Condé Nast Traveller picks Lisbon as a top destination for 2016

Of course both Nepal and Lissabon tops the list of destinations you MUST visit in 2016. – LOL. You guys know how to pick’em. Next stop Iran?   This was one of the New Year’s greetings we got when we arrived in Lissabon after 10 very hectic Christmas days in very chaotic Kathmandu. Sussanne – friend, soulmate, fellow traveller & soon-to-be Lisbon Neighbour – share our interest in whats hot and whats not on the traveling scene. Objectively we have to agree. Living in 2 of the 10 hottest travel destinations according to The Condé Nast Traveller Community must look impressing to most travellers. Reality is less romantic these days where Nepal looks more like a country falling apart than an exotic  travel destination – but thats another story.

Since 1987 Conde Nast Traveler has been traveling the globe tracking down those journeys that can define a lifetime.

Lisbon is topping the chart on #4

The new Berlin, the new Barcelona… Whatever – this is the new Lisbon, with a style and a groove all of its own, and we are loving it for that

This is Laura Fowler’s conclusion after listing all the reasons why Lisbon is on the list and a few very good recommendations. A description that is spot on! [caption id="attachment_1152" align="aligncenter" width="600"] We LOVE Berlin. But to compare Lisbon with Berlin is only ok if we talk about Berlin after the wall in ’89 and the following 15 years. Today Lisbon is much more vibrant. This picture is from our New Year’s eve in front of Bordalo II’s huge 3D Rat in Belem. Lisbon has 3 of the 25 best Street Art pieces in 2015. CLICK.[/caption]

Nepal is #6 on the chart

Last spring’s earthquakes damaged parts of the Kathmandu Valley and most of Nepal’s tourism in 2015. But the famously friendly Nepalese have been beavering away restoring Kathmandu’s historic buildings and rebuilding roads and trails all over the country, and now the Foreign Office has declared it safe to go back

[caption id="attachment_1161" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The Stupa in Boudhanat as it looks today. The world’s biggest and one of Kathmandu’s many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Still amazing – but far from the photos you will find in travel magazines. Same with all the other sites.[/caption] Nepal is an amazing country – and we can’t say it too often. GO, GO, GO. But parts of Laura Fowlers description above is so far from the real world as possible. None of the damaged historical buildings have been restored. And wont be for the next many years. And these days the infrastructure is chaos. India has been blocking the border for 4 months and created the worst situation we have experienced in the 7 years we have lived in Nepal. BUT the Nepalese are fantastic, the country is safe and the nature mind blowing. So if you love exotic destinations and at the same find it interesting to witness a crazy developing country the timing is right. DO NOT HESITATE – just remember to bring a lot of patience, € and  humour 🙂

We love both destinations

And Iran is on our bucket list. But not in 2016 or 2017. But who knows what will happen after… Thomas & Annette  

Read Laura Fowler’s List & Comments for Conde Nast Traveller list here.

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