I’ve seen photos but they just don’t do justice to the tile you find in Lisbon. It became a common thing that as we were exploring in all directions from our neighborhood, we would point out especially nice tile to each other. And of course, take photos. From a distance, the tile often blends to one color, but as you approach you can see the detail. And wow, the detail. Often there are two kinds of tile, one as the main one and a coordinating or contrasting style that is the border. In some cases, the border tile must curve around doorways and windows which requires special tile.
I liked imagining, based on color and style, when the tile was applied. Who knows if I was right, but certain tile reminded me of wallpaper we found in our Maine house from the 1920s and another one screamed that dark, earthy brown I remember from the late 1960s and 1970s. I loved that some was spare in its colors while others were explosions of polychrome.
I got in the habit of just taking most photos at eye level standing on the sidewalk right next to it. The white you see is the edge of a door or a window. I thought that might help with scale, but maybe not. At a point, I imagined that people inside might be looking out at me, capturing an image of the wall next to their window and thinking me some kind of oddball or peeping tom. Guilty on the first part, not on the second.
I can only think to put these in a gallery and it is probably going to be more than anyone out there wants to see. But the color and variety of tile I found absolutely stunning. The best in eye candy. Seeing tile on buildings will now forever remind me of our wanderings in Lisbon.
