To begin anything, we plan...and in most cases, the plan changes and evolves.  That is what happened as we began to plan our latest travel adventure.  Let's go to Morocco, let's go to Iceland, let's go to Russia, but we evolved to a plan that includes other new to us places like Portugal, the Bordeaux region of France and Brussels, Belgium.  

So we are calling the trip the EuroPodVenture, easy to find by adding the hashtag, #EuroPodVenture.

Our first stop, Lisbon, Portugal.  And what we noticed quite quickly was the beautiful tiles...everywhere.  From the sides of the buildings to the sidewalks and streets, tiles are a big part of the architectural style of the city.  It is charming and creative and adds a special flare to the look and feel of the city.  

#EuroPodVenture-7Tiles, tiles...everywhere.

Next was the ease of getting around.  Not only is there a variety of public transport available, but the city is a great walking place, in part. So we starting walking around.  Starting out from our hotel, in Figueira Square or locally known as Praca Do Figueira, down to the riverside to Prada Do Comercio,, the streets were filled with amazing art and architecture.   This area of town is flat and easy to walk around, but there are some very steep hills, but we'll get to those later in the trip.

EuroPodVenture-29Riverside Lisbon

When arriving at the river, there is a spirit of whimsy and space. One of the most interesting feelings of Lisbon, is the openness and spaciousness.  There are so many large squares, open pedestrian streets and the vastness of the riverside, gives a feeling of airiness, not a closed in busy city.    

This feeling could be a result of the time of year we are here and the summer months may be much more crowded, but for us, this is pleasant and I'd recommend the end of winter as a great time to visit Lisbon.  Though keep in mind, the weather can be very changeable at this time of year.  Blue sky days, lead to cold, wet, cloudy days, which ultimately lead back to blue sky days.  So come prepared for the variety. 

Then a return to the Placa Do Figueira for a siesta and starting the evening exploration.

The evening was a walk about on some of the various pedestrian streets that are here in the old city.  Filled with shops and restaurants, there are many to choose from.  You better like seafood when coming to Portugal, as many of the restaurants feature this as their main cuisine.  

But after a long walk, exploring Rossio Square, we headed back to our hotel for a cosy dinner of tapas, wine and what else in Portugal...Port wine.  

EuroPodVenture-2Rossio Square by night

To see more of our first day Lisbon - check out the full gallery.