a2lopes' VirtualTourist Home Page

What to say about my lovely town ? (we can not avoid some adjectives to the things we like)
Where I was born where I grew up, and where I like to return from my trips and time living outside.

"You love a city not for its seven or seventy-seven wonders, but because it has an answer to your special question" , Italo Calvino

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I’m proud of being born and raised in my country -Portugal- which I like to live in and to return always after any trip or some time living abroad. Nevertheless, I’ve been lucky to live abroad in so different cultures such as Sweden, Brazil, USA or Malaysia, which make me a more judicious person about “things of life” and the “human nature”.

Born in the country of the “discoveries” and the “discoverers” (the ones depicted in the picture) I dreamed of traveling “all the world” when I was a little boy, not necessarily in a caravel but I always felt the impelling force for the journey and not needed much more stimulus to go and know. Talking about sea traveling -one of the “travels of my life” was in the 70 years old topsail four masted schooner Creoula, an ocean training ship which I partially sail between Lisbon - Azores - Lisbon. Really adventurous to sail a ship of 70 m long.

So far I have been to many places in this world, nevertheless, I haven't seen “anything” yet. There are still plenty of places in my wish list, but I have to regret I have no means -either time and money- to know “all the world” as I dreamed when I was a small boy.
Moreover, you don’t need to “travel the world” to discover the beauty and the unknown hidden in the small places nearby your home.

On top of that life is made of options at any moment and we do have to choose. We have to think on all the important items -family, work, traveling, fun- (not necessarily in this order at each time) and make a jigsaw puzzle with them.
But always, I say, always, carpe diem because tempus fugit.

And although I have a very messy passport full of stamps more and more I feel like a citizen of the world where the geopolitical divisions and the borders are meaningless.

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you have to see this work of art

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My niche is here - the mouth of Tejo river (yeah you can call it Tagus ;-) in front of Bugio fortress.... maybe one of the best places in the world
(please enlarge the picture)

Along with one of the places I love more definitely one of my favorite poems
Ithaca by Konstantinus Kavafis or Cavafis (1863-1933)

When you set out on the voyage to Ithaca,
pray that your journey may be long,
full of adventures, full of knowledge.

Of the Laestrygones and the Cyclopes
and of furious Poseidon, do not be afraid,
for such on your journey you shall never meet
if your thought remain lofty, if a select
emotion imbue your spirit and your body.
The Laestrygones and the Cyclopes
and furious Poseidon you will never meet
unless you drag them with you in your soul,
unless your soul raises them up before you.

Pray that your journey may be long
that many may those summer mornings be
when with pleasure, what untold delight
you enter harbors you've not seen before;
that you stop at a Phoenician market places
to acquire the goodly merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and voluptuous perfumes of every kind,
as lavish an amount of voluptuous perfumes as you can;
that you venture on to many Egyptian cities
to learn and yet again to learn from the sages.

But you must always keep Ithaca in mind.
The arrival there is your predestination.
Yet do not by any means hasten your voyage.
Let is best endure for many years,
until grown old at length you anchor at your island
rich with all you have acquired on the way.
You never hoped that Ithaca would give you riches.

Ithaca has given you the lovely voyage.
Without her you would not have ventured on the way.
She has nothing more to give you now.

Poor though you may find her, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Now that you have become so wise, so full of experience,
you will have understood the meaning of Ithaca.

The quest for Ithaca seems impossible but after all Ithaca it is life itself and that is the reason for traveling, go in search for - happy traveling.

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The World Heritage List presently includes 890 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value.

Luckily I’ve been to 269 sites so far: and if I have the chance I'll visit them all

Andorra
-Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley

Argentina
-Los Glaciares
-Iguazu National Park

Australia
-Greater Blue Mountains Area
-Sydney Opera House

Austria
-Hist. Cent. Salzburg
-Palace of Schönbrunn
-Semmering Railway
-Hist. Cent. Graz
-Wachau Cultural Landscape
-Fertö/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape
-Hist. Cent. Vienna

Belgium
-Flemish Béguinages
-La Grand-Place, Brussels
-Lifts on the Canal du Centre
-Belfries of Belgium
-Hist. Cent. Brugge
-Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels)
-Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai
-Stoclet House

Bosnia and Herzegovina
-Old Bridge of Mostar
-Visegrad bridge

Brazil
-Hist. Cent. Olinda
-Iguaçu National Park
-Brasilia
-Hist. Cent. São Luís
-Central Amazon Conservation Complex

Bulgaria
-Boyana Church
-Rock-Hewn Churches, Ivanovo
-Pirin National Park
-Rila Monastery

Cambodia
-Angkor

Canada
-Rocky Mountain Parks

Chile
-Churches of Chiloé
-Hist. Quarter of the Seaport, Valparaíso

Croatia
-Hist. Complex Split +Palace of Diocletian
-Old City of Dubrovnik
-Plitvice Lakes Natl. Park
-Basilica in Porec
-Hist. City of Trogir
-Cathedral of St James, Šibenik
-Stari Grad Plain

Czech Republic
-Hist. Cent. Prague
-Hist. Cent. Český Krumlov
-Hist. Cent. Kutná Hora

Denmark
-Roskilde Cathedral
-Kronborg Castle

Egypt
-Ancient Thebes and Necropolis
-Islamic Cairo
-Memphis and Necropolis –Pyramid from Giza to Dahshur
-Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae

Estonia
-Hist. Cent. Tallinn

Finland
-Fortress of Suomenlinna
-Struve Geodetic Arc

France
-Chartres Cathedral
-Decorated Grottoes -Vézère Valley
-Mont-Saint-Michel
-Palace and Park of Versailles
-Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
-Strasbourg - Grande île
-Cathedral of Notre-Dame, and Palace of Tau, Reims
-Paris, Banks of the Seine
-Canal du Midi
-Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne
-Pyrénées - Mont Perdu
-Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
-Belfries of France
-Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion
-The Loire Valley (Sully-sur-Loire - Chalonnes)
-Port of the Moon, Bordeaux

Germany
-Aachen Cathedral
-Speyer Cathedral
-Würzburg Residence
-Roman Monuments, Cathedral and Church of Our Lady, Trier
-Frontiers of the Roman Empire
-Hanseatic City of Lübeck
-Palaces and Parks, Potsdam and Berlin
-Maulbronn Monastery
-Bauhaus sites, Weimar and Dessau
-Cologne Cathedral
-Luther Memorials, Eisleben and Wittenberg
-Classical Weimar
-Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin
-Upper Middle Rhine Valley
-Dresden Elbe Valley
-Town Hall, Bremen
-Berlin Modernism Housing Estates
-The Wadden Sea

Greece
-Acropolis, Athens
-Meteora
-Mount Athos
-Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments, Thessalonika
-Arch. Site Olympia
-Arch. Site Vergina
-Arch. Site Delphi
-Arch. Site Epidaurus
-Mystras
-Monasteries of Daphni, Hossios Luckas and Nea Moni of Chios
-Arch. Sites Mycenae and Tiryns

Holy See
-Properties of the Holy See -Hist. Cent. Rome
-Vatican City

Hungary
-Budapest, Banks of the Danube, and Buda Castle
-Old Village of Hollókö
-Tokaj Wine Region Landscape

Indonesia
-Borobudur Temple
-Prambanan Temple
-Tropical Rainforest of Sumatra

Ireland
-Arch. Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne
-Skellig Michael

Israel
-Masada
-Old City of Acre
-White City of Tel-Aviv
-Bahá’i Holy Places (Haifa) and Western Galilee

Italy
-Church and Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci
-Hist. Cent. Rome, Properties of the Holy See + San Paolo Fuori le Mura
-Hist. Cent. Florence
-Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
-Venice and its Lagoon
-Hist. Cent. San Gimignano
-City of Vicenza +Palladian Villas, Veneto
-Hist. Cent. Ferrara
-Hist. Cent. Naples
-Hist. Cent. Siena
-Ravenna Monuments

Some VT people I really meet out of this virtual world

aaaarrgh Ld
Acirfa Ld
adawn412 Ld
Aggeliki At
alucas Ld Mb St
alusru Ld Mb At St Ka
anand1560 KL
Anne-Lieze St
Appleseed81 At St
ATLC Ka
audrey118 KL Ld Lx
AussieMadCow Ld St
AyurinHiro Ky
Backpackermoose Ld At St
Balfor Mb
barryg23 Ld
beach_dog Ld Mb At St Ka
belsaita At St Ka
benazer Ka
bernd_L Mb At St Ka
bernish Ld
BluBluBlu Ld
blumia Ka
BodX Ld
bradbrown Ld
brewjohnson Ka
cachaseiro Ld Mb St Ka
californiadreamin73 At St
cardesigner Cd
carmela71 Ld Mb At St Ka
carmen. Be
catnl Ka
chiabh KL
chrishc Ld Mb Lx
cnango St Ka
Co48 Mb At St Ka
christine.j Ka
Dabs Ld Mb
DAO Mb St Ka
daphne_b Be
dar76 KL
dhina Ka
dila Mb Ka
dejavu2gb Ld
dfactor KL KS
dora_heta KL
dr.firas Ka
Durfun Ld Mb Lx
eden_teuling Mb
Ekaterinenburg Ka
Elena_blue St Be Ka
elucas Mb St
emilienoelle Ka
EviP Lx
Fen Ld Ka
fgh Ka
film Ld
flyingkiwi KL
FruitLover St
Gammy1968 At St Ka
garry123 Ld
Geisha_Girl Mb
giampiero6 St Ka
GillianMcLaughl Ld Mb
gillybob St
gingerbird Ld
girladventure Ka
globetrott Lx Ka
gone_with_wind Lx Oe
grets Ld
haldane Ld Mb
hanoun Ld Mb
Hikerpark At St Ka
HORSCHECK Lx Mb Ka
Hosell Mb
huggy93 Ld
Igraine Mb At St Ka
inguuna Mb
INSULARIUS St
iris2002 Ld
jadefrau Mb At St Ka
JamesWtc Ka
janetanne At St
jenniflower Ld
jennysTravels St
JessH Ka
jessica-b Ld Mb
jetsetterforever Ld
jo104 Ld
johngayton At St
jonkb Ka
jrjohnson Ka
JulesH Ld
Kaspian Ld Mb St Ka
Kathrin_E Ka
keida84 Ld Mb
KristaB Ld
kristara Mb
krumlovgirl Ld Mb
leics Ka
Leipzig Ka
lina112 Mb
littlesam Ld At St
loisl Ka
LoriPori Ld Mb At St Ka
Lyndahall Ld
Madschick Ka
Mahieu Mb St Ka
Manyana Ld Mb
Mardaska At St
Mariajoy Ld
matcrazy0 Ka
matcrazy1 Ka
MATIM Mb Ka
Maurizioago CC Ka
Mavl St
meenoi KL
mickybleck Ka
minanga KL
mitbewohner Ka
mittnic Ld
mizzzthanggg KL
mustertal Ld Ka
myfanwe Mb St Ka
Myndo Ka
Nemorino Ka
nepalgoods Ka
nhcram Ld Mb Lx Ka
nomad7890 Ka
novsco61 Cs CR Si
OH_DK At St Ka
omran Tp
Orkaena St
outforlunch At St Ka
p_yenyen KL KS
Pakistaniguy Mb
paulo_pinto Po Cs CR Si
Paulo&Rosario At St Be
pedroswift Ka
petertktan KL
petpaho Ka
PetraE Ld
piccolina Ka
pieter_jan_v Ka
pod Ka
pollon Ka
poons Ld Mb Ka
portgrl Al Po Ga Cs CR Si Cd
poupeeAztec Ld
Princess_Emily At St Ka
ray_d Ka
razmatac Ld
rebibi Mb
redang Al Po Bj Cs CR Si Md
revontulet St
RhineRoll Ld Ka
ricky52 Ld Mb Ka
ritaz St Lx Ka
ROCKARIA Ka
Roggeveen Ka
romina78 Ld
RonDace Ld
royslaven Ka
rusket At St
Saasaan St
sabsi Ka
saccharinicity Mb
sachara Mb At St Ka
salsa_girl Mb At St Ka
sandysmith Mb
sara_slo Cs CR Si
sarams Ka
schlumpf KL
senoritasmile Mb
seoulgirl Ka
Seppoman Ka
shutterlust Ka
sinequanon Mb At St
sirikit1 Ka
SirRichard Mb
sha_stallion KL
sofia_79 Lx Si
soulfisher Lx
sourbugger Ld Ka
St_Vincent Ld
Stephanie Ld Mb At St Ka
sue_stone Ld
suet Ld Mb Ka
sun-spot KL Ld Lx
tere1 KL Lx Oe Al Po At St Be Cs CR Si
tertuliatulia Cd
TheView At St Ka
TheWanderingCamel Lx
Tilman Ka
Tilmansmom Ka
tini58de Ka
toonsarah Ka
Toyin Ka
travelfrosch Ka
travellingSpirit Ld Mb Ka
Trekki Ka
Trillian2005 Ka
Tripack Ka
tuna_ank St
VincentJJ Mb
vivalasteph Ld
vondutch Mb Ka
Waalewiener Ld Mb At St Ka
Willettsworld Ld
Willy_wonka Mb
yumyum Ka
yurijade KL
zuriga Ld
zweiblumen Mb

Al -Almada; At -Athens; Be -Belém; Bj -Barajas; CC -Costa de Caparica; Cd –Carnide; CR -Cabo da Roca; Cs -Cascais; Ga -Vila Nova de Gaia; Ka -Karlsruhe; KL -Kuala Lumpur; KS -Kuala Selangor; Ky –Kyoto; Lx -Lisbon; Ld -London; Mb -Marbella; Md -Madrid; Oe -Oeiras; Po -Porto; Si -Sintra; St -Santorini; Tp - Tripoli

My VT Meetings
in Europe
some huge ones
EuroVT Meeting Marbella 5-6-7 May 2006
EuroVT Meeting Santorini 1-2-3 June 2007
EuroVT Meeting Karlsruhe May 30- June 1 2008

in Asia

in Africa

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All photos by a2lopes otherwise stated