Loving It In Lisbon 

By Dannielle B. Hayes

Portugal's capital is at the prow of the ship once again, leading us to new discoveries in travel.

Today Lisbon invites the world to experience its charm and hospitality, to taste its mouth watering cuisine, to reflect on its past and to boldly reflect into its future.

Stretching up from Commerce Square, the Baixa is a gridwork of cafes, terraces and hundreds of shops where one can buy the best Portuguese wines, handcrafts, clothing, perfume and jewelry.

Extending north of Baixa, the elegant tree lined Avenida da Liberdade is graced with designer shops like Calvin Klein and Massimo Dutti, as well as some of Lisbon's better hotels. Next to Baixa the chic Chiado has always been a meeting place for historic, cultural and social traditions.

Lisbon boasts some excellent museums including the Coach Museum and Cultural Centre in Belem, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum housing one man's art collection and the amazing Museu do Azulejo or Tile Museum.