removed but many others were still there, together with some pagan symbols that we can often find in churches (see this colons are filled with pagan symbols) .

Christian and Muslim symbols overwritten

Here the underneath cross can easily be distinguished. Also in the pictures below the efforts for the metamorphosis of the church into a mosque are evident.

Islamic Art in Hagia Sophia

Under the Islamic Art the Christian Symbols can be clearly seen

Hagia Sophia

Marbles at Hagia Sophia

Actually it would undoubtedly be a very significant gesture from the Turkish government to return Hagia Sophia to its original Christendom today, but of course that can never be...As a Museum, this structure must remain a testimony to its past, Pagan, Christian and Muslim alike, standing to tell a story, in its structure and stones.

Another thing that caught my eye were the massive caliphs on the Dome. They are pretty controversial because of their over-bearing size. Here is one of them.

A view of the caliphs and the Hagia Sophia Dome

One reason for not removing the caliphs is said to be because of their size and that they would have to be destroyed in order to be removed. While a balance is attempting to be made between Christian and Muslim Art, the over-bearing designs of the caliphs strikes a person as soon as they walk into the main part of the structure. Is this a balance or just a statement of superiority? This is surely open to interpretation...

Uncovered treasures in Hagia Sophia, awaiting to see the light.

Even though I somehow feel grateful that this magnificent building wasn't destroyed, may be because of the religion and mysticism surrounding it, a careful eye would clearly see that there are so many uncovered jewels underneath the first facade... In the above image, is it me or can you too see a manlike form underneath the deterioration? 

Another issue is the alleged mosaic of Christ as Master of the World under the Islamic calligraphy on the Dome. It is unknown with any degree of certainty if this mosaic truly exists. If restoration efforts were undertaken to restore this mosaic, and the Islamic art, covering it was destroyed, what would happen if the mosaic was not there? 

Interior view of the Hagia Sophia dome and the angels surrounding it.

But on the other hand in this image it is shown the interior view of the dome. Surely the Angels would not have been placed to surround an empty dome, would they?...

Angels with covered faces in Hagia Sophia

The faces of these angels are mostly covered (in my knowledge in the Islamic Art it is forbidden to draw faces), but there is one of them, whose face was uncovered in 2010. A seraph most likely, since it has with 6 wings and that no one has set eyes on its face for more than 160 years...It is shown in the image below. 

The face of the seraph, finally sees the light after more than 160 years

View of the mosaic from below

The Archangel Gabriel was also there. It was like he showed his face from the nothingness near him, as to say, there is more in the unseen then in the known. But sometimes it is better to be in the mystery, in the unknown...I am sure you get what I mean...

Archangel Gabriel mosaic at Hagia Sophia

View of the Archangel Gabriel mosaic from another angle

Some of the symbolism in Hagia Sophia was adopted from the Paganism, as I said in the beginning. For example, the iconography of Virgin Mary and Jesus come from the ancient Egyptian tradition. They are said to be the representation of Goddess Isis and Horus. The halo refers to the God Sun, known as Ra in ancient Egyptian mythology, as depicted in the picture below.

Iconography of Virgin Mary and Jesus as the representation of Goddess Isis and Horus

A representation of tridents and dolphins, indicating some form of worship to Neptune/Poseidon and a reference to Atlantis is shown on this panel.

Pagan symbols in Hagia Sophia. Dolphins and tridents.

On each column on the upper gallery there is a capital with monograms. In some of them it is represented the Ankh (the Egyptian key of life) and a Freemasonry symbol. Who put these symbols up there? It’s still a mystery... Interesting isn't it? Next time you visit a historic place keep an eye for the Pagan symbols...

Freemasonry symbols in the colons of Hagia Sophia

Colons filled with monograms in Hagia Sophia

At last here is the circle, where the Emperors would be enthroned... I wanted to get in the middle of the circle, but it was strictly forbidden. Apparently if you are not an Emperor or a cleaner you can not get past security, he he...

The circle, where the Emperors would be enthroned in Hagia Sophia

The experience in Hagia Sophia was an unforgettable one. It was a very cold place, where time flies by. I have stayed there for approximately 6 hours, without even noticing it. Below are some other pics worth sharing. If you are like me, you sure enjoy photos.

Mosaics in Hagia Sophia

Mosaics on one very high door in the magnificent Hagia Sophia 

Cat sleeping inside the Hagia Sophia Museum

As you can see in this last pic there is a kitty cat sleeping comfortably. I called her twice, but she was quite lazy and responded by just wigging her tail as to say 'leave me in peace'.

I would definitely advice you to visit Hagia Sophia, if the opportunity arises. The atmosphere there speaks louder then any words. It is a magnificent place worth seeing. After the visit I suggest a boat ride in the Marmaris sea...From the Hagia Sophia Museum it is just a 15-20 minutes walk, to get to the seaside. 

View from a 45 minutes boat travel in the Marmaris sea

I hope you enjoyed this first post... Best wishes!