INDONESIA TRIP: SINGAPORE PART I - OLD AIRPORT ROAD HAWKER CENTRE AND THE SINGAPORE NATIONAL GALLERY

 June 30, 2023

Because it was raining as it can only rain in tropical areas--like water from a firehose--we needed to go somewhere indoors. We rearranged our plans and headed to the Old Airport Road Hawker Centre. "Hawker Centres" are basically huge food courts, and they are very popular in Singapore. Opened in 1973, the one on Old Airport Road is supposed to be the biggest (over 160 food stalls) and the best.

The stalls were just beginning to open when we arrived, and there were already quite a few people scouting out the many options.

We learned right away that we needed to bus our own table.

PORTUGAL, LISBON: NATIONAL AZULEJO MUSEUM AND THE TIME OUT MARKET

 June 24, 2022

We had a little extra time before dinner and decided to visit something that was on our "B List" for Lisbon: the National Azulejo Museum. Azulejo is the Portuguese word for "tile," and as the word is used in Lisbon, it refers to a specific painted tin-glazed ceramic tile. Azulejos are everywhere in Portugal; in fact, they are probably the most iconic image of the country (at least for me). The Azulejo Museum houses one of the largest ceramics collections in the world.

If we make it back to Lisbon, I want to spend more time using the metro system. I've read that almost every station has a unique azulejo mural. 

The National Azulejo Museum was a nice blend of old and new. One of my favorite modern pieces is this whimsical blue bird with a terribly unimaginative name.

Wall Plate by Ellen Jensen (1977)

These are typical 18th century azulejos:

Gold framed azulejo: Devotional tile panel: Our Lady of Conception, St. Marcal,
St. Francis of Borjia, and Souls in Purgatory (1758)
Lower border azulejo: Ashlar with Hunting Scenes (c. 1740)