Photo of the Day (06/16/08)

by Iva Skoch on


What a great shot of San Francisco! The colors!

Except, of course, that it is Lisbon, Portugal, as shot by t3mujin. Seriously though, tell me this doesn’t look like San Francisco when you first glance at it? It is amazing how many similarities there are between Portugal and California…the weather, the coastline, the lifestyle, the bridge. If Portugal had Hollywood and Chinatown, it would practically be the same place. Just kidding.

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, go over to the Gadling Flickr Pool and post it. Make sure it is not copyrighted, otherwise we can’t post it here.***

Planning your European nightlife

by Anna Brones on

Despite the low dollar, some of us still have European summer adventures on the horizon. And just because the economy is in a rut, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t focus on fabulous things to do across the Atlantic. This weekend, the New York Times put together a set of 10 articles on things to do after midnight in various European cities. I tend to like the New York Times Travel section, but I really enjoyed this compilation of articles which takes us from hip billiards in Paris to 24 hour bookstores in Moscow to a tram-based nightclub in Prague.

The ten cities covered are:
Athens
Barcelona
Berlin
Copenhagen
Lisbon
London
Moscow
Paris
Prague
Venice

Go here to discover more of Europe’s after-midnight adventures, and then start scrounging for euros.

Spain versus Portugal. Can we get along?

by Iva Skoch on

Before going to Portugal for New Year’s, we were advised that we shouldn’t even try to speak Spanish there. If you don’t speak Portuguese, stick with English because the Portuguese don’t like using Spanish, even if they speak it.

I didn’t realize how deep is their resentment toward the Spanish until I saw this sign spray-painted on a building in Alfama, Lisbon.

I feel for you, Portugal. In the early nineties, there were similar signs in Prague: “Shut up, or stay in Germany.”

Dakar Rally, another victim of terrorism

by Iva Skoch on

On our way from Portugal to Madrid last week, we saw a lot of trucks on their way to Lisbon for the annual Dakar Rally (previously Paris-Dakar). Unfortunately, the next day, they got the sad news that the Dakar Rally was canceled for the first time ever, because of terrorism.

Four French tourists were murdered in Mauritania on December 24 and nine of the Dakar Rally stages happen to go through Mauritania. The organizers feared they couldn’t provide sufficient security.

As an alternative, Dakar Rally organizers are considering a race through central Europe this spring. Czechs are big fans of the rally so I am sure they would be psyched, but replacing a race through the Sahara desert with a race through some “bad roads of Europe” is kind of a stretch, isn’t it?

New Poets Hostel in Oporto, Portugal

by Kelly Amabile on

The folks behind the very sleek and cozy Lisbon Poets Hostel have opened a new location in Oporto. It doesn’t look like their website is up yet, but according to the email I received, they officially opened on June 15. (Good reviews are beginning to appear.) From the photos I’ve seen (click below to see more), the new Oporto location has been designed in the same artsy relaxed fashion as their flagship Lisbon location.

That’s a good sign — and I hope the staff in Oporto is as nice as the crew I met at the Lisbon location. They were all fantastically kind (and hands down the hottest hostel staff I’ve ever seen!) As one staff member, Lily, explained to me when I arrived in Lisbon last year, the folks behind the Poets Hostel (opened in 2006) are all artists — writers, painters, sculptors — who went into the hostel business as a way to supplement their artistic endeavors (and make sure they can pay their bills!) The investment seems to be paying off for them, and making travelers happy too. Nice to see…

Amenities include free security lockers, five showers and five toilets, 1 living room with TV and DVD, a resting room with lounges (hopefully with a full bookshelf like the one in Lisbon), a guest kitchen, 2 free computers for using the internet, and a big garden where they will host barbecues.

Warm and inviting huh? Okay backpackers, we’ve given you the goods, now get to it: Head to this new outpost in northern Portugal along the Douro, where the port wine will be flowing! The hostel is located at Travessa do ferraz, 13 in Oporto, not far from the Jardim Joao Chagas. Nearest metros are Sao Bento and Aliados.