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Lisbon posts
Video of the Day - A ride through Lisbon
Aug 2nd, 2011 at 8:00PM:
Can you describe your favorite city in one word? Yellow Bus Tours, a tour guide company in Portugal, recently asked tourists of Lisbon to describe the Portuguese capital in one word.
Set to a montage of beautiful scenes shot in and around the city, the video sets a vibe that certainly makes the city look inviting. Kudos to Yellow Bus Tours for capturing the feel of the city & ...
Photo of the day - A day at the beach
Apr 21st, 2011 at 5:00PM: Sometimes a perfect day at the beach isn't all cerulean blue skies and crystal clear water. Sometimes it's a windy afternoon, after the season is over, but you can enjoy the solitude and serenity of the ocean. Flickr user t2mujin took in such a scene on a March day in Lisbon, Portugal for today's Photo of the Day. We might be looking at a fisherman's gear or just someone eager for summer, even if ...Photo of the Day - Lisbon at dusk
Jan 23rd, 2011 at 6:00PM:
The city of Lisbon is dominated by its hills. It can make getting around this Portuguese capital an interesting experience (tip: make sure to try out one of the city's elevators). But rest assured, once you make it to the top, you'll be treated to some of Europe's most amazing views. Today's photo, by Flickr user t3mujin, offers a typical example, taken at dusk. I love the warm glow of the ...European cheeses: holiday entertaining with the taste of travel
Nov 30th, 2010 at 1:30PM:
I work part-time in a cheese shop, and I'm also a contributing editor at culture, a consumer cheese magazine. I can't help noticing that, despite a still-sluggish economy, people don't want to do without their cheese. Especially if they've fallen for a specific type during their (usually European) travels.
Not everyone who bellies up to the counter is a globetrotter or a cheese geek, but ...Ten budget-friendly destinations in Europe
Nov 23rd, 2010 at 10:00AM:
For Americans, Europe can be very expensive. Let's take a moment to acknowledge this fact. Tourist costs are high, and currently the euro is doing well against the dollar, even if the pound is down somewhat from its stratospheric performance a few years ago. So yes, Europe is expensive. But its high costs are merely a marker, not a prisonhouse. There are always ways to cut costs and forge an ...Photo of the day (8.12.2010)
Aug 12th, 2010 at 5:30PM:
We're in the dog days of summer, with hot temperatures and high levels of humidity making it hard to do more than eat ice cream, seek air conditioning, and think of fall weather. While there's less than a month left in summer, and pretty soon we'll be complaining about winter, the sticky August heat can feel downright oppressive.
That's why this photo by Flickr user t3mujin taken in Lisbon, ...Travel + Leisure names the world's best hotels
Jul 8th, 2010 at 3:00PM: You deserve the very best. You've worked hard, probably played a little hard, and you're ready to reward yourself by splurging on a much-needed gateway. So, where do the best of the best go when they want to escape?
With the help of their readers, Travel + Leisure editors released the 2010 World's Best awards. The lists include everything from airlines to islands, and hotels to cruise ships. ...From World Cup to contemporary tourist destination: part two
Jun 20th, 2010 at 10:00AM: The World Cup provides an opportunity for participating countries to put their best foot forward and invite visitors in. Earlier I looked at fabulous and in most cases affordable hotels in countries in the World Cup's Groups A through D, hotels that fit their country's national brand well. Here are some suggestions for hotels that sum up the best of the local national brand from countries in ...Hostel World names world's best hostels
Jan 31st, 2010 at 2:30PM: TripAdvisor recently released its list of the best and worst in the hotel industry. Now it's the hostel industry's turn. Hostel World just announced the winners of the "Hoscars", their annual ranking of the world's best and worst hostels, rated by cleanliness, location, staff, fun, security, and character.
Over 20,000 properties around the world were eligible for the awards, yet because most ...Europe hotel rates down 12%
Jan 17th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Paris in the springtime? Beach time in Barcelona? These trips might not be as expensive as you think. According to a new report from hotel price comparison site trivago, Europe hotel prices are 12 percent less than in January 2009. Read: get your passports and hop across the pond!
Among the findings:
Dublin, Ireland: The average price of a standard double room is 84 pounds (approximately ...Lisbon airport brings some Christmas joy - flashmob style!
Dec 27th, 2009 at 6:30PM: digg_url = 'http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Lisbon_Airport_Brings_Christmas_Joy_Flashmob_Style_Video'; Christmas time at the airport is usually a time of doom, gloom, pushing and waiting in line. Portuguese airline TAP and the Portuguese Airport Authority decided to spice things up at Lisbon airport with a massive dance and music show. Bonus points for spotting the dancing Santa.
tweetmeme_url = ...
Photo of the Day (7.12.09)
Jul 12th, 2009 at 6:00PM: Lisbon's Bairro Alto neighborhood has managed to become one of the city's most popular and yet still remain among its quirkiest, home to a budding collection of eclectic shopping, raucous nightlife and interesting food. This shot, by Flickr user (flicts), offers a good approximation of what Bairro Alto is all about. The first-person reflection in the fisheye mirror lends us a surprisingly ...Portugal decriminalizes drugs; world doesn't end
May 21st, 2009 at 10:00AM: When most of us hear about "legal" drugs in Europe, we think of the Netherlands and its capital Amsterdam, where permissive drug policies and smoke-filled "coffee shops" attract tourists from around the world. (Even Rick Steves!)
What most people don't know is that in 2001, Portugal became the first country in the world to decriminalize all drugs-- including cocaine and heroin-- in an experiment ...Photo of the Day (07.06.08)
Jul 6th, 2008 at 12:00PM: Flickr user wesleyrosenblum has decided to let us in on a secret - Lisbon is one of the most picturesque cities on earth. This photo looks like it was taken from atop the hill that's occupied by Lisbon's Castelo São Jorge, the magnificent castle that guards this ancient port city. I like the way the cannon "pokes" out into the middle of this view, looming over the city below. I also like ...Photo of the Day (06/16/08)
Jun 16th, 2008 at 5:00PM: What a great shot of San Francisco! The colors! Except, of course, that it is Lisbon, Portugal, as shot by t3mujin. Seriously though, tell me this doesn't look like San Francisco when you first glance at it? It is amazing how many similarities there are between Portugal and California...the weather, the coastline, the lifestyle, the bridge. If Portugal had Hollywood and Chinatown, it would ...Planning your European nightlife
Apr 21st, 2008 at 1:00PM: Despite the low dollar, some of us still have European summer adventures on the horizon. And just because the economy is in a rut, doesn't mean we shouldn't focus on fabulous things to do across the Atlantic. This weekend, the New York Times put together a set of 10 articles on things to do after midnight in various European cities. I tend to like the New York Times Travel section, but I really ...Spain versus Portugal. Can we get along?
Jan 10th, 2008 at 1:00PM: Before going to Portugal for New Year's, we were advised that we shouldn't even try to speak Spanish there. If you don't speak Portuguese, stick with English because the Portuguese don't like using Spanish, even if they speak it.
I didn't realize how deep is their resentment toward the Spanish until I saw this sign spray-painted on a building in Alfama, Lisbon.
I feel for you, Portugal. In the ...Dakar Rally, another victim of terrorism
Jan 9th, 2008 at 12:30PM: On our way from Portugal to Madrid last week, we saw a lot of trucks on their way to Lisbon for the annual Dakar Rally (previously Paris-Dakar). Unfortunately, the next day, they got the sad news that the Dakar Rally was canceled for the first time ever, because of terrorism.
Four French tourists were murdered in Mauritania on December 24 and nine of the Dakar Rally stages happen to go through ...New Poets Hostel in Oporto, Portugal
Jun 29th, 2007 at 8:17AM:
The folks behind the very sleek and cozy Lisbon Poets Hostel have opened a new location in Oporto. It doesn't look like their website is up yet, but according to the email I received, they officially opened on June 15. (Good reviews are beginning to appear.) From the photos I've seen (click below to see more), the new Oporto location has been designed in the same artsy relaxed fashion as their ...
