I stayed at Sunset Destination. Not the best hostel in town, but definitely the best located. On top of a train station transportation hub. AND they have a great rooftop patio.
I walked more than on a typical hiking day. There’s much to see. Many viewpoints to visit.
Belém TowerMonument to the DiscoveriesPraça do Comércio and Rua Augusta ArchSanta Justa elevatorMuseum of Art, Architecture, and Technology (MAAT)
I really liked climbing the Christ statue at sunset.
Cristo Rei
I’ll be back in Lisbon next Spring to get my implant installed.
The intersecting life stories of two men born on the same day — 18 April 1906.
William Kane is a rich kid from Boston. Abel Rosnovski, a Pole born into poverty.
Both are super talented and ambitious. Kane becomes a top banker. Abel a hotel tycoon.
The two should have been friends and allies, yet become enemies.
That gets complicated when their children get married despite vehement protests.
A sprawling good book with plenty of historical references. Yet I feel Archer became a better writer over the decades since 1979. This book felt old to me, compared with his newer books.
I’d been to Seville, Spain once before in 2015. Was happy to return to catch the high speed train to Madrid. It’s the largest city in lovely Andalusia.
Next door is Seville Cathedral. The largest Gothic cathedral in Christendom.
This is supposed to be the tomb of Christopher Columbus. There’s another in the Dominican Republic.
The Giralda tower was once highest in the world. You can still ride your horse to the top.
Personally, I quite like the riverside Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold).
Of course I stayed in the charming Barrio de Santa Cruz near the Cathedral. It was once the Jewish quarter. Now a labyrinth of cobblestone pedestrian lanes (too narrow for cars) where it’s easy to get lost.
I’d go back to Seville anytime.
I haven’t spent all that much time over the OTHER SIDE of the river.
Not the best TV comedy of the year. But it is original. Brave.
100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedy diva, needs to maintain relevance: the head of the casino where she performs wants to pare down her performance dates.
Ava is a Gen Z comedy writer who is unable to find work due to being “canceled” over an insensitive tweet. The two reluctantly team up …
Cycling Alentejo and the Algarve is very popular, especially with German tourists.
For me Alentejo was much better. Very undeveloped. Low population density.
The Algarve is overdeveloped. And not in any way more scenic.
Weather was good. But I did have one BIG rainstorm.
I mostly followed the EuroVelo 1 Atlantic Coast Route using an app called Mapy.cz recommended to me by two Polish cyclists. Other cyclists recommended RideWithGPS. I’ll try that on my next trip.
It’s not much signed. Not clear. The EV1 in France — by comparison — is well signed and much better maintained.
I was quick to go off route if something looked interesting either left or right. Ended up getting lost and having to backtrack quite often.
With a week long touring bike rental from BikeIberia here’s what I ended up doing:
Lisbon > train to Setubal > ferry to Costa de Gale Night 1 – Small room beside a small town bar in Comporta Night 2 – Great hostel in Porto Covo Night 3 – Tenting near Odeceixe Night 4 – Great hostel in Sagres (huge rain storm) Night 5 – Sagres Night 6 – Hostel Portimao Night 7 – Great hostel in Faro
Cost was about 30 EUR (US$33.85) / day for 7 days. Cost / day is less if you book for longer.
That included a good bike, well maintained. Helmet, handlebar bag, 2 waterproof panniers, toolkit, spare tube, pump and lock.
BEST of all — you can drop the bike anywhere you want in Portugal and Spain at no cost. The company picks it up on your last day. Brilliant.
Click PLAY or watch an EV1 promo video on YouTube.
I’m already considering riding one of the Camino de Santiago routes in future. Perhaps Lisbon to Santiago along the coast.
I slept most nights in a hostel, the best of which was MUTE in Porto Covo, where I had started my Fisherman’s Trail hike the week prior.
sunset from the MUTE hostel balcony
I would have slept in the tent more often, BUT nights are long in November. And it was colder than I expected.
In general, I took the scenic route closest to the Atlantic.
Beaches in November are deserted.
I ate one restaurant meal a day.
Free coffee at the hostels. Or on the trail.
I’d detour to tourist attractions.
I easily finished at Faro within my 7-day rental. Probably the least charming town en route.
Small coastal villages are best for me.
I’ll be back to Portugal / Spain to rent AGAIN from the same Lisbonbased company. This is the easiest way in the world to do cycle touring.
Having traveled over 90 nations, IF you asked me where to go in December … near bottom of the list would be Toronto, OnTerrible. 😀
Yet for reasons I’m too embarrassed to relate, I ended up staying in a downtown hostel for 5 nights.
ON THE UPSIDE, the Planet Traveler Hostel in Kensington Market is excellent. I knew the eclectic Kensington neighbourhood from the Canadian television sitcom which aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1980.
The film chronicles an unlikely friendship between budding actors Tommy Wiseau and Sestero that results in the production of Wiseau’s 2003 film The Room, widely considered one of the worst films ever made.
The Disaster Artist stars brothers James and Dave Franco as Wiseau and Sestero, respectively …
No doubt Canadian mystery novelist Louise Penny did most of the writing.
But it must have been Hillary who included Putin (here called Ivanov) and a former President golfer (here called “Eric Dunn”). She and Bill are Washington super-insiders. They know how it works.
In my opinion, this book is not as good as either of the Bill Clinton collaboration. Those were more fun.
It was FUN to see Louise Penny’s character Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from Quebec make an appearance.
And it was important to hear a screed against Washington misogyny. Hillary knows better than anyone how much harder it is to be a woman in politics.
In any case, this book is getting great reviews. Selling by the truckload. But it didn’t really work for me.
Unfortunately, it was a box office bomb, grossing just $43 million against its $55 million budget and $200 million break-even point, though it was successful on HBO Max. Hopefully the success of the new West Side Story will motivate folks to check this out, as well.
It’s long at 143 minutes. Too long, I’d say.
YET I highly recommend you watch it. Fast forward through any slow sections. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, In the Heights holds an approval rating of 94% based on 351 reviews with an average rating of 8.3/10.
… was well received by reviewers in the UK and the US at initial publication. …
Agatha was influenced by the Sherlock Holmes books, for sure. Narrator Hastings – Poirot’s friend, really reminded me of Watson. Like Watson, he was injured in the war.
This book is skillfully written. I enjoyed it.
Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
Rick McCharles 