The NATIONAL AZULEJO MUSEUM. .....On the flight to Lisbon, I browsed through the in-flight magazine. There was an absolutely beautiful ad for El Corte Ingles with a woman in a flowing gown that was actually made from decorated tiles. (Someone had Photoshop abilities way beyond what I can do.) I didn't realize at the time that ceramic tiles were a part of Portuguese culture for centuries. Blue and white seemed to be the most common colors of choice (sort of like Delft pottery), but there were lots of mosaics in different colors. Many of the mosaics were geometric, reflecting an Arabic influence. However, there were also many tiles that depicted scenes. And, they were everywhere. They decorated walls inside buildings as well as the facades of many buildings around Lisbon, not to mention the National Azulejo (Tile) Museum. I've never seen that in any of my travels before.

MARTIN