My exciting little trip to Lisbon.....

Hello again ! I really don't know how to describe to you my last week end to Lisbon....
May be the word intense sums it all up....emotionally intense, esthetically intense....
and please forgive me but this post will be a long one !

So..where shall I start ? Do you remember my darling cousin Touve the pianist ? Since some time, he collaborates with a luxury travel agency called La Fugue Europera as a concertiste. Lately one his last projects for La Fugue involved the making of a CD for an exclusive client and my cousin who's ever so cool suggested the senior manager of La Fugue that I should do the packaging. I sent 2 prototypes and imagine my joy when my cousin told me that he liked them very much and that yes, I had a firm order....

And of course, it had to be delivered right now.....and of course, I was running out of time ! So, I know it's not very logical but this is how, I ended up at the Ritz Four Seasons hotel in Lisbon last week end to finish my work.

You see, my cousin gave a private concert there at the French Embassy for La Fugue and he had the super great idea to make me come over, all expenses paid, so that I could at the same time deliver the CD boxes to Frédéric Pfeffer, the senior manager of La Fugue and attend the concert and also meet one of my favorite soprano vocalist...How cool is that !

I was beaming with joy and excitement but of course, I had to work hard to get my boxes all nearly ready. It sounds crazy but last thursday I worked until 5.30am in the morning, got up at 7.30am to carry on and then caught a flight from Granada to Lisbon at 12am. Quelle folie ! But so worth it....Touve, my cousin was also arriving the same day so we went to the hotel together and after catching up and a lot of laughter went for dinner at my favorite restaurant in Lisbon, Ô Chapito.

to make this long story short, I think the best is to give you a chronological illustrated summary, of this long saturday.....

8am : it's cloudy in Lisbon but look at this beautiful light in the room I shared with my cousin....a room which inspires you to work, non ?

8.30am : Touve, my cousin just has a coffee but me....this morning I could eat a whole chicken !

9am : I've just ironed my pink linen dress. I'm listening to the music of the movie The Mission while finishing some work. Frédéric Pfeffer will come to our room at 10 to see the boxes. I just need to finish the booklets which are inserted in each CD box.

each CD box has a matching booklet. The theme of the packaging is Portugal

actually each box also has the photograph of its recipient

10.30 : Frédéric Pfeffer loves the boxes ! J'adore Frédéric Pfeffer ! I asked him if Touve could take a pic of both of us for the blog....He says mais bien sûr....

1pm : We order a light lunch....I think the staff is wonderful....my Portuguese is a bit rusty but at least, I say obrigada a hundred times this morning !

4pm : I'm still working on the booklets....I feel tired and sleepy...may be if I ordered a chocolate mousse, it would help...
5pm : hourra....I've finished ! yes, the chocolate mousse helped....and now I have to get ready to go to the concert. I'm completely crazy but I'm going to wear a long pink muslin dress which I made some years ago and left unfinished....Typical me, the dress is made but not entirely....I need to put a zip on it !

6.45 : my cousin is ready and very chic. Just when I try to do my hair, he tells me : allez...allez on y va...Ok so we go and oh what an horror, my dress gets caught in the strass of my shoes...I'm going to be ridiculous !

7pm : we're in the lobby, Frédéric is already there waiting for us and the amazing soprano vocalist Claire Lefilliâtre.....

Now, I need to tell you something here about Claire. I discovered her completely by chance while looking for some baroque music and I listened to her performing the Miserere dei meus de Emilio de Cavalieri. Her voice made such an impact on me that I was completely in love and wanted to sing like her...On my last trip to Paris, I was walking in the street with my cousin and we're talking about music. I tell him oh you know, if there's one classical singer I love, it's Claire Lefilliâtre... Touve, looks at me, completely bemused and says : no way ! but what you don't know is that she's my upstairs neighbor ! How do you call this ? La belle magie du hasard....the beautiful magics of encounters....and that night, she's going to perform with Touve....

7.45pm : We've arrived at the Palacio de Santos which is the home of the French Embassy....The rooms are incredible of beauty....I confirm....J'adore Claire ! She and Touve are very smiling...very relaxed...they're going to perform in 30 minutes

7.50pm : again the rooms are all magnificent and oh mon Dieu...I can't believe the beauty of the Salon de Musique.....

7.55pm : Jean-François and his team add the final touch to his decoration....wonderful job....the combination of pink and pistachio is so lovingly romantic....

8pm : et voici my dress !

please don't mind the funny face I make here, I just want to show you the dress I made, when I stand up ! and oh those azulejos !

8.15 : Touve est toujours aussi relax....I mean Touve is still very relaxed....

8.30 : the concert has just started but by discretion I won't take any pics. Touve is brilliant as ever and Claire fascinates me...sorry to be repetitive but it's true !

10pm : the concert is finished but Claire offers a last performance of a passacaglia and this time my cousin accompanies her on the harpsichord.

after 10pm : Claire and I stroll in the rooms which can be visited, the Grand Salon, the private chapel and the amazing Salle des Porcelaines....look at all these china plates hanged under this copola....isn't it incredible ?

12.30pm : we, Frédéric and his team, Anna and Guilaine, Claire and Touve
get together in our room. We must pack the CD boxes as everybody is leaving tomorrow...
oh what a wonderful day it has been !
And tomorrow morning, I'll go to the fleamarket and the Confeiteria de Belem
with Claire...

1pm : I feel asleep....I'm so happy...I feel so happy and lucky....
It's one of those occasions where I feel like
shouting, thank you world for giving me such a perfect beautiful day !

and thank you, my dear readers for taking the time to read this long post !

and a big welcome and thank you to my new followers !

pics : my castle in spain