Tag: lisbon

Dear Artificial Intelligence (AI), can you plan my holiday?…Blog #134

Torre de Beleu

Hello, all! 🌟 Have you ever contemplated the profound transformations our world has undergone throughout your life? It’s truly remarkable! I would suggest the latest change involves artificial intelligence (AI). Recently, I’ve embarked on an intriguing experiment with AI to delve into its capabilities. I’ve used it in business and in the classroom, so decided to bring it into my recreational life. So I posed the question:

“I’m planning a business trip to Lisbon but will be arriving 1 week early. Please plan 5 days of activities for a professional woman and her two adult granddaughters.”

Since I have been to the city on several occasions, I had an idea of what activities we would enjoy. So, after refining some queries and including specific requests, this is what my AI buddy gave me:

Day 1: Explore Lisbon’s Historic Heart

Ginjinha minus the chocolate cups
  • Morning: Start with a visit to Jerónimos Monastery in Belém. Enjoy the intricate Manueline architecture and visit the tomb of Vasco da Gama.
  • Afternoon: Explore the Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries. Don’t miss the famous Pastéis de Belém for a sweet treat.
  • Extra Treat: After visiting the Belém Tower and before the Fado dinner, stop by A Ginjinha near Rossio Square to enjoy Ginjinha in chocolate cups.
  • Evening: Dinner in a traditional Fado restaurant in Alfama. Experience the haunting beauty of Fado music, a truly Portuguese art form.

Day 2: Art and Culture Day

  • Morning: Visit the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum to witness a fine collection of ancient and modern art.
  • Afternoon: Stroll through the Bairro Alto and Chiado neighborhoods. Explore contemporary Portuguese art at Berardo Museum.
  • Evening: Enjoy a modern Portuguese meal at a rooftop restaurant with views over Lisbon.

Day 3: Day Trip to Sintra

Sintra, Photo by Matej Simko on Pexels.com
  • Full Day: Take a day trip to Sintra. Visit the Pena Palace, explore Quinta da Regaleira and walk through the charming town. Lunch in Sintra’s historic center.
  • Evening: Return to Lisbon. Relax in your accommodation or enjoy a light evening stroll along the riverfront.

Day 4: Explore Lisbon’s Waterfront and Discoveries

  • Morning: Visit MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology for contemporary interests. Walk along the river in Belém.
  • Afternoon: Shop and relax at the LX Factory, a vibrant arts complex and shopping district in a converted industrial site.
  • Evening: Dinner at a seafood restaurant in Cais do Sodré, followed by a leisurely walk.

Day 5: Leisure and Relaxation

  • Morning: Start with a leisurely breakfast. Visit the Estufa Fria greenhouse for a tranquil morning.
  • Afternoon: Enjoy a food tour or cooking class to delve into Portuguese cuisine.
  • Evening: Sunset cruise on the Tagus River for a relaxing end to your trip.

After providing some additional tips regarding the activities suggested (all very useful), the final message was…

“Enjoy your trip! Lisbon and its surrounding areas offer a rich blend of history, culture, and natural beauty that’s sure to provide memorable experiences for you and your granddaughters.”

All this took approximately 15 minutes of response and refining…not a bad way to plan a trip!

What are your thoughts on AI and how you are implementing it into your personal and professional life? What are the benefits, and what do you see as the concerns?

Pictured above are the LX Factory (wonderful place), Oceanario (which AI should have included, and an amazing Fado experience we had in Old Town.

2024 ~ ready for new adventures…Blog 130

I love to travel, really I do. However, this love is not without conditions. I most enjoy travelling with someone, preferably family and close friends, and I like going places that offer the opportunity to be by the sea or ocean. While I appreciate time spent in a city exploring the arts, culture, gastronomy and of course unique shopping, I prefer to spend my time in the less busy, less travelled parts of the world. To be clear, I’m not talking about roughing it, I do appreciate my creature comforts, just more so in peaceful, slower paced locations. 

There are, of course, some things about travel that I find less enjoyable. Like long haul flights that leave you longing for that invigorating walk on the beach where stretching without fear of elbowing another passenger, or flight attendant, is possible. Or how about the challenge of visiting the aeroplane bathrooms? It takes some contorting to rearrange every single thing around you, climb over a sleeping seat mate, and then wait for your turn to once again be a contortionist to fit into the smallest closet size space to relieve yourself. And then you get to do it all in reverse. 

Then there’s the jet lag — oh my! I’ve heard many tips and tricks to deal with it, and some even claim to prevent it; however, the reality is that jet lag is part and parcel of travelling to those amazing, yet to be discovered far off places that call for navigating across various time zones. Great argument there for local travel and road trips!

But still, I love to travel and explore new places, shop in local markets, enjoy local cuisine (except fish, unfortunately), and find those spots that offer moments of quiet and reflection by the water.  

We are starting the year off with a wonderful travel experience, not to new places, but to someplace more familiar. As many readers know, we spent 7 months travelling and living in Portugal and Spain in 2021/2022. To celebrate my departure from full time employment to freelancing (Professional Development Coaching), we are taking advantage of creating our own time schedule. 

Carvoeiro, Portugal is one of the places that won our hearts during our extended time in the EU, so it is serving as our home base for a short time while we enjoy this incredibly beautiful part of the world. But even more fantastic is the time we have to enjoy being with both our kids and their children. This time together isn’t something we take lightly — living in different parts of the world has its challenges! It is simply heartwarming and life-giving to spend time on spectacular beaches with your family. The perfect way to kick off a new year.

So, as we look to the year ahead, what does travel look like for 2024? Perhaps back to Europe, perhaps travel in Canada, perhaps…who knows? What I am sure of, is it will be filled with adventure, exploration, learning, and delight! And more inspirational places to write and create. Stay tuned.

Leave home, leave the country, leave the familiar.
Only then can routine experience—buying bread, eating vegetables, even saying hello—become new all over again.

—Anthony Doerr