jamikins

And here is an excellent walking tour by lreynold1 http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-of-lisbon.cfm

annhig

re Iceland, yes it will be cold, but it is the only time when you would have an opportunity to see the Northern Lights, which is why I suggested it.

however when we were there in summer there was a heat wave in which the temps never dropped below 30C.

if you want warmth and sun in winter, go to Lisbon.

goldenautumn

For a 5 day stay, you can get a really beautiful, stylish Lisbon apartment with all the amenities for very little money per night. I had a totally happy experience with Rent4Days agency. They have apartments all over Lisbon. Eating out in restaurants was so cheap in Lisbon that we never cooked a meal at home. But still it was nice to have the extra elbow room and all the comfort, plus we enjoyed the privacy of our breakfasts at home, consisting of pastries from the bakeries and coffee, rather than eating breakfast in a hotel.

For my own trip to Lisbon, I was surprised at how unhelpful guidebooks were, often with wrong information. So many seem to focus on a few small generically touristy areas, and contain very little help or guidance about either Lisbon's cultural opportunities or its shopping beyond internationally known brand name stores you can find anywhere in the US these days.

So you might find this website helpful for finding the real life of Lisbon:

http://www.spottedbylocals.com/lisbo...activity/bars/

One thing to know about shopping is that, typically, Portuguese people are shorter than Americans, so if you and your husband are on the tall side, you might want to pick shopping destinations for ceramics and such, rather than hope to find anything in your size. (Look for Claus Porto soaps for sure.)

If you really dislike museum going, you and your husband shouldn't clutter up your visit to Lisbon with any "must-see" museum stops. But if museums are something you enjoy sharing together, then the Gulbenkian museum in Lisbon is one of the more amazing museums in Europe and the world. It is NOT a museum of painting, but rather a collection (privately assembled and donated) of treasures of exquisite craft from all over the world. You have never really seen a Persian carpet until you've seen the ones in the Gulbenkian, likewise tile fountains from Damascus and hand-painted screens from Japan, and cabinets from the era of Napoleon, or Lalique perfume bottles. It's like a trip around the world -- which feels so right when you are in seafaring Lisbon. There are also some unique treasures from ancient excavations. Most enjoyably, there is usually just one or two perfect objects from each place -- it's quality, not quantity -- so lots of variety as you move through the museum, which is not very big anyway.

Just wanted you to know this museum is in Lisbon in case you are interested.

mamcalice

hpluss1,

The two places we stayed in Costa Rica were:

Bosque del Cabo: www.bosquedelcabo.com/home/index.html

and

Tiskita Lodge: www.tiskita-lodge.co.cr

Both were ecotourism resorts. The former was more elegant than the latter but both were loads of fun.