Thursday, January 31, 2008

COWPARADE

LISBON, PORTUGAL - MAY 2006

I hesitated a lot, but then decided to make an exception. This time I'll show you something that occurred in the city where I live. In May 2006, 99 cows plus one invaded the streets of Lisbon. I decided to take photos of every one of them. Don't be afraid, however: I'll show only ten...
Please feel free to comment on which is your favourite! I'll be off for less than two weeks and will be back by mid February to see the results. Meanwhile, have a great time and enjoy!


1 - LISBON COW (ALFACINHA)


2. - BUTTON COW


3. - CHOCOCOW


4. - PARADISE CITY COW


5. - COW-MOENS (From the 16th century portuguese poet Camoens


6. - COW-PASSION


7. - COWPYRIGHT


8. - KNOCOWT


9. - MADEIRA ISLAND COW


10. - PORTUCOW

61 comments:

Peter said...

Excellent!! A very nice "exception"!

They are all nice-looking and there is such a nice humourous touch!

If I just look at the beauty, I beleive I would chose the Madeira one (I guess you don't mind)!

So, you are off again! I guess we will see some pictures in a year or so, when you have recuperated your delayed displays? See you in a fortnight!

Shionge said...

Before I scroll down I held on to my seats and waiting for the Cow Invasion and oh what a beautiful sight to see them all over the streets. Hmm....99 more? Amazing!!

There were some on display here in Singapore some years back during the film festival....now guess what? They decorated the dustbins along the malls now ;)

alicesg said...

Those are very beautiful cows.I like the chocolate one...yummy...hahaha. You must be globe trotting again. So please enjoy yourself in whereever you are. :)

Beefybob7 said...

Hi Gil,

Number 8, legless ha ha ha ha.

Have fun, Bob

Dalicia said...

i don't know which ones to pick :)

have a wonderful trip. in my city, we have displays of pigs, during the summer time. if i remember, i should take some pictures of it. hopefully, if i'm not too busy :P

Nikon said...

I like KNOCOWT, I think it is funny :)
Have a good trip!

lyliane six said...

Oh les belles vaches, elles sont plus colorées que celles de Normandie!!
Espérons que celle en chocolat ne fondra pas sous le chaud soleil portugais!(elle vient de Suisse sûrement?)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful cow. What's more amazing are their backgrounds. Such a clean city.

Nihal said...

James Thurber said that “There is no exception to the rule that every rule has an exception” :)

Hi Gil after a long-break time of my silence, and A BIG THANK YOU for your all kind messages left in my home!

Do not hesitate to jump in different topics as you did today: Cows. Last year in August those cute cows were stampeding through downtown in Istanbul, and did not leave us until the end of October:) What a cow-full days we had:)

As far as my liking, I would pick Number 5: Cow-Moens. Noble, elegant, harmonic and solemn. Well, tell me what will be my Award;)

You, too, have a great time and take good care of yourself Gil.

MedaM said...

All the cows are beautiful and interesting on their own way. I simply cannot choose my favorite one but what I can say is that number 8 is fun the most.
Enjoy your trip and have a great time where ever you are and have more beautiful photos to share with us!

Lori said...

I'm glad you are showing us some Lisbon photos. These cows are great! It's very hard to pick a favorite, but I like chococow and Cow Moens. What fun! I hope you have a great trip and we'll see you in a few weeks!

Olivier said...

les vaches sont superbes, on a eut une exposition identique dans tous Paris l'année dernière (je regrette maintenant de n'avoir pas pris de photos).
Donc a bientôt, c'est pour un voyage ?

lyliane six said...

Je suppose que l'absence est pour un beau et lointain voyage, mais aussi un peu de travail! A bientôt, j'aime beaucoup la vache de Madère, elle me rapelle mes magnifiques vacances et les défilés de fleurs.

Anonymous said...

Now this is something really unique & a rare treat for the eyes...I think it can't get any better....Have a nice trip & see you after your mini-vacation with some rare collections like this...Very well captured colourful shots!

Stella Bella said...

I think I have a picture of me and the no.2 cow. hahaha I have seen them around when I was in Lisbon. They are so beautiful and cool!

Sigma said...

You are right. This is truly amazing! I have never seen anything like this before! And all of them are so wonderful and innovative that it is difficult to select a favorite one.

Azer Mantessa said...

hehehehe ... soooo cuteeee!

the chocolate one looks de.li.cious

:-)

Rune Eide said...

This must be the most special cows I have ever seen - I wish somebody had tried to decorate some live ones.

Thank you for a nice comment

Cergie said...

Elle sont belles ces vaches, elles me rappellent les ours berlinois. J'ai eu la chance de voir la ronde de ces ours près de la porte de Brandebourg. La différence est qu'ils étaient tous les même, seule la décoration suivant les pays variant (celui de la France avec le coq gaulois ne me remplissait pas de fierté, celui de l'Allemagne était très guerrier)

J'ai photographié (et posté en septembre 2006) des vaches réalisées par un atelier à Cergy. Bien sûr beaucoup moins bien fini car c'était du travail d'amateur. Cependant, c'était déjà très impressionnant...

Chuckeroon said...

...stunner! I liked the "Nocowt cow". But hard to chose.

Happy journey, safe landings.

alice said...

It would have been sad to miss this procession! My place bet is 3)Portucow for her bright and proud colors, 2)Cowpyright which made me laugh, and 1) Cococow because I love chocolate!
Enjoy your trip, wherever you go. And come back soon here!

Anonymous said...

excellent - in Toronto Canada a similar thing happened but with moose - unfortunately many of them ended up being defaced.

NormanTheDoxie said...

That is cool. My favorite is the chochocow.

They did the same thing in New York City about 4 years ago. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Enjoy your vacation...wherever you may go.

Annie said...

That's fun! I like the one on its back the best of all.

Hurry back.

leo said...

I love them all, honestly!! Very cute.

Lakshmi said...

They are quite stunners..all of them, but my favourites would be choco- it looks delicious and knocowt-great sense of humour ..have a great time and see you in a couple of weeks

Lilli & Nevada said...

Oh these are great, first time i new of these was on the Today show they had them on there a few yrs ago. Great post

Joy said...

Fantastic! I love the cow parade. I took a few in Copenhagen where the cows were suspended in the air or atop a building site pretending to be construction workers.

joy
A Pinay In England
Your Love Coach

Kunterbunt said...

*lol* What a variety of cows. Astonishing all those creative ideas. I have seen them in the Rhineparc too some years ago. They seem to spread all over the word, an invasion of cows, *lol*. Have a nice weekend, Gil.

travelphilippines said...

wow can i have one of those cow hehe so cute...

isa said...

99 plus 1 cows and you only give us 10?!

I like the Madeira Island cow the best - I think we have a lot in common ;-)

Safe travels!

Chris said...

I would love to see all 100! Chicago and Las Vegas did cows. Cincinnati did pigs. St. Paul did Snoopy. NYC did apples. Nashville did catfish and then guitars. I know I'm forgetting a bunch, but I think these are great.

I like all of these gals! Cowmoens maybe is my favorite?

BTW. . .I have finally figured out the MMD Award. Thank you. It's posted!!

Anonymous said...

Interesting captures! The cows are so beautiful!
I like the chococow (3) best!
It is half eaten! :P
Wonder how it taste like! :P

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

lv2scpbk said...

My favorite is number 2, with #8 following in behind. I'd actually like to see them all. They look like fun.

virtual nexus said...

Great post - made me laugh....!

Lara said...

a great idea to publish these cows!

SusuPetal said...

They look just adorable!

Wendy said...

I'm having a tough time deciding between the Lisbon and the Paradise.
Nice photos!

Cuckoo said...

Ha Ha... They are so common in all of Europe and look so attractive. I too have many photos of these cows from different cities of Swiss and Belgium.

I like the choco one... yummmy.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

OOOW!!!
Gil you know that I LOVE COWS!
I showed some but not as big as you and all so clear!!thats awsome, do theu=y have this parade every year???

How many did you see in totall?
If you ask Me: I wouldn't mind to see them all (how many?) Thanks for showing!

Greetings JoAnn Holland

Anonymous said...

The choice isn't easy between these gorgeous "stars"but the Madeira Island Cow,Nr9,is my favourite.So smart!So pretty!
(Dans les rues de Bonnieux,il a en aout,"Grande Course de Chèvres"...
isn't it?)

Ele ^_^ said...

Wonderful.. Last year were in Milan.. But I didn't saw that cow! Great! ^^

Nihal said...

Hi again Gil,
I'm pleased to announce that you won my ''You Make The World A Better Place Award'':) I'm very sure that you will receive many awards for a site of this nature:) For more and the rules, pls visit my home when you can.
Congratulations once more;)

Kindest,

Anonymous said...

nice cows... :)

indicaspecies said...

Cow Parade! Great!!

Can I choose 2 of my fav?
I like #1, Lisbon Cow and #4, Paradise City Cow.

My Unfinished Life said...

holy cow!!!!...those are some kewl cows indeed!!!!!...
well i absolutely loved the choco cow..is it of real chochlate..then i can happily munch on it!!!...
loved the passion cow too!!!

John said...

Hi Gil,

I vote for number 7. It made me laugh when I saw it. By the way, I think you should post more photos of Lisbon.

Best regards,

John

Tinsie said...

Cow parade is soooo cool! We had it in London back in 2002 (I think) and I also saw it in Athens a couple of years ago.

The KNOCOWT is my fave :-)

Noushy Syah said...

That is so lovely! I love that Paradise City Cow-with multicolours....seems European countries at some point love to displays decorated cow -parade!

Thanks Gill for sharing,I might use some of your lovely image to place in my blog if your don't mind next time.

Cu soon.Take Care,

lyliane six said...

Toujours absent? mais je pense que de belles photos se préparent!! A bientôt.

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I’m back to blogosphere, and will try to visit your blogs the coming weekend! Thanks everybody for your comments and votes!
The winner of the CowParade is CHOCOCOW! (9 votes)!
Then we had KNOCOWT (8 votes) and Madeira Island (4 votes) on the lower places of the podium. Paradise City and Cow-moens (3 votes each) come next, then Lisbon Cow, Button Cow and Cowpyright (2 votes each) and finally Passion Cow and Portucow (1 vote each)!

Peter,
Cute new picture on your profile…
Of course, I wouldn’t mind you choose the Madeira Cow, and will try to reduce my 20 month delay! At least will try not to increase such delay… ;)

Shionge,
This show has been organized in several towns around the world, and you may learn about its origin and objectives at the CowParade article from Wikipedia!

AliceSG,
I’m already back, but the result will probably be seen only by the end of next year…

Bob,
Dalicia,
Paul,
Thanks!

Lyliane,
Choco a vaincu la votation; Suisse probablement… Dix jours absent (profitant le jour férié de Mardi Gras) sans penser aux dossiers…;)) Malheureusement dejà de retour…;((

Lawstude,
It’s true that the city was surprisingly clean…

Nihal,
Thanks for your “You Make The World A Better Place Award''. I’m much grateful…

Medam,
Kalyan,
Sigma,
Azer Mantessa,
Runee,
Thanks!

Olivier,
Me voilà de retour…

Stella Bella,
So you were here in Lisbon and didn’t tell us… ;))

Cergie,
C’est vrai qu’il y a eu les ours en Berlin, les lions à Munich, les pingouins à Wuppertal, les éléphants à Hanovre… mais les vaches c’est le succès le plus éclatant… La renommée est commencée à Chicago en 1999. Il y a trois formes de vaches les plus communes, créées par Pascal Knapp, un sculpteur suisse. En fibre de verre, elles sont livrées blanches et à la suite décorées par artistes locaux. Après chaque exposition, qui dure plusieurs mois, les vaches sont vendues aux enchères et les profits données à des organisations caritatives...

Chuckeroon,
Alice,
Thanks!

Piika,
It’s true that there were a few acts of vandalism on the cows, but during the exhibition there was a special CowParade hospital and the recovery was a very fast one… ;)

Citygirl15,
Annie,
Leo,
Backpakker,
Lilli & Nevada,
Thanks!

Joy,
The Copenhagen exhibition must have been quite amazing…

April,
It’s true; the concept is spreading…

Travelphilippines,
They were sold at the end of the exhibition, so you only need the money to get to the auction… ;))

Isabella,
Couldn’t give an overdose… ;)

Chris,
There is a long list of the exhibitions at Wikipedia’s CowParade

Alexander,
Lv2,
Julie,
Lara,
Susupetal,
Wendy,
Thanks for your comments!

Cuckoo,
Also saw some in Switzerland a few years ago…

JoAnn,
They have it every year but in different cities (and with different cows) around the world…

Jacqueline,
Chèvres à Bonnieux en août, très intéressant… ;

Eleonora,
So pleased to see you back here!

Madam,
Celine,
Shooting Star,
Thanks!

John,
Great to see you here also. All the best!

Tinsie,
London 2002, Athens 2006 (like Lisbon…).

Noushy Syah,
Please feel free to use anyone you wish on your blog… I’m honoured!

Indrani said...

Hi,
I happened to pass by your blogs. My daughters have fallen for the CHOCOCOW. My daughters wanted to see them for real! Have you posted the pics of other 89 in any other album like flickr or webshots??
You live in such a wonderful city.
Indrani.

Anonymous said...

I can not believe, you noticed my absence here :))
But after looking these all ten cows, I vote 5. - COW-MOENS, it`s worth it.
It was interesting to read also about this poet, Camoes, thank you for the link!

Anonymous said...

Indrani Ghose,
Thanks for your visit and comment! I didn't publish my pictures elsewhere, but you can see all them at the official site of the Lisbon CowParade at
http://cowparadelisboa.sapo.pt/Default.aspx?tabid=583
Enjoy!

Leena,
Of course I noticed your absence!
Cow-moens was a nice one, but Chococow got more votes!

Anonymous said...

Hi Gil, I do love that you take the time out of your busy day to visit my humble blog. I loved your cow showing and although very hard to pick I think I like the chocolate cow the best. I stayed at the Savoy in Czech Republic and although very expensive it's sooooooo nice. Have a great day. ~ Lynn

JO said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE THE COWS! My favorite it the knocowt! TOO cute! I have been buying my Aunt little cows like this ... she has her own little cow parade. :)

Dawning One said...

now this is difficult! the idea of "cowpywrite" is very clever; mariera island cow is very pretty; and I like cow-moens. I can't pick just one1

Anonymous said...

Lynn,
My pleasure to get to your Cedar City...
Chococow was a favourite, and got the highest number of votes; no wonder...

JO,
As I'm not so keen on chocolate, Knowcowt was my favourite; it came second... ;))

Dawning One,
Very nice choice! Cow-moens was quite creative...

99 said...

I adore the Button Cow! There´s some Miró influence there...
The Madeira Island Cow is quite beautiful too.
I saw the 2000(?) Chicago cow parade and we also had a similar one in Buenos Aires last year. Every city has it´s own fantasies, very very human and cowy!
Did you really miss my comment? I´m flattered!

Thanks for reading my Tales from Negrita

Gosto de ver que você voltou á blogósfera

Anonymous said...

99,
Surely I missed your comment. Button cow didn't receive much attention and you found the Miró touch there...
There are always funny stories by Negrita...
Obrigado e boa semana; aqui com começou com chuva violenta...

Anonymous said...

A final update on the results: CHOCOCOW - 11 votes;
KNOCOWT - 9 votes;
MADEIRA - 6 votes;
COW-MOENS - 5 votes;
Paradise, Button and Cowpyright - 3 votes each;
Lisbon - 2 votes
Passion and Portucow - 1 vote each.
Thanks for participating!