The Mayor's a Nutter!

No, I'm not being rude about present or past incumbents of Lisbon, London, Seixal or Marco de Canavezes. It just tickled my sense of humour that Philadelphia's mayor is called Michael Nutter...

Philadelphia

Not a film revew, like so many others. No! At the ripe old age of fortysomething, I've finally visited the US, in fact this post is being written in the airport departure lounge.

As a Brit, I flew in with a sceptical attitude, and have been pleasantly surprised. Downtown Philadelphia is secure, friendly, not overcrowded and has a lot to see. In fact my only complaint is the unseasonably cold weather this week.

The historical part is, in fact, historical. It goes back to the origins of the country and, at Independence Hall, an apparently balanced view is given of the events that led to the Independence of the 13 original states from Britain and France. The Liberty Bell center then moves the original ideas of independence and freedom, through the battles to end slavery, conflicts with the Native Americans and giving the vote to women.

So all in all, a pleasant surprise and a city to be recommended for a few days as a tourist.

Tomar and the Convent of Christ

It's sometimes difficult to get time off, but last Tuesday, instead of working, I took my parents to Tomar. It's a very pretty little town, with narrow streets and a river with a variety of bridges of different heritages, but the star attraction is the Convent of Christ, on the hilltop overlooking the town centre.

As a photographer, I could have spent days there, capturing the historic details and sculptured adornments. Our mistake was to have lunch in the town before attacking the convent, so we were rather rushed and tired before we reached the end.

Enough to say the convent is HUGE! Better to arrive mid-morning, explore some, have a snack lunch at the café, and continue all afternoon. Photographers should note that the most famous photographable detail, a huge manueline window, is only in full sun from mid-afternoon. Another hint, take a tripod to capture the atmoshperic interiors - I took one but was in too much of a rush to use it.

All in all, highly recommended - possibly the most impressive historic building I have yet visited in Portugal.