LISBON Vol. 1... My 1st Travel Video

September 10, 2018

When I was in Lisbon in December 2016 on a solo trip, I recorded my first monologue to the camera. I didn't have anything planned out so I just ended up saying the first thing that popped into my head. Can't help but laugh every time I see how I almost gave up a few seconds in. I'll get used to being in front of the camera soon but I have not recorded myself since. The video mostly contains the weird time lapses and a photo tour of what I saw my three days in Lisbon; I really can't wait to explore a new city with the intention of showing you what I find.

I took a screenshot of the map below using the train station wifi and it was the only map I used to get to my hotel. Most of my inability to navigate was due to the fact that I had completely underestimated my cell phone plan and tried not to use it as much as possible out of fear of extra charges (which would have been worth every penny had they existed).

Screenshotted map I used to navigate to my hotel.

I arrived in Lisbon via train from Porto as seen in my last video and attempted to take a taxi to my hotel. As in Porto, but due to construction this time, my taxi ride ended far from my hotel. I was dropped off by the water and made my way to Memmo Alfama Hotel a few streets up. It was still late afternoon when I arrived so it wasn't too tricky to find my way up the windy, steep hill. As usual, I was so happy to be there that I was smiling the whole way. This amazing hotel was paid for via the rewards points I'd earned by opening the credit card I was using to pay for the trip so it was much more beautiful than the rest.

The view from my credit cards rewards funded hotel room.

After dropping my stuff in the room, I headed out for some food and a wander. Sadly, in the year and a half plus that has passed, I have forgotten what I ate but most likely it was pizza. I'm embarrassed to admit that most of my meals in Portugal involved pointing at pictures of food or at pieces of salted cod AKA bacalhau through a case after wandering around way too long in search of a place to eat I wouldn't feel too conspicuous. Eating alone in sit down restaurants is something I usually avoid because it is often pricier and it always feels weird when they say, "just one?" It gets easier every time. I spotted the church below on my way to find some food and the sky really was that blue.

The church a few blocks away from my hotel.

The inside of the church, I was inside for less than a minute cuz I was on the hunt for food.

I was blessed to be staying at a hotel with an amazing free breakfast well worth getting up for so I got an early start and started exploring Lisbon. For the most part I stuck to Alfama, the oldest district in Lisbon, so I know I must go back someday soon to explore the rest. Most of the Street Art I included below was spotted within a half mile of each other while eating natas.

@TheRingOfDOOM and some Street Art in Lisbon.

The servers working at the restaurant in the courtyard with the flower cube above laughed at me when I tried to take a photo from below the cube. Sadly, it threw me off my game so the photo was terrible. I'll need to get over being laughed at yesterday if I want to make my next adventure work like I know it can when I rise above my own bullshit.

Love this message spotted just beyond the flower cube.

The Keith Haring type above was just a few feet away from where I filmed my first epic monologue. I could have hung out here all day if I wasn't so damn hungry again.

Yet another poorly lit photo of beautiful Lisbon Street Art

I spotted the Carmo Convent from Castelo de São Jorge at the top of the hill and I knew I had to visit. Ideally, I'd stay all day to maximize the lighting possibilities of the location but instead I settled for the photos below and kept on exploring.

I realize that the next three photos are kind of morbid but if there's one thing we can all relate to, it's that we will all die eventually. The question is will we be in an underground tomb with condensation on the window... and will someone make it look like they've gone down the steps into the tomb and then post a photo they found somewhere else right after?

A condensation covered tomb entrance in Carmo Convent.

The view down the hole in that same condensation covered glass.

The moral of my Lisbon story is that three days is not nearly enough. The next time I go, I will be brave enough to go to a Fado club for dinner and to seek out nightlife instead of just going back to my hotel to write about music. I will take more photos of local holiday decor if I happen to see it because you just never know when Prince will make the sky turn purple for you.

From the Lisbon airport, I flew into Barcelona where I would spend nine days wandering the streets eating iberico ham and eating pastries.

Porto Vol. 1... Holiday Parade, Street Art, & Two Great Sandwiches

August 26, 2018

On the evening I flew into Porto back in December 2016, all the streets were shut down due to the city’s holiday celebration so my taxi driver could only drop me off a mile and a half from my hotel. It could have been scary for a solo traveler, but as you can see, it wasn’t. The parade turned out to be leading directly to the town square from which I would soon be able to see from my hotel window. I was attempting to not use my phone because I was unsure about what extra charges might occur so I didn't realize I could parade alongside them and arrive at my destination until it was too late. After finally caving and turning on my phone's service, I made my way through the windy and dimly lit streets of Porto trying to keep my rolling suitcase quiet.

The above video shows the band leader stopping the performance so the parader could get a good selfie with the band; that was the moment that cemented the knowledge that I was going to be OK.

One of the places I walked by while weaving my way through Porto en route my hotel.

The view from my rewards points funded hotel window.

Having just flown in from London where I saw my first Banksy and fell in love with Street Art, I was a little too focused on seeking out pretty colors to photograph than documenting the rest of the beautiful city. I didn’t realize that Porto was the town in which J.K. Rowling wrote much of the Harry Potter series until I arrived at Livreria Lello and it became obvious. Her journey is inspiring to say the least. I would absolutely love to shack up in Porto and write a graphic novel series for @TheRingOfDOOM but I have not yet created that opportunity for myself.

My photo of Livreria Lello with the least people in it.

My favorite image from Livreria Lello to illustrate the metaphor that if you don't take that first step toward your goals, you'll always remain on the first floor.

I would never say that I’m that into sandwiches but two of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had were in Porto. One was at a restaurant called Taxca that was a couple blocks from my hotel that specialized in prosciutto and cheese. The menu was very simple because when the ingredients are that good, one doesn’t need to mess around with too many options. I ordered the sandwich with “typico” cheese (a thick Brie-like cheese slice) with a local lager and proceeded to yummy dance my way through the meal. The second sandwich was at a shawarma spot near the train station on my way out of town. I wish I could remember the name because they deserve international shine but my favorite part was the chili oil drenched all over this delicious pocket of meat and lettuce. My enjoyment of the sandwich was apparent to a few fellow tourists who felt the urge to ask where I got this delicious wonder.

The view from my seat at the bar at Taxca.

The two full days I spent in Porto (I left on the third day) were spent following the trail of pretty colors around the city, marveling at my current situation, and trying to figure out where to find the best cheap food. It would have been truly awesome if I had written about my daily experiences just after they had happened but instead I chose to spend my evenings working on my music blog. At that time, I wasn’t ready to open up the world about what I had just experienced in the music industry so even if I had written about it then, it wouldn’t have reflected my internal journey. Here’s hoping I’ll end up back there soon and get to tell you all about it as it happens…

The video I captured of the first three minutes on the train leaving Porto still makes me smile every time I watch it. I’ll be writing about my next adventure in Lisbon where I filmed the only footage of myself on camera very soon.

The following are some of my favorite captured moments in Porto; can't wait to have the feeling I get when leaving my hotel in a new city again soon.

One of the few shots I captured of the beautiful architecture of Porto.

One of the few non-Street Art shots I captured of Porto.

The first Black mannequins I've ever seen and they're way hotter than white mannequins.

Porto store window display just under a year after David Bowie's death.

I hate to love this photo cuz the lighting is wonky but some of the best photos have imperfect lighting. The park was beautiful and I hope to return someday soon.

Building that is way more handsome than a US building.

London Vol. 1... In Which I Spot My First Banksy & Fall In Love With Street Art

March 13, 2018

Most of these photos were taken while listening to 🎧Raptastic Vol. 1🎧. You're welcome.

A little over a year ago, I was worn down by my daily grind and in dire need of a vacation. As with some of life's most interesting experiences, my next big life change would come via an overwhelming 4am urge to buy a plane ticket. For the first time in my life, I'd gifted myself the opportunity to explore a foreign country solo. One of my career goals is to get paid to go to London (and almost everywhere else in the world) so I figured it would be a great idea to go there and start shining the light on UK art. My only plan when I left the US was to bring @TheRingOfDOOM to the Landscape Room at Tate Britain; the room in which Banksy once hung his own art and changed the art world forever. Since I was hoping to change my world forever, it seemed like the best idea I ever had... and it was.

@TheRingOfDoom Banksy Tribute At Tate Britain

My newly-developed plan was to settle into London for a couple days, then fly out to visit Porto, Lisbon, and Barcelona before coming back to London for the last ten days of my vacation. I flew into London via IcelandAir, which meant I was able to spend some quality time at the Reykjavik airport. Fortunately, Icelanders seem to be as weird as me so I was able to get some pretty interesting photos between charging my phone with the airport USB plugs (I was impressed because I hadn't been out of the country since 2002). Since it was around the holidays, the legends of Iceland's Yule Lads were on display all over the airport and made for some pretty great photo ops. Next time I will most definitely take advantage of IcelandAir's Free Stopover Program.

I arrived in London around 7pm so I took the Underground to the Bankside area and followed the screen shotted directions to my hotel from the station. Since I'm brave but also a still kind of a hermit, I spent the extra money to stay in hotels instead of hostels; this is how I fell in love with CitizenM (more on that later). They seem to cater to interesting, arty, wanderer types who love movies and art so I fit right in. Once I settled into my hotel and took a few deep breaths, I headed out for some food and my first mini-adventure. I walked straight to the Thames River and got really, really excited for what I would discover on this trip.

Since jet lag is real and I'm a weirdo, I ended up staying up all night long studying the route to the first Banksy of my trip and researching what I'd do with myself for the next three and a half weeks. Around 9am, I headed out on my first adventure. After stopping by the Borough Market for a Cheddar Bacon Scone and a Flat White, I headed towards Bermondsey in search of a Fisher Boy.

I found this on my way so I knew I would find the droids I was looking for.

@TheRingOfDOOM Meets Banksy's Fisher Boy

I spent about 20 minutes photographing, looking at, sitting by, and smiling at the Fisher Boy stencil loving every second of it. I kept making eye contact with passersby to see if they were as excited as I was (they weren't). Since my morning coffee was working as planned, I enthusiastically pressed on to my next destination... the foot tunnel under the Thames River that connects Greenwich and the Isle Of Dogs. The tunnel was five miles away but that is how I roll. I was using the force to guide me so I found many interesting things on my way; here are a few of my favorites...

London Vol. 1 @TheRingOfDOOM Meets John Lennon

Fresh off my first Banksy buzz, I couldn't have been more excited when I found my first jackpot of London Street Art. Up until this moment, I hadn't given much thought to Graffiti and Street Art other than Banksy; but, something about discovering this place thousand of miles from home all by myself changed me forever. Everything I've learned about Street Art since this moment has come from researching the artists work I captured and sharing the photos I found via Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The perceived goldmine I discovered (please keep in mind that I hadn't been to Shoreditch yet) was on an abandoned bridge near Greenwich crudely labeled "Gallery Road" in black spray paint.

@TheRingOfDOOM & Kazz Street Art Under A Bridge in London

By posting this image of Kazz's art on my Instagram, I got my first thank you from a Street Artist and I was hooked. I wasn't sure exactly what I would do with all the photos I captured on this adventure, but I knew it would bring me closer to my goal of getting paid to return to London. My experience as a music blogger had taught me the joys of sharing the art that inspires me with the world. My original website has led to more opportunities in the music industry than I thought possible; so I can't wait to see where this chapter of my journey takes me.

This photo was taken between Cheeto's election and his inauguration; I tried to pretend I was Canadian but no one bought it. Such a douchebag.

If you see this boat/bathtub, you're very close.

After my fingers had numbed from taking photos in the cold weather, I pressed on until I found the tunnel.

@TheRingOfDOOM taking his search for underground art too literally.

By the time I reached the tunnel entrance, I had walked over five caffeine-fueled miles on very little sleep and was ready to collapse on my fluffy bed back at the Citizen M Bankside. Once I reached the other side of the river, I took the Underground back to Bankside to relax. I hit up M&S to stock my mini fridge with cheese and smoothies, grabbed some Italian takeout from Vapiano, and headed back to the hotel where I watched too many On Demand Movies in a ridiculously comfortable bed. I was already in love with London but I was scheduled to leave for my two week adventure to Porto, Lisbon, and Barcelona the following afternoon. I'd be back soon enough...