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 ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Lisbon posts
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 ...
