SCENES CHARACTERS LOCATIONS SNAPSHOTS

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 Man peering through a coffee shop window Las Cortinas de la Abuela
Where street performers play easy tricks, and dusty shops tout tacky plastic momentos, a wet piazza lies deserted on a cold December afternoon. Even the brave ditch their damp umbrellas and head for packed cafes.
There he waits, dry and patient.
Location: Plaza Mayor, Madrid.Order Print Button
 Street performer in red top and flowery dress singing opera on Trafalgar Square, London Understudy
A crowd gathers on the busy square. They find a silent pirouette etched against the sun-drenched wall, moving to her companion’s seductive tones. She dances eagerly, but stays unnoticed.
All eyes and ears are on the mistress.
Location: Trafalgar Square, London.Order Print Button
 Girl with big Afro hair at the Mauerpark Market, Berlin Diva
Amidst the predictable bric-a-brac, retro-chic, dilapidated furniture stalls, and beer-swigging browsers, an indy band plays – exhilarating a young, cacophonous crowd.
She walks, unperturbed.
Location: Mauerpark Market, Berlin.Order Print Button
 Miniature dog and man's legs in black trousers Chueca
He pauses, strains his eyes, and stares. A quiet street transformed to temporary fashion show. Excitedly, he feasts his eyes and wonders: “Maybe today?” But nothing happens.
His master sighs, and lights a cigarette.
Location: Chueca, Madrid.
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 Woman's legs and black skirt Sunday Service
The river teems with the spirit of spent exams and cheap champaign. She hums a melancholic hymn to the gentle rhythm of aimless punts, before clutching her bag, ready to return.
A hungry horde needs feeding soon.
Location: St. John’s College, Cambridge.Order Print Button
 Street performer with an accordion and tiny dog, Lisbon Mood Music
Strands of unfamiliar harmonies mix with faded glory, a gentle sea breeze and the occasional high-pitched yelp. Passers by, in no mood to be entertained, offer curious glances, but do not stay.
A few shiny coins. A hard day’s bounty.
Location: Rua Augusta, Lisbon.
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 Old woman eating an iced cream with St Paul's cathedral in the background Mathilda
Two domes, alike in shape, and retro shades against a rare bright summer sheen. She surveys the ancient river, once popular as a city beach, now disregarded in favour of more glamorous destinations.
Waiting for the ebbing tide.
Location: South Bank, London.
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 Porter walking across Neville's Court, Trinity College, Cambridge Nevile’s Court
He walks past A.A. Milne, Isaac Newton and William Henry Fox Talbot – through the musky cloisters into the famous manicured court, where tourists gawk and students prance.
He fixes his hat, and frowns.
Location: Trinity College, Cambridge.Order Print Button
 Laughing woman in a clown's nose at the Hippy Market, Ibiza Gatekeeper
Sunburnt tourists arrive in rental cars. Bemused, they revert to safe behaviour to make sense of their experience: A browse around the stalls, a quick massage and a cold beer. But there she waits, dancing in the sun.
For nothing but the pleasure.
Location: Hippy Market, San Carlos, Ibiza.Order Print Button
 Street performer dressed as a blue-masked jester Aristokrat
A wide, imposing artery flows from the East into the old gateway to the West. Here, where a crowd once gathered in mass determination to erase old boundaries, he poses.
Silent and aloof.
Location: Unter der Linden, Berlin.Order Print Button
 Golden street performer next to a McDonald's sign Extra
The local market trades in sweet red tomatoes, freshly-squeezed juices and happy Spanish banter. Outside, a crush of revelers navigate past budgie sellers and whistling gypsies.
Stopping, occasionally, to stare.
Location: La Rambla, Barcelona.
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 Trackside poster of a man seen through a carriage door on the MTR, Hong Kong Trader
4 million souls a day, rushing in air-conditioned efficiency to gleaming modern towers that stand atop streets permeated by plastic neon and the fumes of soya sauce. Below it all, a door opens to a rustle of impatient feet. A signal fires.
Another number, counted.
Location: MTR, Hong Kong.Order Print Button
 Old beggar in black, sitting smoking on a pavement El Amante
La Rambla’s noise drones muffled in the background as he reluctantly awakes from his siesta. He peers up through the warm smoke, looking at the tiny window across the square.
Her curtains are drawn, still.
Location: Side Street, La Rambla, Barcelona.Order Print Button
 Boys skating down a city passageway Side Street
Here, in the shadow of Gaudi’s filigree genius, beside the great markets and tourist-infested avenues, the silence is suddenly interrupted. Inquisitive eyes dart up from roadside cafes to see a flash of red.
A movement, soon departed.
Location: Side Street, La Rambla, Barcelona. Order Print Button
 Old woman in orange sitting in an old-town passageway La Madame
Those in search of Nice’s glamour and the South’s general summer buzz will soon be disappointed. But those who care to discover this tiny citadel will find its soul.
Bread baking, and dressed in orange.
Location: Breil-sur-Roya, France. 
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