By the end of the eighteenth century, Paris had a serious problem: what to do with all the dead bodies? The city’s poor were often buried in mass graves at the Saint Innocents Cemetery, near the center of the city. Eventually, it was filled way past capacity and the decaying corpses were polluting Paris’ groundwater. Finally, at the start of the nineteenth century, new graveyards aroun...
The Viking Ship Museum or “Vikingskipshuset” is located in Bygdoy, a short bus or ferry ride from the city center. The museum features several Viking ships used in ancient burials that have been preserved amazingly well by the blue clay in which they were buried. The boats are filled with jewels and artifacts, and are definitely worth seeing. This is also an excellent stop for those with kids in t...
In the San Nicholás barrio stands the majestic Teatro Colòn, the opera house. It is a beautiful building and if you get the chance to see a performance, go for it by all means! The Renaissance-style building, designed by Italian architect Francisco Tamburri, has seen dancers like Vaslov Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova grace the stage. Bernstein, Strauss and Stravinsky have conducted here and Melba, Caru...
A beautiful building that houses cut pillars, scruffy walls and eerie sculptures; the Star of David out the front is a tribute to this spot where an anti-Semitic massacre occurred in 1506. A popular hang-out for Lisbon’s African community, locals gather at dusk to pass round liquor at A Ginjinha. Address: Largo de Sao Domingos Opening times: 7:30am – 7pm Mon-Fri, noon-6pm Sat Admission...