Pretty things and ghostly toilet paper

Previously, we headed down to Belem, got caught in yet another rain storm, saw a fancy monastery and ate our body weight in custard tarts.

With our last full day in Lisbon, we decided that we should head back out to Sintra because there was still more to see and do. The day didn't start brilliantly - we stopped at Starbucks because Mum was in need of coffee, and I figured I may as well get a hot chocolate. Except the typical Starbucks name-for-the-cup thing didn't turn out quite right for me:

Yup. Costy.

We started our second day in Sintra with a trip to Quinta da Regaleira, which if I recall correctly was built by an eccentric rich dude. The house was a weird mixture of ridiculously ornate and incredibly plain that seems to be common in Portugal. The British and European palaces and stately homes that I've visited have all been over the top rooms with over the top furniture in them. Portugal? Over the top ceilings or walls, everything else is plain and boring. Weird...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanywho, the house was pretty. But not *too* over the top.

Who doesn't love to hold a starfish to their
boob while at the beach?! 

Ridiculous doorknob is ridiculous.

The gardens, meanwhile, were lots of fun. It wasn't so much that the plants were spectacular so much as it was that the gardens were HUGE and there were unexpected buildings and underground grottos and stuff all over the place.

Once we'd exhausted the possibilities in the gardens, we stopped by the cafe for a quick ice cream based lunch and headed out to the bus stop to wait for the bus to our next destination. It turned out that the bus was running about 15 minutes late, so a very nice guy from a fancy hop on, hop off tour company who happened to have a mostly empty bus was like "Yeah, don't wait for the crappy public bus. I'll take you for free!". So that was awesome.

Our next destination was Monserrate Palace, and it was pretty damned spectacular. I think it was easily my favourite of the places we visited in Sintra. The gardens were fairly fabulous, but it was the house that I liked the most. It was open and spacious and full of Indian and Middle Eastern influences, and it was just GORGEOUS. Even the rooms that were still under repair and had no ceilings.

Mildly ornate walls.

LIBRARY PORN.

The music room was especially stunning, and I kind of wish I could attend a concert there.

By the time we'd finished there, the afternoon was rapidly disappearing. C wanted to go to another palace that was further afield, but we had no idea how late it was open or what time the buses finished and we didn't want to risk being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way of getting back to town. So we spent 20 minutes waiting for a bus, headed straight to the train station and back to Lisbon, had a drink or two, and then went back to the little restaurant we'd found near the cathedral for a delicious and relatively early dinner before heading back to our apartment to pack.

And take photos of the ghostly toilet paper, because obviously:

Next time, we head to the airport and back to jolly old England where we spend a stupidly long time standing in a queue. Obviously.

K xx

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Scariest Covers

Time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

I have to say, I'm an epic wuss when it comes to horror. I rarely read it, I rarely watch it (except for Supernatural, which is more creep-tastic than full blown horror), and if I see the little red "HORROR" sticker on books at the library, I tend to give them a wide birth. That said, here are ten covers that I've come across over the years that have creeped me the hell out.

1. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Source

I had a Sherlock Holmes illustrated omnibus as a kid, and the Hound of the Baskervilles was on the cover. I can't find the exact edition, but the one I had featured an enormous dog with red eyes and glow-in-the-dark drool. I had to hide the dust cover whenever I read it otherwise I had nightmares. This cover is pretty terrifying too. 

2. The Meanest Doll in the World by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin

Source

I came across this one the other week while volunteering at a primary school library, and WHO THOUGHT THAT COVER ART WAS OKAY?? 

3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

Source

Zombies give me the mega wiggins. I didn't even get to the first zombie in The Walking Dead before I had to turn it off, and I hid through most of Shaun of the Dead. This book is lucky it was hilarious enough to get me past the cover.

4. It by Stephen King

Source

One that I haven't read, but instead had the misfortune to pull off the shelf while picking up a copy of Salem's Lot. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.

5. Dracula by Bram Stoker

Source

This is the Penguin Classics edition that I have, and I've always been completely freaked out by his pointy eyebrows. Especially when combined with that widow's peak hairline. 

6. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Source

This one is mildly creepy on its own, but when you add the content into the equation, it becomes downright terrifying. Do not read this book when home alone at night... *shudder*

7. Chain Letter 2: The Ancient Evil by Christopher Pike

Source

Despite being an epic wuss about horror books, I LOVED Christopher Pike in high school. The stories weren't THAT scary, but the covers were pretty bad. (Now, they just look dated - check out that font!!)

8. Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Source

Another one that I had the misfortune to pull off the shelf at the library while trying to get at something else. That cover art combined with bad spelling? NOPE.

9. Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine

Source

Yeah, we all know that Goosebumps books are hilarious rather than creepy in hindsight. But this cover, much like ventriloquist's dummies, is all kinds of scary. 

10. Pretty much anything by Richard Laymon

Source

His books seem to have been republished in the past few years with covers that are more stark and less busy, but there's something about the font and the imagery used on the covers of any 90s edition that just makes me shudder.

What are you reading this Halloween?

K xx

Movie Monday: Ghostbusters II

Okay, this may seem a bit random, especially as I usually wouldn't cover a sequel without covering the first installment. But if you've seen the last episode of Doctor Who season 7 ("The Angels Take Manhattan"), you'll know why I've been wanting to watch this for the past week or so! (And don't worry if you haven't - there are no spoilers, sweetie)

Source

I actually have a huge soft spot for this movie. It's the first thing I ever remember seeing at the movies. I went with a friend and her parents in Toronto at the ripe old age of six, and ended up having to sit in her mum's lap and hide my face because I was so terrified. Hey, those special effects were top of the line in 1989!!!

Reasons why Ghostbusters II is awesome:
1. The theme song. I mean, come on.
2. Bill Murray. He's pretty fantastic as Peter Venkman, regardless of whether it's this or the first one.
3. The Statue of Liberty. GENIUS.

4. Dan Ackroyd. Hilarious.
5. The bad 80s hair.
6. Peter Macnicol. He. Is. BRILLIANT in this.

Source

7. Runaway baby carriages.
8. Venkman taking the piss out of the psychic guy on his TV show about not leaving enough time between publishing his book and his predicted end of the world.
9. The dancing toaster.

Source

10. Signourney Weaver.
11. The ghost of the Titanic arriving at the docks.

Source

12. Spontaneously combusting photos.
13. Rick Moranis. No late 80s movie was complete without him!
14. The creepy talking painting and its ability to electrocute people.

Source

15. The scene in the courtroom with the electric chair ghosts.
16. The hilarious TV commercial they make.
17. Slimer.

Source

18. The scene where Venkman is taking photos of the creepy painting and acting like it's a model.
19. The river of pink slime.
20. The mink coat coming to life and running down the street (this is what tipped 6 year old me over the edge).

Source

21. The ridiculous painting of the Ghostbusters and the baby at the end.
22. "Higher and Higher" by Jackie Wilson. It never fails to get stuck in your head.

Plus, the following quotes:
- "Being miserable and treating other people like dirt is every New Yorker's God-given right!"
- "Named after a hot dog? You poor man. You poor, poor man."
- "It looks like a giant jello mould." "I hate jello." "Oh, come on. There's always room for jello."
- "I think you guys are making a big mistake. I do mostly tax law and probate stuff occasionally. I got my degree at night school." "Well, that's fine, Louis. We got arrested at night."
- "Well, better late than never."
- "It's late, I really ought to put him down." "May I?" "Yeah, if you want to." "You're short, your belly button sticks out too far, and you're a terrible burden on your poor mother!"
- "No respected psychic will come on this show. They all think you're a fraud!" "I AM a fraud."
- "You mean you never even had a Slinky??" "We had part of a Slinky. I straightened it."
- "Everything you are doing is bad. I want you to know this."
- "Ungrateful little yuppy larvae. After everything we did for this city!" "Yeah, we conjured up a hundred foot marshmallow man, blew the top three floors off an uptown high rise, and ended up getting sued by every city, county, and state agency in New York." "Yeah, but what a ride!"
- "Venkman, would you get a stool sample? "Business or pleasure?"
- "You know, I have met some dumb blondes in my life, but you take the taco, pal! Only a *Carpathian* would come back to life now and choose New York! Tasty pick, bonehead! If you had brain one in that huge melon on top of your neck, you would be living the sweet life out in Southern California's beautiful San Fernando Valley!"

- "Your Honour, ladies and gentleman of the audience, I don't think it's fair to call my clients frauds. Sure, the blackout was a big problem for everybody. I was trapped in an elevator for two hours and I had to make the whole time. But I don't blame them. Because one time, I turned into a dog and they helped me. Thank you." "Very good, Louis. Short, but pointless."

- "Okay, but after dinner, don't put any of those old cheap moves on me. It's different now." "Oh, no! I have all NEW cheap moves."

- "Have you been outside lately? Do you know how weird it is out there? We've taken our own head count. There seem to be six million completely miserable assholes living in the tri-state area." "Oh, please!" "Excuse me, six million and one."

- "You know, I'm a voter! Aren't you supposed to lie to me and kiss my butt??"

So. Who you gonna call?

K xx

PS. Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!! 

Movie Mondays: Sleepy Hollow

Happy Halloween, my lovelies!! We're not much for the Halloween-ing in Australia, but I remember all too well those wonderful days in the dim dark past when I lived in Canada and stuffed myself with all the candy on the planet. * reminiscent sigh*

Ahem. Given that we don't do much in the way of Halloween celebrations down here, I figured I'd take the opportunity to watch one of my favourite Halloween-y movies. 

Source

Sleepy Hollow. Okay, so it's not Halloween or even Nightmare Before Christmas, but it's brilliant. And brilliantly stupid. And more than a little ridiculous. I love it.

Reasons why Sleepy Hollow is awesome:

1. Johnny Depp.

2. Tim Burton.

3. Johnny Depp AND Tim Burton.

4. Tim Burton says in the commentary that he took pretty much every opportunity to cover Johnny Depp in fake blood. Just because he could.

Source

5. Johnny Depp says in the commentary that he stole the iron maiden from the set and has it in his living room as a conversation starter.

6. All the typical little Tim Burton touches that you don't really notice until you think about it.

Source

 7. Evil Christopher Walken.

Source

8. The score. Danny Elfman is a genius.

9. The way Johnny Depp enunciates "decapitated".

10. The scene at the end in the windmill. Flour dust goes boom.

11. Michael Gambon's ridiculous hat. Even he looks surprised by its ridiculousness. Just sayin'...

Source

12. The supporting cast includes Dumbledore, Vernon Dudley, Rita Skeeter, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine,  and Saruman. Seriously.

Not to mention, the following lines:

- "The heads are.........gone?"

- "Good horsey!"

- "You must NEVER move the body!" "Why not?" "...Because!"

- "We thought you'd shot your boat." (translation: "We thought you'd gone bonkers and run away")

- "We did not know it was a murdering plot!"

- (regarding a spider) "Kill it! Kill it! NO - stun it." (I always want someone to pull out a wand and yell 'Stupefy!')

- "Watch your head." <-- punny, no?

- "Where are we going?" "Anywhere but here!"

So there you have it. 

At the risk of sounding like Ghostface from Scream, what's your favourite scary (or Halloween-y/spooky) movie? Also, does anyone other than me love Sleepy Hollow??

K xx