A few weeks back travelling through the South of Spain i came across Granada. Not really coming across 'cause i did knew i'd be there .. so a week before i made my stay in Granda as blissfull as possible. Went on the internet and googled : Best place for Pedro to sleep in. The result after a few hours searching was this hotel by the name of Gar'Anat : Hotel de Peregrinos. When walking around the city , feeling the 42 degrees heat .. nothing like returning to the peacefull winter cold hotel. Maybe it ain't cheap but we only get to live once ... so like in Bangkok i realized there wouldn't be a first time in  that city again and spleashed the little money i had in a great experience. From the Hamman to the Allambra, all the way through the Ice creams and the Tapas ending in the "Tinto de Verano" .. Viva Granada!

Link Hotel : GAR'ANAT

These TED talks are something worth listening and thinking about. Whether it's some inspiring story, the crude reality or an inventor showing off his latest "trick" ..TED will make you a better person :) The first of the talks i leave on my blog goes for Misha Glenny. I first heard of this man when i deeply studied the Balcan conflict of the 90's on 2008 ..hehe. He was a correspondent there for the whole conflict .. before, during and after. Listen. LINK

Roma 01
Já tinha chegado com o meu Clio até Florença. Pensei que seria o meu limite em Km's de distancia percorrida a cavalo da minha maquina Françesa. Quando começei a traçar a rota do meu Interrail "Before-30-or-Else", Roma foi uma escolha óbvia para primeira parada. Lisboa-Hendaye-Nice-Roma. A última parte da viagem, desde Nice até Roma quase perdia o comboio que chegou muito muito atrasado. No night Train (nome real) para Roma, conheci um Californiano (John) que viajava por Europa sozinho. Os seus amigos tinham vindo para o continente uns meses antes e ele nao tinha viajado com eles porque estava em estágio. Quando terminou, veio para aqui. Sozinho a passar pelos mesmo sítios. Os americanos ás vezes sao esquisitos. Cheguei a Roma ás 7 da manha. Lembro-me de os 3 (Eu, o Okapi e o John) sairmos de Termini pela porta grande, respirar-mos fundo e dizer/pensar : "Uma nova cidade, Uma nova capital ... bora lá!". Pequenos Almoços a preço de Ouro. Cocktails de garrafa nos Spanish Steps e o encantamento de vêr uma cidade como creio que nao há em lado nenhum. Mais história e monumentos por metro quadrado que qualquer sítio no mundo. Roma SPQR.

Roma 02
Coming out of a challenging 3 week trip to India, i felt compeled to treat myself to a western world SPA on the form of a 3 day stay in Rome. No Xamuças. No cows, camels, monkeys or dozens of kids running around and into you. No more feeling like a film star. Just an anonymous soul wondering around. No questions asked. I spent an entire day on St. Peters square. Taking photos. Stopped for a Panino aroung noon. Photos and more photos. Of religious people. Of kids running over MiguelAngelo's floor, diving on Bernini fountains ... screaming beneath Pope John Paul II room. He never came out the window complaining. Nice guy. Saved a bunch of Czech girls from Italian policeman .. who were more than helpfull. I stepped in and said i was their boyfriend. They were 9 .. but the policemen understood what i meant and left. We all walked around chatting and eventually parted ... they left me a Czech coin. Went on to visit a Warhol exhibition and that finish my western world welcoming home party.

Rome 03

Res millor que tornar a Roma per un cap de setmana. Sugestions :

Dormir : Orange Hotel
Menjar : Da Baffetto

Torres Novas. Escola Secundária Maria Lamas. Um verao qualquer ao redor dos 13 anos, joguei neste campo cada um dos dias em que nao estive em Sao Martinho do Porto. Contra gente mais velha que eu. Contra gente que jogava mais que eu. Muito mais que eu. 1 ano mais tarde eu e o Recruta pequenino, ganhamos um jogo de 2x2 contra o Lobo e o Recruta grande. Nesse mesmo ano ganhamos um jogo de 2x2 contra o Prof. Mané e o Prof. Monteiro. Durante uma mao cheia de anos aqui terminavam as minhas tardes de Basket. Um dia o Carlos respondeu á minha mae que eu sempre estava aqui. Sempre. Aqui eu e a Sandra ganhavamos a tudo e a todos. No final dos jogos, cansados e deitados no cimento quente, faziamos festas improvisadas com copos de papel a transbordar de água.

Quem se lembra desta Escola? Quem se lembra deste campo de basket?

Гэта першы і, верагодна, у апошні раз я нічога пісаць пра Bielorrussia. Я толькі што даведаўся, што яна складаецца з 3 рэгіёнаў. Возера, лясы і балоты. Яна прыгожая міс ў 2008 званыя Вольга Hižinkova.

Сёння іх Футбол чэмпіёнаў будзе гуляць супраць маёй каманды Бэнфіка. Магчыма, вынік гульні будзе перамога на маёй баку .. Верагодна, няма. Я проста настроіцца на радыё, калі я мыла лесвіцы супольнасць і, спадзяюся, я буду спяваць песні Бэнфіка ўсе ночы напролет.

I just found a world of amazing and beautifull things about Minsk and the country in general. Their traditions, best cakes and wild animals. Strangely i also feel compeled to share a wonderful Poem by famous Ukrainian/Bielorruss poet Taras Shevchenko:

The Mighty Dnieper

The mighty Dnieper roars and bellows,
The wind in anger howls and raves,
Down to the ground it bends the willows,
And mountain-high lifts up the waves.

The pale-faced moon picked out this moment
To peek out from behind a cloud,
Like a canoe upon the ocean
It first tips up, and then dips down.

The cocks don't crow to wake the morning,
There's not as yet a sound of man,
The owls in glades call out their warnings,
And ash trees creak and creak again.

** For Translation from Bielorrus to Brazilian Portuguese, Catalan or American English

Next weekend i'll be heading on to Rome. No money in my pocket but a world of illusion. Hope that's enough somehow. I'll be sleeping near St. Peter's Square.This time i hope i can see the Pope and eventually ask his opinion on Benfica's current form. I'm sure the Catholic church has been following closely the production of the men in red. Specially because Benfica's coach goes by the uncommon name of Jesus. Not Belzebu, Batman, Garfield or Apple Pie ... Just Jesus. He does look kind of weird and crazy but i guess the original Jesus didn't qualify for the "Most Handsome Hebrew this side of the Eufrates". Hey .. this is me just guessing, i really don't care as long as my team keeps winning. So when the Pope comes out his windows, waving, among cheers and long live the Pope chants, i'll throw in my litle stone of wisdom in form of a whistle or song. "Allways look at the bright side of life" by the Monty Pithons was a serious contender but i'll settle with "Ser Benfiquista" our Benfica hymn. I'll try to train a pidgeon or two to emulate our team's Royal Eagle flight before each game ... hope that goes well.
Best Wishes,
Pedro

My Hotel : Orange Hotel, Fluffy Beds
My Team : Benfica, the Mighty Ones
My Pope : Benedict, the Joyful
My Pizzeria : MangiaNapoli, with or without Cheese
My Pidgeon : Not an Eagle but close

Este é o melhor jogo que existe para a Nintendo Wii. Digo isto com toda a autoridade que 3 dias de jogo ininterrupto me dao para dar opinioes ao calhas. Tenho 21 jogos, obtidos de uma forma mais ou menos lícita de amigos comunitários e de todos estes jogos, Rayman Raving Rabbids é o melhor. Se tens a tábua melhor ... tens 1001 e uma coisas mais dentro do jogo para desfrutar. Yupeeeeee.

Infelizmente e porque tudo o que é materialmente bom sempre acaba (hehe) esta tarde deixarei de ter consola outra vez. Retorno a Wii ao seu dono, pensando que num futuro mais ou menos próximo também eu terei uma coisita branca com um pontinho azul junto á televisao em frente ao sofá. Uma só para mim. Se nao sabes o que oferecer ao Pedro no Natal de este ano...

Download Rayman Raving Rabbids : LINK

Bangkok (Thailand) : Ibrik Resort by The River
Dificult to find but what a wonderful choice for an amazing stay in Bangkok. Would return in a blik of an eye. Waking up to the river sounds. Staring at night to the other shore where the golden temples are. The small market by the Hoetl selling a million strange things. The people working in the hotel had an english vocabulary of 4 words. No more. And it was more than enough for a great breakfasts and massage.














Koh Samui (Thailand) : Red House Boutique Hotel
Keeping on with the desire of staying as close to the water as possible, this was a clear choice in Koh Samui. I'ts in the middle of the fisherman's village near Bophut Beach. Nothing like waking up in the morning, walk down to the beach and dive. Yupeeeee













Penang Island (Malaysia) : Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
Protected by Unesco , won a prize a few years ago as the most excellent recuperation of an historic monument. It's a Museum and a Hotel. Several films have taken place on this amazing location. The breakfast i had in here was the best i had in many years. If you can't stay here , at least visit the house. Not To Miss!














Pulau Perhentian (Malaysia) : Perhentian Tunabay Island Resort
This was the view from my beach hut. Nothing like staying close to the water. Dive and hot water. Clown Fish just in front of my hut. Had a wreck dive that made me feel like Jean Jacques Costeau. A little bit. This was a slice of heaven for me. Heaven.