Trips posted in
Alfred O’Neill
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Images of Lisbon, the magic gem of Portugal.
Some call Lisbon the city of seven hills. It is older, some say, than Paris or Rome. Not a “trophy city” (“I saw this” and “I climbed that”!”) but a majestic, mighty spirit courses through the neighborhoods. It has to be walked to be experienced. This post is short because we have done others that…
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Is Magano the best restaurant in Lisbon?
Hugo, the superb concierge at the Lapa Palace Hotel in Lisbon, knew by week’s end that when it came to a dinner recommendation, we were foodies who enjoyed the local more than the popular, the authentic, not the touristy. Having proven himself with several superb dining recommendations, we took to heart his sincerity but slight…
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Take a day trip to Obidos, Portugal: a great medieval festival, inside a medieval town!
About an hour north of Lisbon lies the medieval town of Obidos with its great, extremely authentic summer medieval festival. Starting in July and going through early August, the small city is a wonderful day trip made only better with the festival — for families and adults. Having been to several medieval festivals in the…
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The Lapa Palace Hotel: Lisbon’s regal beauty perched above the mighty Tagus river.
To visit Lisbon is to visit one of the great European capitals — do not confuse it for a Paris, London, Rome, even Budapest or Vienna. The city has a charm and scale all its own; small enough to walk in a day, but massive in its impact and impression; imbued by the unique character…
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Mitai Maori Village (https://mitai.co.nz/): a rich cultural experience covered by rust.
In the center of the city of Rotorua, a major summer resort on the north island of New Zealand that is centered on a large caldera lake, is a faux Maori village where we sent for an evening of authentic cultural Maori food and rituals. In the end? A questionable use of our evening and…
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The best lodge in New Zealand? The magnificent Blanket Bay, Queenstown/Glenorchy.
Let us begin at the end: If you go to New Zealand, and you can stay at Blanket Bay, you must stay at Blanket Bay. There is nothing — lodge, resort, boutique, hotel — quite like it. It begins with an email. After our two-night stay, Tom Butler, the General Manager of Blanket Bay alpine…
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The magic of Egnazia: the lost town and the museum of the ancients outside of Monopli, Puglia.
In Puglia, on the southeastern coast of Italy, near the vacation town of Monopoli, was the oddest, almost ignored and yet gem of a museum and ancient archaeological town site called Engazia, dating back to pre-Roman Bronze Age period when the Greeks colonized the Eastern coast of Italy. We love ancient places; they teach so…
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The BEST Gourmet Tour of Lisbon, Portugal: life-tasting with Maureen of Grape, Olive, Pig
Maureen is a partner in Grape, Oliver, Pig —farm, cooperative, wine growers, event planners, ecologists…pretty amazing stuff. But that is not what she did for us: we arranged for the Lisbon half-day “Culinary Lisbon. // Food + Wine Tour”. Superb experience, in all five senses. My sister knew Maureen as a restaurateur in Philadelphia, a…
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24 hours in Kaikoura, New Zealand.
On the road for 24 hours in Kaikoura. Where to stay, eat, hike. What a seaside delight! As you wend down the SH1 highway that runs inland, you first pass through the wine plains of Blenheim, which then opens up to hug the West Coast of the South Island to Kaikoura; the views of ocean…
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Truli of Puglia, Italy: Humankind’s creativity of lodging unleashed.
Puglia, on the West Coast of Southern Italy, is a dry region, a terrain of low hills with massive wild fields of fruit trees growing everywhere. Equally dominant are the presence of these ancient homes with its unique, and seemingly crude yet subtly complex, architecture and form. We actually rented one…it was a converted tiny…
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New Zealand: The Birdwood, great local eating in Christchurch.
Not being familiar with Christchurch, arriving late and hungry we searched for the best restaurants— Birdwood pizza came up. It sounded and was delicious. Deep into a pretty suburb, restaurant almost full on a weeknight, it turned out to be the perfect place to unwind from a long drive in the comfort of neighborhood gem.…
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New Zealand: A 13-day journey across a nation that embodies the balance of nature and humanity.
Kia Ora…the Maori greeting that means welcome, good health, expresses gratitude. This greeting embodies New Zealand and its people. We had always discussed going to New Zealand for years, but still working and distracted by closer trips, we put it off. A flight that could total over fifteen hours compared to a European trip of…
Outspoken Traveler 