(The world is once again reeling from a series of terrorist attacks targeting major cities. Three suicide bombers in Brussels on Tuesday killed 34 people and injured more than 125 more. Last Saturday, terrorists struck in the center of Istanbul, close to where Gabi and I gathered with family and friends for a reunion in June. Our friend Muge Ertilav […]
» Read moreIt’s easy to bypass O Vinhaca, a tiny restaurant tucked away at No. 53 Rua do Salvador in Lisbon’s Alfama district. Thousands do so each day as they make their way up the cobblestoned streets in Lisbon’s oldest and most historic barrio, paying little attention to the tiny, signless restaurant. They stroll past what locals call the oldest traffic sign […]
» Read moreIt’s mid-afternoon on a Thursday in Lisbon, and I’m about to have my hair cut by a bearded bald guy named Luis. In a barbershop that doubles as a cocktail lounge. With a pool table in the back. Next to a small stage where live music is performed most nights each week. What in the name of product diversification is […]
» Read moreSomewhere between Lagos and Portimao in the Algarve, the gods of natural beauty seem to have taken leave of their senses, letting the forces of kitsch, gaudiness and overdevelopment have their way with southern Portugal’s stunning countryside. How else could you explain a part of the world that boasts some of the planet’s most stunning coastlines and pristine, quiet villages […]
» Read moreOur spare phone battery quit half an hour north of Lisbon, following its brother’s death spiral as the GPS sucked energy from our cell phone like Donald Trump drains reason from the presidential campaign. So there we were, driving on the A1 in search of a town no one we encountered had heard of, directionless, mapless and, importantly, clueless. “This […]
» Read more“Men’s Giant mountain bike,” read the advertisement. “65 GBP ($100.) Recently overhauled and in good shape. Many others for sale.” Hmmm… In the hunt for a bike to ride while we’re in England but mentally ticking the “too good to be true” box on this one, I was prepared to move on in my search, probing the Gumtree website and the […]
» Read more
