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Layover In Lisbon
Even in a hotel filled with Americans, you can spot the airline crew the second you walk into the bar. The jean shorts, the golf shirts, the neatly groomed hair…the clutch of folks who clearly know each other well but cannot possibly be related in the family sense–because everyone’s about the same age save for…
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BK Beers
On our French trip in high school, my 17-year-old self encountered that mashup of culture americaine et française: Le Royal Cheese at McDonald’s. We laughed—but cut ourselves short in awe. You could order a BEER with your Mickey D’s pommes frites! So I was well-versed in the more casual approach to fast-food brew by the…
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The Edge Of The World
The only real joy to be found in an overly popular tourist attraction lies in squeezing something unexpected from the experience. I’d been several times to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, in Portugal, with visiting friends and family, and lines of Spanish-plated tour busses carrying Chinese tourists groups. More Mandarin than…
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Cheeseburger Day
As the United States goes, our most impactful export can’t be Coca-Cola, KFC, or even the mighty 747. No, arguably much better, I nominate the cheeseburger. The base sandwich may have originated somewhere else, but we drove its utter ubiquitousness—as well as its multiplicity of toppings and forms. In honor of what Twitter proclaimed to…
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Cheapest Happy Hour In Cascais
Oh that first August in Portugal, how I worked hard to save euros. I had savings enough, but not knowing when my next paid gig would come, I fretted a lot. But the weather shined upon us, even if opportunities seemed to bubble up and pop. So we took long walks in the park, finding…