Dear readers, we have arrived at the blessed month of August—the almost sacrosanct holiday month here in Europe! To celebrate, and before I get back to musical and flute-y subjects, here's a photo in a series I have inadvertently produced, of sidewalks in Portugal. The photos often include the famous "Calçada Portuguesa" Portuguese paving—here in the polished, indoor version—and the shoes of pedestrians, another southern European mania. It gets under your skin!

Pure style in Lisbon's Santa Apolónia train station— welcome to Lisbon!