Tags
art, castle of saint george, castles, lisbon, portugal, portuguese, praco do comercio, sketching, travel, travel addict, travel sketch, trip planning, vacation apartment rentals, wanderlust
Praca Do Comercio
Watercolor and ink 9×12 inches -$45 (info at end of post for purchase)
When trying to figure out where to start my travel blog I was a bit stuck. HOW do I narrow it down. I let Google Map Guy decide and Lisbon, Portugal is where I ended up. Actually i just picked him up, closed my eyes, dropped him, and this was it….Praca do Comercio in Lisbon. Wow! Click on the google map link below my drawing to get the street view. I am hunkered down under a think blanket sipping hot tea in New England and this looks really nice right now! So glad I get to “travel” there today. Hotels seem relatively inexpensive (I am also a massive fan of apartment rentals anytime I travel) and the temperature is 60 degrees right now which seems really good to me! Make sure you do the 360 rotation on google maps street view because every angle is better than the next!
After choosing this spot for my next sketch, I decided to wander a bit (with my little yellow guy leading the way). Narrow streets with pastel colored houses lead to little squares with fountains. The Castle of Saint George sits majestically and has an AMAZING view (even through my computer screen) from the top of the ramparts. According to wikipedia the first fortifications on the site were built in the 2nd century, with various incarnations of what currently exists erected over the hundreds of years that followed.
And, oh….my….I found a hotel INSIDE the castle walls. Ok, brief aside: you will learn that I get very, very excited about castles. Solar Do Castelo (photo below) is a small mansion built inside the castle walls. It looks like prices range between 150-280 euros per night. A little out of my normal travel budget, but it looks like it is worth the splurge!
I also wanted to check out some available apartment rentals, because I really enjoy the feeling you get of being part of the community when you rent a home. Not to mention it is often cheaper for more space. So I mosied on over to homeaway.com (spelling on that one? I don’t mosey very often. or at least don’t spell it very often!), and found many places priced from $22 and up. $22!!
This amazing TWO bedroom was $106 a night, but wow! Two Bedroom
As for eats, one of the things I fell in love with are Lisbon’s Kiosks. These adorable 19th century kiosks dot the city and are a great place for a quick drink or small bite. Recently restored and revived, they oooze charm and character!
Here’s a couple of links to Lisbon’s food offerings, because isn’t food the heart of every travel experience?
Apparently petiscos are popular in Portugal which is a version of tapas. Many bars are “street bars” where people gather outside with drinks and enjoy the views, the great climate, and each other. As for coffee, one of those gastronomical things I always need to know about, I read somewhere that many Lisboners have some serious coffee fixes and will often drink up to 5 espressos a day. I bet there is a pretty hopping night scene after that much caffeine! But after such an exhausting day I am going to curl up and sleep! And dream about where to next! I am thinking it might be Valencia, Spain….
My posts are based on random picks on google maps. I have not physically traveled to most of the places I post on here (just dream), and can not endorse or recommend any of the places and services I might mention. Please use your own discretion when planning, and research!
If you have been to Portugal I would love to hear about your experience! Please share 🙂
To purchase the sketch shown in this post, click here