Lisbon from Home #1: Why James Bond fans pilgrim to LisbonTings LisbonThe best One Star Hotel in Lisbon

Did Ian Fleming get the idea for James Bond in Lisbon?

Extraordinary stories of everyday people whose life somehow changed the course of history.

From the Soviet officer who prevented a nuclear catastrophe to the Dutch teenage sisters who defied the Nazi occupation, this BBC Reel playlist opens new windows onto the past and changes the way we look at big historical events.

The playboy Serbian spy who inspired James Bond BBC REEL: 12 March 2020

The double agent Dusko Popov, given the codename "Tricycle" by MI5, was a womaniser and gambler, with a taste for champagne and sports cars.

Duskov Popo on the beach in Estoril- the Serbian double agent that inspired Ian Flemming his James Bond

On 30 August Hotel Palacio Estoril will celebrate its 90 anniversary. Hopefully the Covid Virus will be long forgotten by then

ISOLATION INSPIRATION: Into the Lion's Mouth by Larry Loftis - the true story about Duskov Popo

ISOLATION INSPIRATION: James Bond may have been based, at least partly, on Popov. Ian Fleming knew Popov and followed him in Portugal, witnessing an event in the Estoril Casino where Popov placed a bet of $40,000 ($634,842 in 2014 dollars) in order to cause a rival to withdraw from a baccarat table: Fleming used this episode as the basis for Casino Royale. This version with Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre

Enjoy Lisbon & Portugal from your isolation at home

Sorry – but the situation is driving me crazy. Not only do I wake up in the morning knowing that we have lost a couple of thousand €s while sleeping. But I also wake up to uncertainty about how long time this boring situation will last.

I can live with the first. Then situation is out of our hands – the whole world is suffering. But the last – the uncertainty – is probably the worst that can happen to me. It drives me crazy.

I wake up before 6 am, open my computer and start surfing to get inspiration for what to do – what to cooking, what to read, what to watch, what to drink reading, watching, whom to call – anything that can keep me from checking #covid19 and covid alerts.

This killing-time-therapy usually works. I usually end up knowing what to do. And I always end up with small stupid stories or things that definitely aren’t important – just nice to now.

I have decided to share this. Maybe it will make the situation just a little easier for all of you travelers out there who should have been in Lisbon by now or in the coming weeks.

Thomas

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