Lisbon is a city that I have only been to once before. It was the launching point for last year’s Ultimate Train Challenge and you may recall that day one on that challenge started…. poorly. When one titles a post “Day 1 of the Ultimate Train Challenge: Total, complete, miserable, abject failure,” it doesn’t take much of a leap to see the handwriting on the wall.
Then again, I really loved Lisbon in the couple days I got to spend there. So this year, I was back in Portugal for a travel blogging conference in Porto to the north and the wonderful folks at House Trip were nice enough to set me up with a few other bloggers for a couple days in a big apartment and also take us on some tours of town.
Considering one of my complaints this year to myself has been that I have mainly just been going to places and not bothering to look up from my computer to see some things, the fact they were willing to set up some tours for us was a wonderful bonus to their hospitality.
Here are a few of the pictures I took during my stay there:
One of the tours we took was a walking tour of Lisbon with Urban Adventures, which made me particularly happy because they are one of the sponsors of the Ultimate Train Challenge (which we pushed off to next May, by the way, so that more people could join in). They’ve been a joy to work with.
This was my first day tour with them and… I can whole heartedly endorse them.
And I have to say that when I first started traveling, I looked down my nose a bit at taking city tours, but the more and more I continue to travel, I have realized a really well done (and not too long) city tour is about the best way to quickly aclimate yourself to your surroundings.
One of the other features of Lisbon that completely enchanted me was the tile work on the sides of buildings all over town. It is an artistic and architectural byproduct of the times when the Moors conquered Spain and Portugal and after they were evicted, the style stayed.
Personally, I think its a heck of an addition to an already beautiful city.
The other tour we took was a tour of the city by motorcycle and sidecars organized by Sidecar Touring Company and it was a blast. The guides were knowledgeable and fun. The vast amount of area you could cover by motorcycle got us to places I never would have normally seen.
Bottom line — really great couple day stay in Lisbon. For those that want to take a more detailed look, here is the link to the House Trip listing of the huge apartment we all stayed in. We also had a fun day tour (in addition to the motorcycle tour and the walking tour in Lisbon) of some nearby locations with We Hate Tourism Tours that I hope to get some photos up from soon.
Much fun. Thanks to my fellow bloggers on the trip and also to House Trip for arranging all of it.
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The moving streetcar photo is my favorite. Perfectly executed!
Many thanks — very lucky shot
I am almost speechless by this beautiful photos.
The red roof were so pretty and ohh , I love that vintage motorcycle!
Ashleen Moreen recently posted..Timber Sliding Doors To Make Best Use Of The Space In Your Home
Thank you so much, Ashleen.
Nice colours and motives. So typical of Lisbon.
It is fast becoming one of my favorite places. Might be heading back there soon.
Awesome photos! I especially love all the tiled buildings. I really need to get myself to Lisbon!
Also, I’m glad you enjoyed the Urban Adventures tour you did – I did my first one with them in Istanbul, and it was fantastic!
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Really had a good time with Urban Adventures — and they are one of the sponsors for the Ultimate Train Challenge!
Aw, it’s a Ural motorcycle! I love mine.
I forgot you had a motorcycle with a sidecar!
Your photography simply blew me away. I was like starring at them with my mouth open and I loved them all. I distracted me from reading the text. Great tips mate!
Agness (@Agnesstramp) recently posted..Thailand: The Land of Smiles
Awwwww, thanks. Always nice to hear a complement on my photo skills, which have improved over the years, but still aren’t where I want them to be!
Love the street car shot – great motion capture!
Cam @ Traveling Canucks recently posted..Icebergs, Glaciers and Mountains: Photos of Greenland
Thanks! Randomly got that one right
Awesome , lovely article about the nice places and buildings for those people who think that Portugal is not a good place to travel.
Great pics!
I’m going to Portugal next summer. Can’t wait!
Great pics! I’ll have to check into HouseTrip as an alternative to hostels and hotels on my next adventure.
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