1st Impressions of Portugal

Upon landing I immediately went to withdrew some Euros for the first couple days and was pleasantly surprised by exch an ge rate. 150 euros turns out to be about $188 and change USD which was less than I had anticipated. I grabbed a cab for 18 euro and through the course of a 25 minute commute, received a full debrief on how Portugal is really struggling economically. You wouldn't necessarily know it though just by walking through the streets and taking in some of the sites. But you do find some clues in the urban art...

The first night we stayed at the Tivoli Hotel on Avenida da Liberdade. It was a nice hotel, but the room was insanely small and the guest services staff wasn't the most customer friendly.You can't knock the location though as we spent a lot of time walking around the main drag of the city that first day.

Portugal as a city is beautiful. There is a ton of the expected European character, impressive architecture, wide selection of diners and cafes and great people watching. The sidewalks are all a polished stone type of walkway which proved to be troublesome for my athletic prowless. If ever visiting Portugal, I recommend shoes or sandals that do not have worn bottoms.

But enough about me talking about the city, take a peek for yourself in a couple of these videos... (there's no sound cause there's no need to eavesdrop).