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Setúbal Bay - One of The Most Beautiful in the World

• Sunday, 08 February 2009 09:52
• Written by A. Jorge

The Bay of Setúbal, with all the qualities and assets in terms of heritage, the environment and culture that it boasts, was voted a member of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club.

After formally submitting its application in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, its admission to the club, to which 29 bays from around the world belong, was ratified in Paris.

As the most important natural habitat for the conservation of the bottle-nosed dolphin, fulfilling one of the nature requirements demanded by UNESCO, The Bay of Setúbal will benefit from added values, notably from the international projection of the city.

It is also a way of alerting the country to some of the problems that Bay is facing, in particular pollution and the return of the city to the river.

Read more: Setúbal Bay - One of The Most Beautiful in the World

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Discover Lisbon - A Place to Remember

• Thursday, 08 January 2009 22:37
• Written by A. Jorge

Join Lisbon's today cultural diversity together with a laid-back ambience and an architectural time-warp, and you have one of Europe's most enjoyable cities.

The physical setting alone makes Lisbon an appealing destination. The city is built on hills overlooking the Tagus River (Tejo in Portuguese) where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean.

The climate is benign and the older parts of the city are rich with murals of tiles (azulejos), art nouveau buildings, sidewalks paved with decorative patterns of tiny black and white stones, public staircases leading steeply upward through ancient neighborhoods, double-decker buses, and funicular tramways where you may see a cat hop aboard and get off at the next stop.

Museums and monuments are other popular attractions. No visit is complete without a tour of the Jerónimos monastery, where ropes and other maritime themes are carved into stone. Explore the Moorish Castelo de São Jorge, which looks like a fortress on the outside but is a delightful place of gardens, towers with scenic views, ponds with swans and peacocks, and other attractions within its walls.

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Lisbon comes alive

• Sunday, 08 February 2009 13:32
• Written by Seth Sherwood

Seth Sherwood, based in Paris, is a frequent contributor to the Travel section of Herald Tribune (International). He wrote an excelente article about Lisbon. You can find some highlights below and read the full article here.

(...) The last of the West European capitals to experience a cultural bloom, Lisbon is avidly making up for lost time. All over the city, an upstart generation is laying waste to the sepia-toned stereotypes and gleefully constructing edgy and forward-looking ventures amid the time-worn monuments and quaint cobbled lanes.

Read more: Lisbon comes alive