The picture of the 2CV in use giving tours of Paris got me thinking. Last summer in Portugal, I spotted the beauty below, a BMW Isetta, in a maintenance area for the transit system in Vila Nova da Gaia, across the river from Porto. Unfortunately,…
Dusk on the Tagus River, looking toward April 25th Bridge Every city’s history is reflected in its neighborhoods and its architecture, but in Lisbon’s case two important factors add to the picture. One is the incredible wealth that came to…
High on the hills above Sintra, Portugal, the Moorish Castle guarded the town from invaders, starting in the 8th century, during the early years of Moorish rule on the Iberian peninsula. Today it is a popular attraction for tourists, with spectacular…
Sunlight and shade highlight the complex carving of this stonework at the Monastery of Jeronimos at Belem, in Lisbon. This late-Gothic style is called Manueline, after King Manuel I. It’s marked by ornate stonework, often including maritime…
There are two sides to every story, and to every river—including the broad Tagus River that flows past Lisbon and out to the Atlantic. Almost half the population of the metropolitan area lives south of the river, connected to the city by a…
That’s my short take on Lisbon after two weeks there last summer. A variety of economic factors, not all connected with the Euro crisis of the past few years, have made Portugal incredibly cheap for foreign travelers—but you have to be…
A number of you have helped me plan a trip to Portugal and Barcelona. I’ve decided to go on this trip next May when I’ll have a few more days of vacation. Checking out different airline websites, I came across Icelandair, which flies…
Hi! I’ve got a two week vacation coming up in a few months, and have always wanted to visit Spain and Portugal. How might I get the best out my time? Should I do Spain only? Portugal only? A combination of the two? …
Portugal’s answer to Bavaria’s fairy-tale castles (and to Disney!), the Pena Palace sits high on a mountaintop above the town of Sintra, and above the 10th-century Moorish Castle that guarded it. The palace was built in the second half of…
The picture of the 2CV in use giving tours of Paris got me thinking. Last summer in Portugal, I spotted the beauty below, a BMW Isetta, in a maintenance area for the transit system in Vila Nova da Gaia, across the river from Porto. Unfortunately,…
Dusk on the Tagus River, looking toward April 25th Bridge Every city’s history is reflected in its neighborhoods and its architecture, but in Lisbon’s case two important factors add to the picture. One is the incredible wealth that came to…
High on the hills above Sintra, Portugal, the Moorish Castle guarded the town from invaders, starting in the 8th century, during the early years of Moorish rule on the Iberian peninsula. Today it is a popular attraction for tourists, with spectacular…
Sunlight and shade highlight the complex carving of this stonework at the Monastery of Jeronimos at Belem, in Lisbon. This late-Gothic style is called Manueline, after King Manuel I. It’s marked by ornate stonework, often including maritime…
There are two sides to every story, and to every river—including the broad Tagus River that flows past Lisbon and out to the Atlantic. Almost half the population of the metropolitan area lives south of the river, connected to the city by a…
That’s my short take on Lisbon after two weeks there last summer. A variety of economic factors, not all connected with the Euro crisis of the past few years, have made Portugal incredibly cheap for foreign travelers—but you have to be…
A number of you have helped me plan a trip to Portugal and Barcelona. I’ve decided to go on this trip next May when I’ll have a few more days of vacation. Checking out different airline websites, I came across Icelandair, which flies…
Hi! I’ve got a two week vacation coming up in a few months, and have always wanted to visit Spain and Portugal. How might I get the best out my time? Should I do Spain only? Portugal only? A combination of the two? …
Portugal’s answer to Bavaria’s fairy-tale castles (and to Disney!), the Pena Palace sits high on a mountaintop above the town of Sintra, and above the 10th-century Moorish Castle that guarded it. The palace was built in the second half of…