Today we would like you to meet one of our colleagues: Marie-Thérèse Monene, who will tell us all about her experience and her favourite destination: Lisbon.
Tell us something about yourself and why you work for Muchosol
My name is Marie-Thérèse Monene and I am 21 years old. I am from Belgium and I just graduated from university. Currently, and during the next 5 months, I am doing an internship in the Marketing Department of Muchosol. My main tasks are the management of social networks, the translation of texts and the writing of articles for the travel magazine Escapes.
Where did you travel to?
I have made several trips but, what I really like, is to live in a city for a long period. I’ve visited cities such as Barcelona, Alicante, Segovia, Calpe, Alzira or Madrid. Also, I used to go with my family to Lloret de Mar in the summer. However, I really wanted to go to Portugal and that’s why I decided to visit Lisbon, an extraordinary city with a different landscape.
What is your favourite destination and why?
Lisbon is my favourite destination because it is a very different city from the ones I have visited. Why did you choose for Lisbon? At that time, I was doing an internship at a travel agency and I had the opportunity to visit Lisbon. It is a city with extraordinary landscapes and its cuisine is excellent. The streets impressed me a lot, some were very steep. It was an incredible experience!
How many times have you been in Lisbon?
I’ve only been there once but I loved that little getaway! The first day was incredible. We travelled by bus with a group of international students and we could see the city of Lisbon from the bridge, it was great. In fact, I still have the video of that moment saved. Also, that day, it was 28 degrees. What a temperature! That is something different that the average temperature in Belgium. ^^
Do you want to return to Lisbon?
At the moment, I do not think I will return, although I liked it a lot. My goal for the future is to travel as much as possible and discover new places. However, I liked Portugal so much that I am planning to return to this country, not to Lisbon, but to visit other cities. Right now I am trying to choose between two wonderful destinations: Madeira and Porto.
What is your best memory of this city?
You might expect to tell you a special place like a church, the architecture of a city, the beach, a well-known square… But I, personally, believe that the best thing about the trip was that Lisbon aroused my desire to travel. And for me, that’s much more beautiful than a memory from somewhere.
What is the best thing to do in Lisbon?
There are so many things to do in Lisbon… Something very common is to make a trip in one of the famous trams. Yes, that yellow one! I think that is one of the activities that you can not miss on your trip to Lisbon. It is very typical and costs almost nothing, a trip costs you less than 2 euros.
You can also visit the old town of Lisbon, that is full of good restaurants and beautiful monuments. The Rossio Square and the Figueira Square are two very famous squares in Lisbon. Although I think that the best thing to do to get to know Lisbon is simply to get lost in its streets. In this way, you will discover the wonderful hidden places of the city. <3
Why do you recommend Lisbon to others?
Like I said, it is an amazing city. I would recommend it for its beauty. Lisbon has a different landscape to all I’ve seen. This city is very alive. I would even say that its environment has more nature than that of my hometown.
For lovers of gastronomy I advise you to visit it. The Portuguese cook super well. The prices are very affordable and the Portuguese cuisine is delicious. One day, in the evening, I ordered a menu for 10 euros that had starters, main course and dessert in a small restaurant. The “pasteis de belem” are one of the specialities of the country. You should definitely try them when visiting the city.
Those who love photography will be delighted by Lisbon. There are places that can not be missed there. To take beautiful photos, you can climb the tower and get an excellent panoramic view of Lisbon. In fact, I made a video myself here. It’s awesome!
And what will be your next destination?
I still haven’t chosen my next destination. All I can say is that I like to travel a lot. I would like to visit several countries on each continent. But my biggest problem is that I do not like the countries where it’s cold. So, for now I do not plan to travel to Northern countries. In contrast, warm countries attract me a lot.