The Serpentine

Friday, 27th of May 2016

In Hyde Park there is a recreational lake called The Serpentine, also known as the Serpentine River.

It was created in 1730 for Queen Caroline and the bridge makes the division between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

Its name was choosen due to its snakelike appearance, since it was built in a curving way.

To get in there you have to pass through a tunnel and then you will be able to enjoy the view by sitting on the grass or walking through the bridge. It is a really nice place to hang out and there are always a lot of people surrounding it during sunny days.

In June, the lake opens for swimming but before there is a lot of activities taking place, such as: hiring rowing boats, the Peter Pan Cup and the Solarshuttle, which are solar powered boats.

The lake counts with many swans and geese that are always being fed by the children and you can usually find dogs running towards the water to refresh themselves after long runs, which is forbidden, but happens anyway. Of course, this brings a problem for the birds, which are vicious animals when threaten and one time they almost attacked a dog, if he had stayed 2 more minutes, it would have been wounded.

So just be careful with your dog in that area and you will be fine!

From a girl sunbathing,

Mariana Fidalgo

Italian Gardens

Thursday, 26th of May 2016

One of the most wonderful places to visit in London is the Italian Gardens, a 150-year-old ornamental water garden located on the north side of Kensington Gardens near Lancaster Gate.

It has a marble structure and a rose garden surrounding a beautiful water fountain, containing also a couple of ornament statues and urns, which are divided by five themes: the Swan's breast, the woman's head, the ram's head, the dolphin and the oval.

It has somehow a romantic feel to it since it is believed to have been a gift from Prince Albert to his wife Queen Victoria, who he much loved.

In this side of the park, you will not see anyone jogging, ridding their bike or walking their dog, this is mainly used for relaxing and enjoying the view quietly.

The roses planted in the garden bloom during the Spring, bringing a fantastic and colourful Italian feel to the view.

I have been here in both sunny and rainy days and I can admit that the view is beautiful either way, independently of the temperature outside.

It is definetely a place to stop by when you come here.

From a girl discovering many parks,

Mariana Fidalgo

Diana Memorial Fountain & The sculpture of Isis

Wednesday, 25th of May 2016

It is obvious how much the English love the late Princess Diana of Wales. From postcards and other tourist memorabilia to the various memorials placed across the country, she maintains a reputation of one of the most beloved royals in the UK.

In July 2004, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, was officialy opened by Queen Elizabeth II, who was joined by Prince William and Prince Harry.

The fountain is located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park, just south of the Serpentine lake and east of the Serpentine Gallery and it tries to reflect the life of Diana, her spirit and the love she had for children.

It has a large oval shape and it is surrounded by beautiful green grass and colourful flowers, where you can see lots of couple enjoying their time together while their children bathe in the fountain.

But the most interesting fact about it is that the design itself has the goal of demostrating the life of the princess. The water flows from the highest point into two different directions, starting with the streaming of the water in a gentle manner, where it descents to a rough cascade, bubbling and making various shapes, before flowing down to the bottom pool where it all gets calmer. This aims to show both the happiness and turmoil of her life.

The all area near the memorial is actually inspired by nature and children. Just outside the small metal gates that surround the fountain, it is very visible the bronze sculpture of Isis, which was inspired by the Egyptian goddess of nature, installed back in 2009.

This was a big step for education, something that Diana cared about, since it was donated to raise money, over 2 million pounds, towards the Royal Park Foundation Education Centre.

It is a great place to go, especially when it is sunny outside and the temperatures are rising, since you will be able not only to appreciate the art that is displayed all around this area but you can also bring a book and rest while sitting on the grass and getting refreshed by the water splashes.

From a girl enjoying the culture,

Mariana Fidalgo

Speakers' Corner

Tuesday, 24th of May 2016

A few weeks ago, when London was stealing all Lisbon's sun and warmth, I went for a long walk crossing the entire Hyde Park, which is over 2.50 kilometres or 625 acres. I wanted to go and see the tradition of open-air public speaking at the park, where it all started. 

The area where the debates take place is called Speakers' Corner and the most famous one is located on the north-east edge of Hyde Park, nearest Marble Arch and Oxford Street.

The discussions are not scheduled, meaning that anyone who wishes to speak can turn up freely, step on the small podium and make a speech of any subject they wish, as long as it is within the law. There are times when the police is present to ensure control and avoid riots or conflicts, although their practice is mainly tolerant.

Since everyone has the right to free speech, it is expected tolerance from the members of the audience that gathers around, making it a unwritten rule than no one should be excluded for their personal views or beliefs. It is, however, possible to contest what it is being said and when a person feels offended they may make a complaint to the authorities.

Most events take place on Sunday, after 13h30, but if you go around 17h you will mainly catch people making a speech in arab.

It is very interesting to see how this tradition has survived so many years, it is indeed a part of England's history. And definetely exciting to be in the same place where figures as George Orwell and Karl Marx have spoken before.

From a girl glad for free speech,

Mariana Fidalgo

Bubbleology

Monday, 23rd of May 2016

London Spring is completely unpredictable, you can look at the sky and at the same time you will be able to see both the sun and clouds appearing with heavy rain. Most days I just wear a t-shirt and bring an umbrella with me, is quite odd.

Today was one of those days, so before the rain started to pour in, I decided to go for a walk in Pembridge Road, in the Notting Hill area where all the quirky shops and cafés are in.

I decided to enter this place called Bubbleology. Here is where this new Taiwanese phenomenon comes to place, the bubble tea, which combines a variety of refreshing milk or fruit teas, served mainly cold with tapioca balls (sometimes called pearls).

The "base" is made of green, black or white tea and then if you choose the fruit option, your drink will be infused with natural fruit flavourings, while the milk ones gets to be more similar to the structure of a normal milkshake. They have various flavours, such as: almond, jasmine, cocoa, vanilla, strawberry, mango, oreo and many more.

My choice was the apple fruit tea and it turned out to be a great one! 

Although is quite difficult to explain how it tastes like, since I had never had anything like it, I can just say it is a nice experience.

The space is also different than any ordinary café, it has a scientific theme. The employees wear lab coats and the all making of the tea process is done in front of you with typical laboratorial tools.

The regular size is about 500ml and is more than enough, it took me a couple of hours to finish my beverage, but is a good and refreshing option for a Spring London day.

From a girl enjoying her bubble tea,

Mariana Fidalgo

Waterstones

Sunday, 22nd of May 2016

When you spend more than a month without internet or any connection with social media and the outside world, you end up shifting your attention elsewhere. My refuge became reading books, actually, to be honest, a lot of them, more than 25 in just a couple of weeks. 

I came here with only four books in my bag, thinking I would be so busy that I wouldn't even have time to read them all, but I was completely wrong.

When I first came here, I indeed had a lot of things to do, like go to the bank to set up my account, call the television company saying I wouldn't be requiring their services, dealing with the phone company, the internet installation or even decorating the apartment, but most of those things took their time and so I came to have a lot of free time while waiting.

I decided to catch up on my reading, since the previous year I hadn't done so well in that department. Reading is one of the things I like the most, if you see my shelf, you will understand that I do tend to buy a lot of books but then most of them also tend to stay where I put them, since time is not always on my side.

But now it was different, I had time, too much time. I quickly finished reading "Lolita", "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Museum of Innocence" and "The Double" and then I found myself bored.

I started to research bookshops around my area and I found Waterstones.

This is a dream place for every book lover and it is almost impossible to go in there and not come out with a purchased book or two.

It became a place where I could just relax, browse through the many and different section shelfs, read some english books and not be bothered for a while, just the perfect place to be after some stressing weeks.

My presence there became frequent and I do now own a client's card that gives me discounts on future purchases.

My book collection grew more than I had expected and now the only thing that worries me is thinking about how I will manage to bring my new books back to Lisbon.

From a girl thankful for this place,

Mariana Fidalgo

London Burlesque Festival: The Drag Strip

Saturday, 21st of May 2016

A few weeks ago, while I was browsing through some websites to get ideas on what to do the next few days, I found out that London was hosting an international burlesque festival.

Immediately, I was intrigued. I have always liked the dancing art of burlesque and having been a long time fan of Dita Von Teese, one of the most famous personalities in that area, I just wanted to get the opportunity to see a live show and to understand, with my own eyes, what it really means being a burlesque performer (and since she lives in the United States and it will be rather difficult to see her any time soon).

Lucky me, it turned out to be the 10th annual extravaganza and so the stakes were higher than ever before. Producer Chaz and Betty Royal, two of the biggest names of the scene, prepared a all month event, with a variety of themes, such as: the Hollywood or Tattoo Revue, the Twisted Cabaret, the Nerd-lesque, the Big Bottom Bonanza or the Sexy Circus Sideshow. All of the events took place at the legendary Dingwalls, in Camden Lock.

I was very excited, but with more than 15 events scheduled, I still had to choose just one to attend. My choice was the Drag Strip. 

The Drag Strip is not at all a traditional burlesque performance, it actually breaks all the rules. The artists performing that night were no ordinary people, most were drag queens, having also drag kings (women who perform dressed as men), the boylesque and queerlesque theme was the most present, being so an over all gender bending performance.

The show started at 9PM, but as always, the case here in London is that you should arrived one hour before to get to your seats. I went on a bus to Camden Lock, which took me almost 45 minutes and got to the area a bit confused, since Dingswalls, to my amazement, is sort of a cave, being a little hidden from the eyes of people who never went there.

When I finally arrived, and I knew I was at the right place since most people were dressed as the 1950´s, I showed my ticket and took a place in the middle area of the arena.

At exactly 9PM, Ruby Wednesday, the drag queen who was hosting that day, emerged to the stage and did a little playback performance before starting to introduce the other numbers. I found out that burlesque also means humour, Ruby became not only the host but assumed also the position of a stand-up comedian.

The artist list included names from cities all over the world, from London to Helsinki, to Munich and Amsterdam. Names such as: Alfie Ordinary (the so called Drag Prince who performed a live version of "I Gotta Be Me"), the Itty-Bitty Tease Cabaret (a group of four women who went back to the 90's as a boyband), Lady Laverna, Lola Rogue and Melody D'Amour (women who stripped from a male identity to a female at the end of their show), Smashlyn Monroe (a new name on the scene, performing there for the very first time and assuming a cowboy like identity), Lydia L'Scabies (a famous drag queen that takes her singing performance to a all new level), ending with Lou Safire and Vivid Angel (two very recognized names).

The show lasted two hours, finishing at 11PM and I absolutely loved it, I became even more of a fan than before. The glamour, the glitter, the strip and mainly, the gender bending scene made me look at burlesque with a new set of eyes. 

From a girl in love with a new art form,

Mariana Fidalgo

Headmasters: the hairdresser (bad) experience

Tuesday, 17th of May 2016

Two years ago I decided to dye my hair for the first time, my colour of choice turned out to be red. Since that moment on, I have had my hair brown, red, black, with green and purple highlights, but still I found that red is my favourite.

To anyone who dyes their hair on a regular basis, one thing is known: the ink doesn't stay on for more than 2 months, so it is clear that a visit to the hairdresser or a do it alone moment at home is necessary to be repeated quite often.

I came to London after doing the all procedure at home, just a couple of weeks before my flight took place. Now, after a month and a half of being here, I was not happy at all with the state of my hair so I decided to take a gamble and go, for the first time, to a british hair salon.

I ended up going to a place near my house called Headmasters. The fact that it was near my house was one of the pros, but I had done a lot of research and gathered several opinions before, actually, doing an appointment there.

When I entered their salon, I found it quite modern and with top quality products, but appearances can be deceiving. 

My hairdresser for the day was a bulgarian lady called Elena. From the first moment we introduced ourselves, we had immediate problems, mainly with communication since she couldn't understand english very well and I, despite my best efforts, was not being able to listen to her quiet, almost like a whisper, voice and with a strong accent.

We spent around 20 minutes arguing about colouring, since I wanted to dye my hair in a red tone and she immediately refused to and then proceded to force me to chose another colour, like pink.

I was starting to get angry and losing my patience, so I decided only to cut and do a treatment to my hair.

As normal, the next step was to wash my hair, but this turned out to be more complicated than necessary. My head was pushed back while Elena tried to drown me, while forcing hot water down my all face and back. 

My patience was running thin, I was completely wet and with my mascara running through my face and neck, I looked like a clown. And by the way, the all time she was advertising products that I didn't need at all, making me feel like I was on Dragons' Den.

The cutting went fine, nothing special but then the nightmare came back. When it got to the part of blow drying my hair, and after I specifically told her I didn't want curls, I wanted a natural look, she proceded to do the exact opposite.

When I finally looked to the mirror, I was like Goldilocks. At that moment, I couldn't take it any longer, so with an obvious furious look on my face, I told her that she didn't do anything that I had asked her to do and that the final result was awful and not what was expected and agreed.

She tried to redo but I stepped out of the chair, with hair all over my back and dress (since she kept taking the towel that protects your hair from going inside your clothes) and went to pay.

She did try to apologize but it didn't help. I went back to my place, took another shower and did my hair the way I like it to be, but not before sending an email to their company describing my awful experience in their salon.

For one of the best hair salons in London, I was severely disappointed with the all procedure and now is quite difficult to trust another hairdresser here.

From a girl who wished she could erased that moment,

Mariana Fidalgo

China Town

Friday, 13th of May 2016

The first week of my life in London, when my father was still here, we decided to go for a walk, after dinner, to the Soho area in Westminster.

I was amazed by the neon lights, making it almost appearing to be daylight, the crowd, the noise and the movement. I saw myself falling in love with this city once again.

While on our walk, I became impressed by this huge chinese gate that was standing on my right side and begged to go there and see it from a closer point of view.

Only after I realized that I was entering China Town. 

This was my first time visiting a little bit of China, I have always seen american movies that portray their version of China Town and it always intrigued me, so it was a really nice surprise since I didn't even know that London had one.

When you go through this huge decorated gates, you feel yourself entering another dimension. Everywhere you look there are many asian restaurants and tradicional stores of the oriental culture.

Here is also where the Chinese New Year is celebrated, as well as many other typical asian festiveties, such as the Buddha Birthday that I hope to attend later this month.

From a girl finding other cultures,

Mariana Fidalgo

Biscuteers Boutique & Icing Café

Thursday, 12th of May 2016

Lately I have been on a personal mission of trying to find unsual places here in London, such as cafés with a quirky decorations, different types of products or with a nice outdoor sitting area.

Until now, I was lucky enough to find places like the Farm Girl Café or the Hummingbird Bakery, as I have previously mentioned in other posts. However, there is always a time when your luck runs out or you just fail to succeed your aim.

I was walking through Notting Hill after a very tiring day, I had been for a two hour walk in Hyde Park and I just wanted to find somewhere quiet and nice looking to relax and have something to drink before collapsing with dehydration, when I found this quirky store called Biscuteers Boutique & Icing Café.

When you are outside looking in, it looks almost like a fairytale shop and with the sun shining bright, the colors from the streets enhance the beauty of the glass window fully decorated with biscuits and flowers. I heard that when its raining, the colors of the buildings fade away but this store still manages to maintain a pituresque look, giving the sensation that you just entered a parisian boutique.

So far so good, I was quite enchanted with their outside door and window, and even when I entered the shop, the sweet picture maintained.

It was only when I sat down and looked at the menu that I got disappointed, there was not a variety of products and most of them were pretty expensive. I decided to order an apple juice, thinking it would be something refreshing and natural. To my amazement, I was giving a bottle of a packed juice and a glass.

I stayed there for a while and when leaving to pay the bill, I couldn't understand how I had just spent 2.90£ on that.

So if you want my honest opinion, don't go here to have a snack but if you want, it is a good place for a photo. 

From a girl severly disappointed,

Mariana Fidalgo

Portobello Market

Wednesday, 11th of May 2016

When the weather is as good as its been the last few days, you just have to enjoy it to the fullest and go for a walk. There are many wonderful things to see here in London, and I have just come to realize that, although I have seen quite a few, I have not nearly done half of the things that I want.

I have been trying to maximize my days, especially since the sun is out and the internet is not in my house, by trying to get to know the city I am living in, so I decided to join in to one of the weekend tradition´s here: the Portobello Market.

The Portobello Market is in West London, going straight through the centre of Notting Hill, taking up most of what is called Portobello Road, which on a saturday afternoon takes a while to walk from one side to the other due to the amount of people there.

This market is one of the most famous street markets in London, where both londoners and tourists like to walk by.

You have a variety of products being sold, such as clothes, vintage cameras, street food, vynil disks, Notting Hill merchandise and many more.

It is quite a merry area, you can always count on a lively environment, with delicious smells coming from the bakeries, pubs or street stalls and live music being played through the all way.

It is a wonderful way to spend your saturday afternoon.

From a girl enjoying the near market,

Mariana Fidalgo

Hummingbird Bakery

Tuesday, 10th of May 2016

The Hummingbird Bakery, with already six stores placed all across London, has been serving traditional American style cupcakes, brownies, layer cakes, pies, cheesecakes and many other desserts in the UK since 2004.

Last weekend, as I was going through the stalls of Portobello Market, I found a small but crowded pink store and was so delighted with its front window that I decided to go in and see what the fuss was all about.

Right away I saw the many delicious goods they sell, as their various cupcakes, such as Red Velvet, Nutella, Vanilla or Cookie & Cream, and their rainbow layered cake stood out in the middle of the shop.

The staff is very friendy and always ready to help you out with your choices and although it is quite a small space that they have in Notting Hill, it gets really difficult to get in since there are always lots of people there, even just to take a picture.

I decided to get the Nutella cupcake and it was amazing. I have never been to keen on cupcakes, I am more a muffin girl myself, but this bakery combines the perfect amount of cake and frosting, not beeing to much. It is the perfect size.

A regular cupcake starts at 3.15£. They also deliver at your home and you can ask for personalized cakes.

From a girl changing her mind about cupcakes,

Mariana Fidalgo 

Kensington Palace

Monday, 9th of May 2016

I have now been several times in Hyde Park, which continues to stay as my favourite of all, despite the beauty of Kyoto Gardens, but only last week I had the chance to go and look at the outside of Kensington Palace.

Kensington Palace is a royal residence, and it has been one since the 17th century. It is set in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, about 20 minutes away from my apartment so I can easily get there walking.

I must admit that the palace from outside is not exactly a building that makes you stop and wonder in delight, is quite normal, although its huge dimension is clearly visible.

On the other hand, the same can not be said about its gardens, they are a show stopper. When you enter the side gate of the palace area, you see yourself almost entering a labyrith, since everything that surrounds you is wood branches and leaves and you do have to follow a certain path to leave because there is only one exit.

In the middle of that wooden path, you will see the most beautiful clear water fountain and the millions of flowers that surround it, framing it into a picture wonderland.

The bright colored flowers are a treat and definitely scream Spring. It is a must when you go to Hyde Park.

From a girl enjoying the flowers,

Mariana Fidalgo  

Farm Girl Café

Sunday, 8th of May 2016

If you are looking for a good place to go and have a snack, I would recommend you the Farm Girl Café.

This is a café in Portobello Road, but be careful, if you are not looking for it, it is easily missed since it is hidden inside a small tunnel in the middle of the street.

There they value fresh ingredients, it is indeed one of the many trendy healthy food cafés appearing in London.

Its concept is a simple new approach to Australian café culture, since the owner is from Melbourne, Australia.

I went there on a thursday afternoon, around 4PM and immediately liked the place. It has a rustic but original decoration and the staff is incredibly nice (actually they are all french and you can get that by their accent in the first few seconds of conversation).

They have a huge variety of drinks (tea, coffee, natural juices, cocktails, smoothies) and food, such as toasts, avocado dishes, cakes, brownies and egg dishes.

I drank a peppermint leave tea and ate a organic chocolate cake with pistachios. I would recommend this menu to anyone, it tasted great and it was not as expensive as I thought it would be.

The café is also dog friendly so if you don't want to leave your dog at home, visit this place and stay outside where you can enjoy the sun.

From a girl planning her second time there,

Mariana Fidalgo

Missing family events

Saturday, 7th of May 2016

When you are absent from your home for more than a couple of months it is most certain that you are going to end up missing family events, such as birthdays.

Today my sister turns 20 years old and once more, I will not be attending her birthday party or birthday dinner. And, I say once more because the same happened on her 18th birthday since, at that time, I was living in Bamberg, Germany.

It is not the ideal thing, no one wants to avoid these types of events, because more than anything, they are opportunities for you to be with the ones you love. 

It is difficult for both parties, the ones who stayed and the ones who left home, but is something that you have to manage to deal with.

What is left for you to do is to send a text or call, skype and send a postcard. Either way, try to make a gesture to remind them that even tough you are far away and not physically there, you are still thinking about them and wish them a good day.

So, happy birthday Marta! I hope you enjoy your present!

From a girl singing happy birthday,

Mariana Fidalgo

Kyoto Gardens - the Japanese Paradise

Friday, 6th of May 2016

At the beginning of the week I was quite sick with a cold, fever and a sore throat so I wasn't in the mood to go out, although the sun started to show up. Instead, I stayed at home for the weekend so I could recover quickly, drank my tea, took some pills but I didn't want it to be a complete waste of time, so I decided to create a list of all the things I wanted to see and places I wanted to visit here in London. I ended up with five A4 pages and a handmade calendar.

Now that I have recovered, I started to risk some of the things of my new brand list. The first place I decided to go to was the Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park.

Holland Park is about 25 minutes away from my house by foot or 17 by bus, but as I always prefered to walk, there I went. 

It is relatively small when compared to other parks in the area, as Hyde or Richmond Park but it is divided by many sections, including a playing field, mostly used for football training, an ecology centre, a jogging area, a café and a stage where sometimes opera performances are hosted.

My favourite part is the beautiful and peaceful Kyoto Gardens, which is a small garden within the main park which reflects Japanese traits, like waterfalls, koi fishes and stone lanterns. It is quite a zen area and excelent to relax.

Now during the Spring, the all place is decorated with colorful flowers and trees, adding to the pituresque picture.

You can also see squirells and peacocks in the middle of your path. Believe me, I didn't know this and so I managed to be scared by one since I was admiring the flowers and suddenly I go head to head with this huge blue peacock and the the only thing I manage to say, to the amusement of one guy that witness the all thing, was: Ai, caramba!

Anyway, if you are looking to restore your peace of mind, this is the place to go.

From a girl in love with the sight,

Mariana Fidalgo

Gumball 3000

Thursday, 5th of May 2016

Last Monday, 2nd of May, there was a huge event planned in Regent Street, the central area of London - The Gumball 3000.

This event is sponsored by the company Shell and is basically a display of eco-marathon cars and future concept cars. The street was closed and surrounded with police officers to ensure everything went as planned.

Side bars separated people, leaving space in the middle of the road for the parade, where David Hasselhoff showed up riding one of the cars. There were lucky fans who managed to take a photo with him or just shake his hand.

A lot of people showed up and even when it started to rain for a few minutes, the crowd never left.

And, this is because if there is something that moves londoners out of there house is a car. These people love their cars, no one can say other wise.

While walking down any street, you can easily spot a couple of Ferraris and Porsches passing by.

It is also easy to find a store with many brand cars on display, actually there are too many of them and to close to each other for you to miss it. And of course, they seem to attract dozens of tourists who always stop to get their phones out of their pockets and take a couple of photos.

I can't say I really understand this. I don't have any interest in cars, whether it is a Smart or a Lamborghini, to me is all the same, but if this floats your boat, you are definitely welcome in here.

From a girl more impressed with buses than cars,

Mariana Fidalgo

Bank Holiday Mondays

Wednesday, 4th of May 2016

If there is something everyone loves is a holiday and when it makes us avoid the hustle of a Monday, even better. 

I recently discovered that here in the UK when a special holiday is on a Sunday, as it was Labor´s day last weekend, it automatically passes to the next day of the week, therefore Monday.

This means people here have an extra day off to relax, which everyone is really thankful for. The post office is closed and so are many of the other services, main stores and restaurants close earlier or don't even open during that day, also the garbage collection is postponed, so you easily find the streets dirtier than usual.

Last Monday, 2nd of May, the temperatures have been rising, we can honestly say that Spring finally came to London, as the all week the sun has been shinning, the rain is over and we have 20 degrees outside.

With the sun showing up, there are now many activities being planned for the rest of the month, as photography exhibitions, the Buddha Birthday, the Latin American Comida Festival, the Primrose Hill Festival & Dog Show and even street meetings where you can get to know your own neighbours for the first time.

The parks have also been fully crowed, since people are now sunbathing and having picnincs, and to be honest there is nothing funnier than an english person completely red wearing a tank top while it is 17 degrees. Although is quite warm here, I constantly remind myself that it is 31 degrees back in Lisbon and there were already people at the beach this week.

From a girl hoping for sun to stay,

Mariana Fidalgo