After nearly 24 hours of travel, I arrived in the most beautiful old-world city on Monday night.  Lisbon, Portugal is our new home for the next month.  The tiled buildings and cobblestone sidewalks are mesmerizing.  The people are friendly and laid-back… and the weather (at least for the month of August) couldn’t be more perfect.  We’ve had day after day of bright, blue skies and summer heat.  The night temperatures cool off to the 60’s, which is perfect for going out on the town and/or getting a good night’s sleep.  It’s also an easy city to get around- I’ve walked and ran from nearly end to end (including running to the airport one morning to retrieve my lost luggage), or down along the water front.  The Metro is clean and straight forward.  And from everyone’s perspective, it’s incredibly safe.  I’ve walked home alone numerous times late at night, gone for early morning runs, and feel safer than I do in most US cities.

View from Graca

For 30 of the 75 people, our housing is in a modern building (typically a dorm for university students and empty during the summer months) with private bathrooms and balconies, just a few blocks from our shared office space.  My view is of orange tiled roof tops and cobblestone, tree-lined streets.  The surrounding buildings are painted in pastel colors, which stand out against the deep blue, cloudless skies.  The city is so understated, I keep wondering if the locals truly appreciate it for the jewel that it is.

Bairro Alto District, Lisbon, Portugal

Guitarist on Rossio’s overlook point