It's wonderful to be here. The Christmas season is upon us, and it's being celebrated brilliantly (i.e., with lot's of lights and window displays.)
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| Roasted chestnuts on a cold night. |
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| The tree at Praça República |
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| Closer to the tree. Isn't it beautiful? |
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| These two pics were part of the same window display |
I have always liked window displays, miniatures, and animated scenes. All these little scenes were animated. I was entranced.
Then last evening we were doing one of our walk-abouts — in the rain, no less — and the rain didn't seem to daunt anyone else, either. Rain or shine, tourist come and locals turn out to shop and then have a drink or a bite in one of the many cafés, bars, and restaurants.
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And on a previous afternoon, when it wasn't raining, so many were sitting at outside tables and some were eating ice cream cones. But it is amazing: What once would have struck me as weather too cold to get out and about in now seems just . . . invigorating.
But never too cold for a parade! In Braga, any time is a time to celebrate, and there is a fabulous drumming group that comes out for all these celebration. We followed them around for a while, and what struck me was how musical drums can be. They even seemed to change key at times. I got only a photo or two and one short video, but you can see the little girl skip-dancing to the beat as the crowd follows the drummers around the corner.
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| The drummers and crowd. |
I have to confess, Christmas is my favorite holiday, and the Christmas season is my favorite time of the year. (Well, I love fall - which is also very beautiful here):
How about you? Do you like animated miniatures? What is your favorite holiday and season?
