When I hired Pedro’s apartment, I was just thinking to stay somewhere near where Fernando Pessoa has lived and worked, but it turned out to be more than that. First of all, Rua dos Douradores is very central. It is within walking distance to Bairro Alto, Rossio train (and metro) station, and Martim Moniz, where the famous Tram 28 starts. The apartment is located in a very quiet part of the city with distant melody of trams in the Praça do Figueira. There is a big supermarket closeby where you can have your home supplies. More than those, Pedro is an excellent friend ready to help you for almost anything you may need in Lisboa. Travelling alone, I needed a local guide to help me for photographing the life in the well-known Alfama area. Pedro has introduced to me the most sympathetic (and most talented) Portuguese lady who took me around the city on foot, 8 hours a day (thank you Rita!). Pedro’s apartment itself is the well-furnished top floor of a typical old Lisbon building. You can see the amazing silhouette of the skeleton of the Carmo church over the roof tops during the sunset. The apartment has a small terrace where you can enjoy your meal (if you can keep yourself from delicious sea food in the restaurants). If you would like to really feel the spirit of Lisboa, and avoid the hotels, Pedro's House of Maps would be a right choice for you. -Hasan Caglayan, Istanbul, Turkey