The soft sounds of guitar spill out onto hilly medieval streets that wind down to the banks of the Duoro River. Hand-painted rabelo boats dot the deep blue of the water, transporting barrels of wine beneath the tall steel arch of the Dom Luis Bridge. This is Oporto, one of Europe’s finest hidden treasures. As … [Read more…]
Following my recent post about the Indian Ocean, I’ve been spending an even greater amount of time than usual daydreaming about locations on my travel bucket list. Today my daydreams are centered around Portugal, a country that remains one of my favorite travel destinations. Last year I was lucky enough to drink Port wine in Porto, … [Read more…]
Fear It’s December 2006. I’ve just turned 21, I’m by myself in Paris, and I’m absolutely terrified. I spent the past three days touring the City of Lights with a friend I met studying abroad in England. She served as our guide, planning our days, bringing us —unscathed—from London to Paris, navigating our way through … [Read more…]
A red-dirt path stretches into the distance, terminating, along with the cliff it covers, under the cloudless blue sky. The path’s fall is interrupted by rows of shrubs, lining the cliff’s edge with a wreath of green. Below miles of sand, the color of slightly toasted marshmallows, kiss crystal ocean waves that slowly darken to … [Read more…]
2014 was a beautiful and moving year for me, filled with an unprecedented number of travel experiences that made the year pass like a travel aficionado’s dream sequence. Since January, I visited a whopping 22 countries, fulfilling my goal of traveling to 25 countries in my 25th year and pushing my total country count to … [Read more…]
A sea of trees chases a gaggle of hills before culminating at the base of a majestic castle, yellow, red and white towers breaking up the unending blue of the sky. Beyond lies the Portugal plain, stretching on for miles, ending on at the ocean to the South and at Lisbon’s city scramble to the … [Read more…]
The dining room of Home Hostel Lisbon is packed with backpackers, each seat at the long, wooden tables occupied by a hungry body, eagerly anticipating “Mamma’s Dinner.” Six nights a week, Mamma, the actual mother of the hostel’s owner, prepares her family’s Portuguese recipes for travelers, filling stomachs and assuaging homesickness. Dine with Mamma at … [Read more…]
Quiet, meandering streets wind up the hillside past bakeries where sweet smells and the soft sounds of guitar spill out the windows. The gentle slopes converge at the foot of the remains of a castle, its fortress towers looking out at the rows of tile-roofed houses that lead to the sparkling sea. This is Lisbon. … [Read more…]
Van doors slam and six bodies dart over sand dunes and bushes, racing wildly to catch the last rays of the sinking sun before they disappear beneath rolling ocean waves. It is time to explore the cliffs of Lagos, Portugal. We reach the cliff’s edge, and all six of us – three Americans, a Canadian, … [Read more…]
Bura Surfhouse in Lagos, Portugal is a great hostel. And it seems I’m not the only one who thinks so. The family-run hostel has a 95 percent thumbs up rating on TripAdvisor. But what is it that pushes a hostel beyond the very good category and into the coveted rating of excellent? A central location? … [Read more…]