Lisbon, Europe's Hidden Gem

     People often ask me where are my favorite places to travel to.  I usually will answer with Rome or Paris or Sydney, but sometimes I throw them for a loop with Lisbon.  Yes, Lisbon, Portugal!  This incredibly beautiful city is the most underrated place to visit in all of western Europe.  It's a romantic Mediterranean city (even though it is technically on the Atlantic) with the charm to match any place I have ever visited.  The people are remarkably kind and open to visitors, which there are few.  In fact, in three days of site seeing, I encountered maybe twenty tourists from the states and most of these were enjoying delectable glasses of vino at The Portuguese Wine Tasting Center.  This lack of tourism equates to some of the cheapest prices in all of Europe.  To make maters even better, is that most people speak English fluently.  This is due to the fact that most Europeans do not speak Portuguese and thus English is the common ground language used with travelers. 

     The Lisbon is blessed with sensational architecture varying from baroque towers and monasteries in Belem to a tangle of medieval streets in the Alfama. They have Romanesque churches in Baixa and Art Nuveau cafes, they even have a "Golden Gate Bridge" look alike.  The city is a cornucopia of beauty from the last 800 years, but the most iconic structures come from it's hay day in the 1400 and 1500's when Portugal dominated the spice trade.  To cap it all off, Lisbon has a formidable castle towering over the city and has a series of rickety trams that snake their way through it's cobblestone streets.

     The food in Lisbon is an eclectic mix of Portugal's former empire.  It has influences from African, Brazilian, Indian and Indonesian cuisines that are integrated with traditional food elements from the Iberian Peninsula.  Add in the fact that Lisbon is on the Atlantic and that they are the seventh biggest producer of wine in the world and you have the receipt for some of the most unforgettable food that you will ever encounter.  Try the cuddle fish sauteed in olive oil and garlic or the pork and clam dishes.  These unique dishes will simply blow away your taste buds and provide you with a new perspective on Mediterranean cuisine!

     So when you take great food, wonderful people, beautiful architecture, inexpensive prices and a lack of tourism, you get the city of Lisbon. One of  Europe's truly hidden gems and one of my favorite cities in the world.