No comments about Chicago InsideOut (Insideout City Guide: Chicago).

1 comments about Portugal: A Traveller's History.

1. This traveller's history takes the visitor to Portugal on a tour of the country exploring historical links everywhere. It digs deep into the history of Portugal, even before Portugal, and Lusitania (the Roman province where most of Portugal is now), and discusses treasures like the recently found cave drawings of the Coa valley in the Douro. It also has other interesting features like a chapter on music and one on birds. There is one on wine too. This is a serious work that also makes good beach or bedtime reading. It is something to be thankful for at a time when a lot is being published on Portugal, but the quality varies. I have read some amateurish books on Portuguese language life and culture and World cultures Portugal. After that experience, it is refreshing to have something you feel is a competent work like Livermore's traveller's history. Thank you!

No comments about Harpercollins Language Survival Guide: Portugal: The Visual Phrase Book and Dictionary.

1 comments about Time for Food: Madrid (Time For Food).

1. Used the Time for Food books for Madrid and Barcelona. My wife and I ate wonderful local cuisines at a wide range of places (the haute cuisine and piano player in a converted 16th century church in Madrid Vs the seafood market stalls in Barcelona!) and had a wonderful time. Descriptions were on point (we could identify which places we preferred), and often mouth watering. For me, a vacation with poor food is a disaster, and these tiny books made Spain a place we want to re-visit. My highest recommendation.

5 comments about A Cottage in Portugal.

1. After having found "A year in Provence" one of the most addictive books I ever read, and having been born and raised in Portugal, I just had to order this book. I give it three stars for the story telling skills and overall pleasant writing style of the author. However, (and I may be biased) I suspect the author may have gone overboard with his assessment of the local culture, describing appalling characters with tiresome and patronizing regularity. Although I have experienced my share of bureaucratic frustrations in Portugal, he was either incredibly unlucky or let his imagination fill in the blanks to make for a more interesting read. Either way, it worked: I enjoyed the book. The beautiful ink drawings are icing on the cake.



2. This is the story of the first few months in Portugal of Mr. Hewitt, an american who came to Portugal with his wife to live in a small village near Sintra. The descriptions of his deals with the various departments of the portuguese burocracy are definitely hilarious, and sound absolutely true. Although written about events that took place in 1985-6, most of the picture one gets rings true even today. A funny book.



3. I'm "giving" only 4 stars to this book, because I think that the details about the Portuguese Public Services are a bit exagerated sometimes. But Richard and Barbara got the "portuguese spirit" allright... Also the way they describe Sintra (such a special environment), it's very much true. Wait untill you read "A cottage in Portugal II"...



4. HELLO! IAM READ THIS BOOK AND EVERYTHING IS TRUE. BUT THE EXAMPLES ARE NOT ONLY THE BUREAUCRACY:
   EVERYBODY ARE THE SAME. SO, PLEASE, IF YOU WILL GO TO PORTUGAL TO A TRIP ON HOLIDAYS, OK: THE CLIMATE, FOOD AND THE CLICHES.
   BUT IF YOU LIVE A PERIOD OF TIME, PLEASE: NEVER, NEVER DO BUSINESS! PEOPLE DOESN'T LIKE TO WORK, REALLY. READ THE BOOK AGAIN AND TRANSFER THE EXAMPLES (BUREAUCRACY, HIS EMPLOYES ON THE HOUSE, ETC.) FOR EVERYBODY: BUSINESSMAN, SHOPS, INDUSTRIES, RICHS, POORS: IT'S ALL THE SAME, DOESN'T LIKE TO WORK, ARE RUDE, TREAT YOU "DRY", ONLY SPEAK ABOUT SOCCER (AND THEY ARE A LOOSERS AND HAVE ZILLIONS OF EXCUSES FOR THAT) AND YOU WILL LOST YOUR TIME, HEALTH AND MONEY. RUN! PLEASE.
   PS: AND THIS BOOK IS ONLY A RESUME, BECAUSE ARE MORE AND MORE BAD SITUATIONS THAT YOU COULDN'T IMAGINE. DON'T DO BUSINESS IN PORTUGAL, DON'T WORK, DON'T BELIEVE IN "SMILES": RUN NOW!



5. I loved this book, but I may be biased because I love Portugal and want to live near Sintra, where this story takes place. It's very amusing... chuckles all the way, with an occasional guffaw.

No comments about Drive Around Catalonia and the Spanish Pyranees, 2nd: Your guide to great drives. Top 25 Tours. (Drive Around - Thomas Cook).

1 comments about Culture Shock: Portugal (Culture Shock! Guides).

1. Even though I am familiar with Portuguese, as a Brazilian expatriate in the USA, I found this book to be very useful. It highlights the cultural characteristics of the Portuguese people in a very concise and poignant way, and provides valuable insights into the culture, customs and mentality of the Portuguese people. This book is a great resource for anyone traveling, studying or even just traveling in Portugal, and should be on the reading list for anyone visiting Portugal.

No comments about Starting a Business in Spain (Starting a Business - Cadogan).

No comments about Frommer's The Algarve With Your Family: The Best of Portugals Southern Coast (Frommer's With Kids).

No comments about Sunflower Landscapes Pyrenees: Car Tours and Walks (Landscapes S.).