Portuguese Magic

— Those who know me well are aware of my relation with seafood. So, if you’re asking why a photo of a sardine store interested me, the answer is very simple: it was like magic, like walking into a candy store! It truly made me thoughts of the 1971 Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie, except that here it was the Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardines store. While in Lisbon a few weeks ago, we absolutely fell in love with the city. A lot of it had to do with the people, the history and places such as the one in the photos here. We enjoyed walking up and down Rua Augusta, and this store always seemed intriguing. This particular day we had had some drizzle late afternoon. People were not out much, which made it perfect for me to get this shot without anyone in the picture, except inside the store. The wet sidewalks and store lights gave this warm feeling in the shot. The store, as you guessed it, sells cans of sardines. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of cans, each with a particular year. The years go back to the 1900s, and I even saw a stack of cans with my birth year. On the can, there are facts and trivia about that particular year, and that makes it very interesting. I don’t know that people actually buy those products there, but the store is frequently very crowded. The shot below is the store ceiling central section. It was all fascinating and like magic to my eyes!