the_lisbon_connection blog

Jordan is lovely and our trip the loveliest! We got one of those pre arranged trips that included dinners, breakfasts and a guide to tour us everywhere! I must say that Petra is  probably one of the most amazing places I have ever been! It seems that we spent the whole trip climbing and walking everywhere. Each single night of this trip I felt completely exhausted, but so alive and full of energy! The great thing about this arranged trip (I am not a big fan of arranged trips) is that we got to see not only Petra but almost everything touristic there was to see in Jordan. Located in the middle east, Jordan is not a very big country and through the years, it has managed to keep out of the massive conflicts happening around. Its mostly a muslim country, though its known for not being as extremist as others. It has no sea connection and it’s situated between deserts so water is very scarce. People are taught from a young age how to preserve and reduce water use. We were told

Last weekend we paid a visit to the Invicta , as portuguese like to call it. Porto for us, Oporto for everybody else! Even though it was cold and rainy we manage to have a great time! These were the high points: Rua das Flores , the urban art that has been done in the buildings which are being renovated, and the electrical boxes are a different type of art fun to see. Also many cool restaurants and cafes have open. Explore the old city, from  Sé  down to  Ribeirinha  and get  a nice view of the old little alleys and streets of Porto. A stroll alongside the Ribeirinha and Gaia , great place for pictures and beautiful view of the city. To complete the scenery cross the beautiful Ponte de São Luis (the one resembling the Eiffel Tower) to Gaia (I recommend crossing the bridge on top and head back on the bottom part – both views are wonderful). In Gaia you can go to the Caves for free, where they explain all the process of making Port Wine . Th

Going on a trip with a professinal fotographer has its pros...the amazing pictures you see are from my wonderful experience in Jordan: Petra and the desert of Wadi Rum...which I will be writting about shortly! You can follow more of Juvenalia Oliveira's amazing work on her facebook page .

It’s so lovely when you find people writing about you home and how precious it is! Matt has an amazing travels blog! Check it out! It's made my favorites!

Comme Ça  – loved this place! The food, the decoration, the crowd, the waiters and the live music which made our dinner so pleasant. The concept is fun, all dishes cost 12€ served with potatoes in the oven and a mixed salad and it’s enough for two people to share. We had the rosbife in a mushroom soup and the little stakes with herbs sauce, all of it delicious! Ohh and a nice bottle of João Pires (Portuguese white wine which has a little taste of moscatel, a sweet Portuguese liquor!) 

Cinque Terre are a group of five beautiful towns by the sea (south from Genova and north from Piza). I visited last June and fell completly in love! The towns are separated by a 5 minute train ride or if you like  hiking , there are walking tracks which also connect them (just be sure to check if they are open before planning your trip)!  Overall this trip also included Sienna and part of a day in Piza which I will leave for another time!  Riomaggiori is the first town (if you arrive from the south) and the biggest. It has a church, a marina and wide number of restaurants, bars and places to stay. This is actually where we slept which, as a matter of fact, was a great adventure! First an advice: when you search hostel world, trip advisor or any other accommodation searching engine, and the address of your Riomaggiori place to stay says it’s on the main road of the village, this doesn’t mean your room is located in the same place. Actually the majority of the places have th