A Note From Lisbon

Portugal has us all in her grasp — all of us here in Lisbon for the pioneer Adventurous Life coworking travel adventure. 🙂

It’s a little hard to describe the experience, but because so many have asked, Pam and I thought we’d try to capture the essence of the trip by focusing on two key elements: seeing Lisbon (and beyond) and experiencing Lisbon. In the next email, we’ll talk about working in Lisbon.

ALSO! Please join us Tuesday, June 12, for our Community Q&A about our coworking trip to Rome that’s coming up in a few months.

Seeing Lisbon (and beyond)

There’s so much to see here…it’s a gorgeous city! As a group, we went to see the monument dedicated to the Age of Discovery — wow! And to the nearby Jeronimos Monastery.

Individually, we’ve all been exploring the city — either on our own or in smaller “interest groups.” The tile buildings are captivating. The castle overlooking the city and the ancient alleyways of the Alfama district are worth walking by yourself or with one of the free walking tours offered.

The huge yellow-rimmed town square (Praca do Comercio), built after the 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon, makes you want to put your arms out and twirl about. The sidewalks and plazas throughout the city are all made of hand-done tiles that have somehow been slightly shined (which also makes them a bit slippery!).

So far, seven of our participants have made their way to the magical castle lands of Sintra, about an hour away, and two went to see Porto, a trip they ended a day early when they discovered the rail workers would be on strike the following day! Many more side-trips are expected in the next couple of weeks.

Experiencing Lisbon

The experience of living in Lisbon is what really makes the trip different. Many come to Lisbon for only 4 days and rush through all the tourist sites. But 4 weeks here means our participants have time for early morning walks through the neighborhood, trying different cafes every day in search of the best coffee. For finding restaurants that only locals populate.

We are FEELING the culture and the people. Sometimes individually, sometimes several of us together, we’re doing things like attending book fairs, grocery shopping, going to the cinemas, visiting the dog shelters, talking to the tiny shop owner around the corner, connecting with neighbors also hanging laundry outside the window, riding a city bus to neighborhoods out of the tourist center, sipping port at an out-of-the way wine bar.

THIS is what becomes possible when you stay longer and live like a local. Most of our participants have never stayed anywhere for a month. It’s a new, thrilling experience. And 4 weeks now seems like not enough time!

Join us at the webinar next Tuesday to see how this could be YOUR experience…in the extraordinary city of Rome!