St Alban’s was a church in Wood Street. Only its tower now remains.

This is how my week started. A beautiful day, I bought my lunch in the supermarket and went to the Postman’s park again. In the way to the park, I stopped at this lonely tower in the middle of modern buildings and made some pictures with my new mobile phone.

It’s quite funny to work in the City and at the same time, being a kind of tourist, taking pictures in my lunchtime.

Back to the lonely tower…. it dated back to 793, the church was completely destroyed in the Great Fire of London then rebuilt in 1685 in the Gothic style. The building was partially destroyed in 1940 during the Blitz, leaving only the tower.

Lonely tower.

Only its tower now remains.

The church was rebuilt it in 1685 in the Gothic style.

This week was so busy… I am glad it’s Friday!

Unfortunately I couldn’t post pictures from the City in the last two days because I had some business and personnal affairs during lunch time.

But today I finally went to the place I was looking forward to go! The Postman’s park!

Graveyard of Christ Church Greyfriars, Postman’s park.

It is located between King Edward Street, Little Britain and Angel Street and it’s got my attention because the park features in the film Closer, one of my favs.

Remember Natalie Portman’s character (I love her!) real name on the movie was not Alice? She takes her pseudonym Alice from one of the painted tiles located in this park.

Alice and Dan (Jude Law’s character) were on the way to his office after she left hospital, when they stop by Postman’s park, and he asked for her name. She was staring at the tiles and saw Alice was a girl who saved 3 children from a burning house - at the cost of her own life… and so she said her name was Alice. Beautiful, isn’t it?

The memorial in the park was created to celebrate the heroism of people who may otherwise have been forgotten. I think it’s very poetic!

The park Dan and Alice walk through is Postman’s Park in London.

Postman’s Park was created in 1880!

Celebrating the heroism of people who may otherwise have been forgotten, such Alice Ayres.

Today I was very determined about where to go for lunch: Pudding Lane. I was looking forward to see where the Great Fire began, in a bakehouse in 1666.

“Puddings” was a medieval word for entrails and organs (argh). The name is because of the puddings which would fall from the carts coming down the Lane from the butchers in Eastcheap as they headed for the waste barges on the Thames.

There are a few places to sit, and lots of people from the city were there, most of them reading a book in their lunchtime, some were eating something. After a few minutes in there, it started rainning (yes, this is London!) and people vanished. I was still there, finishing my croissant and taking pictures for the blog.

Where the Great Fire began.

Then I walked towards Eastcheap. In medieval times it was the City’s main meat market, with butchers’ stalls lining both sides of the street. I found a very original building at 33-35 Eastcheap.

33-35 Eastcheap is “One of the maddest displays in London of Victorian Gothic”, it was a vinegar warehouse in the past.

33-35 Eastcheap.

Keep walking, I reached the Gracechurch St and one of my favourite places in the city - Leadenhall Market. It dates back to the fourteenth century!

Leadnhall Market.

Back to Cornhill, there is a beautiful church, St Michael’s Church Cornhill. According to them they are “real Anglicans, they use the Authorised (King James) version of the Bible (1611) and the Book of Common Prayer (1662).” Cool.
The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London. The Gothic-styled porch (1858-1860) facing Cornhill is a Victorian addition.

St Michael’s Church Cornhill.

Finally, I was once again close to the Royal Exchange, end of my lunchtime… Founded in 1565 to act as a centre of commerce for the city. The original building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is now a luxurious shopping centre.

Royal Exchange.

Now I’ve decided to take pictures of The City during my lunch time. The City is only one square mile (2.6 km²) in area and it is full of hidden beautiful places.

I work close to Cheapside. A cheap was a market in old English. Because of my interest on the place, I am discovering lot’s of curiosities and history of the City.

The Guildhall is very close to my work as well, so I use to go there in my lunch time and watch people passing by. The Guildhall is the official seat of the Lord Mayor of London. Most of the building dates back to 1440, and the exterior walls survived the Great Fire, and the Blitz.

Last Friday there was a bunch of students in the Guildhall, wearing Tudor uniforms, from Christ’s Hospital School (popularly known as The Bluecoat School). People from work said the Queen was visiting the Guildhall. I investigated and figured out it was not the Queen but the Lord Mayor of the City of London who was there to welcome the Old Blues.

Enought of text, I am posting the pictures from my lunch time, most of them from The City. I will do my best to post once in a day.

Enjoy!

I was in the Royal Exchange having lunch in the outside (I am not that posh).

Guildhall, very beautiful architecture!

Adam’s Court. The City is full of hidden places, one more beautiful than other.

A few weeks ago I’ve received a message on my flickr account regarding a picture I’d made when I was in Paris in 2005.

The picture from Ladurée was shortlisted for the fifth edition of the Schmap Paris Guide.
Ladurée is a high class restaurant, founded in 1862.

I accepted to allow them to use it and last week they contacted me again, to say it is included in the guide! Cool.

Come outside and see a brand new day
The troubles in your mind will blow away
It’s easy to believe they’re here to stay
But you won’t find them standing in your way

Se a vida e’, I love you
Come outside and feel the morning sun
Se a vida e’, I love you
Life is much more simple when you’re young
Come on, essa vida e’
That’s the way life is
That’s the way life is
Come on, essa vida e’
That’s the way life is
That’s the way life is
Se a vida e’, I love you
Come outside and feel the morning sun
Se a vida e’, I love you
Life is much more simple when you’re young
Se a vida e’

Instead of trying to write on this blog in a regular basis - what is quite impossible - I will try to start posting images from my life in London. Single details from the city, things I buy to the house, landscapes, etc. So I can be more or less secure that I do have things to share in case anyone care. lol.

Those are my fairy lights, from Candem Town. I love lights, I love balls (lol) and I looove colours. Perfect combination, isn’t it? They are decorating the kitchen. You can have it as well, they sell online in the UK.

http://www.blaze-on.com

It’s quite complicated to find a great TV show here in Italy; ok, not only in Italy - everywhere else but in the UK.

There is a TV channel named QOOB, a kind of MTV but much more experimentalist. The great thing about QOOB is that the ads are short movies and animation, most of them French, from young artists.

One of my favourites is The Other Half, by Nick Scott, graduated from the London Academy of Film and TV.

It’s about two ex-lovers reminiscing about their relationship, whilst nostalgically revisiting the places that hold shared memories. Considering their time together making them reconsider the reasons why they fell apart.

According to Nick, “the actors in the film were a couple in real life when we shot the film but have since broken up, and neither of them can really watch it!” Curious, isn’t it?

Filmed in an old super8 camera, I loved it!

I have a bunch of friends from high school that are good friends still now. It’s great to see how talented they are, like Daniel Ferreira who made the videoclip Red Blues for the band Del-O-Max.

The video won the brazilian prize “Rock Day”. Enjoy !!!

I’ve not been writing for ages, but here I come again!

I am not in Brazil anymore - since the beginning of August I am living in Italy, in Trentino Alto Adige.

Italy is full of irreverence and I’m amazed to see that they have some “events” like the Penis Drawing Contest and the V Day (Va fan culo Day which means Fuck You Day, prommoted by Beppe Grillo, a very famous comedian.

I’ m having lots of fun!

Here is a video from MTV Italy, ad of a programme called Very Victoria, presented by a famous italian VJ, Victoria Cabello. The music is great (in Japanese) as well as the choreography.