Social2

Instagram

xmichaelraymondx

The Debra and I bid a (hopefully temporary) fond f

The Debra and I bid a (hopefully temporary) fond farewell to Porto today. We're on the train to Lisbon in a couple of hours for flights tomorrow. Debra will fly back to the U.S., and I'll be on my way to Amsterdam. I'll leave you with this shot of Herself near the bottom of the 577 stairs leading up to the church at Bom Jesus do Monte Braga. (Although we went down them, we didn't climb them - we took the funicular. The weather was hot!) #Portugal #Braga #bomjesus #travel

Puff puff give! Puff puff give! (Shreet art in Por

Puff puff give! Puff puff give! (Shreet art in Porto.) #streetart #aliens #weed #friday #porto #travel #portugal

Hanging with The Debra at the beach in Portugal to

Hanging with The Debra at the beach in Portugal today, and will be hanging at the beach with dear friends in the Netherlands in sevendays. Really looking forward to it!

In 1755, Lisbon was hit by a 9.0 earthquake when e

In 1755, Lisbon was hit by a 9.0 earthquake when everybody was in church for All Saints Day. The buildings collapsed and all the candles lit for All Saints Day started widespread fires that burned throughout the city for five days. To escape the fires, people ran down to the river, which had receded, and were then drowned when a 30-foot/9-meter tsunami rolled in, followed by two more tsunamis. 60,000 - 100,000 people died.

Now here is a picture of a man wearing 3-D glasses whilst riding a stingray.

That feeling when you finish a toasty hot shower a

That feeling when you finish a toasty hot shower and then open the shower to grab a towel...

I know I posted a pic of these custardy crack bomb

I know I posted a pic of these custardy crack bombs once already, but they haunt me and I had to post another pic. These are from a place in Porto: Castro - Atelier de Pastéis de Nata, a known dealer in substances designed to make you chubby. https://castropasteisdenata.pt/en/

Eating my required two pastéis yesterday, I was reminded of the lyrics from a late Eighties/early Nineties hair band:

🎶 Heaven isn't too far awaayyyy-eeay
Eat pastéis every dayyy-uhyay
No matter what the diet books say
Just do not weigh 🎶

Also, dear friends, The Debra has taken a class on how to make these little fat bombs. It's going to be a delicious autumn!

Instagram post 17910594107561301

Instagram post 17910594107561301

Debra and I saw this while looking through real es

Debra and I saw this while looking through real estate ads in Porto. What are the odds the wall art was *not* purchased at IKEA?

What do you call a piece of bread loaded with bolo

What do you call a piece of bread loaded with bologna, fresh sausage, red sausage, beef steak, ham, cheese, and a fried egg, surrounded by a moat of french fries, and guaranteed to cause cardiac arrest in a cardiovascularly stellar athlete? Why, you call it a Francesinha Santiago. And where do you get one of these delicious, death-on-bread monstrosities? Why, you get one in Porto, at Café Santiago!

After three fun weeks in Lisbon, we're off to expl

After three fun weeks in Lisbon, we're off to explore Portugal's second largest city: Porto!

Sailing on the Tagus River, which flows alongside

Sailing on the Tagus River, which flows alongside Lisbon. That's the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) beyond Debra, which was built in 1960 to commemorate the fifth centenary of Prince Henry the Navigator, who discovered the Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde, as well as sponsored Portuguese exploration in the 15th century. He also funded the African slave trade, so there's that, too.

Alas, they didn't all make it to the Egg Custard C

Alas, they didn't all make it to the Egg Custard Class of '22 group photo.

It's not the most Portuguese of dishes, but when i

It's not the most Portuguese of dishes, but when isn't a goopygooey cheese fondue the right thing for dinner? Unless you're one of those luckless lactose-intolerant souls, in which case yeeeaaahhh, notsogood.

A street art depiction of a fado singer in Lisbon.

A street art depiction of a fado singer in Lisbon. I'm not steeped in the history of fado, so I don't know which singer this image represents - maybe the first star of the genre, Maria Severa, who died in 1846 at age 26?

Now, what exactly is fado? Allow Wikipedia to enlighten us all.

"Fado has been described as the Portuguese expression of the blues, and the word roughly means fate...or destiny..." and "today...is commonly regarded as simply a form of song which can be about anything...characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fate and melancholy...loosely captured by the Portuguese word saudade, or longing, symbolizing a feeling of loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent lifelong damage)."

A little Lisbon street art for your Sunday.

A little Lisbon street art for your Sunday.

Torre de Belém, Lisbon, Portugal.

Torre de Belém, Lisbon, Portugal.

A little singed on the edges and too brown on top,

A little singed on the edges and too brown on top, but the filling was delish!

Prepping for my first-ever apple pie. I am dubious

Prepping for my first-ever apple pie. I am dubious of success, but shall gather strength and press on. Wish me luck, my fellow babies.

Commence the holiday jiggling!

Commence the holiday jiggling!

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Twitter

September 12, 2022

Michael Raymond
@MWRaymond

This is pretty cool. I've seen the redwoods in California—they are utterly majestic. t.co/mWvpQluXCO

August 27, 2022

Donald Trump -satire
@SmallHandsDon

@TheLeoTerrell This ...

Retweeted by Michael Raymond

Show Media

Tweet Media

August 6, 2022

Titus
@TitusNation

Best

Retweeted by Michael Raymond

Show Media

Tweet Media

May 29, 2022

bettemidler
@BetteMidler

Retweeted by Michael Raymond

Show Media

Tweet Media

May 1, 2022

Michael Raymond
@MWRaymond

@ellleighclarke Be sure to share!