WORKSHOPS +WALKS
ARTS TOUR of LISBON
with
24-28 September, 2027 (3 days/3 nights)
This workshop tour is designed to precede
the 'Coming to Age' A Memoir Writing Retreat
with Joanne Fedler MORE
28 September - 8 October, 2027
This is a curated experience of 3 wonderful days designed around the theme of The Soul of Portugal: What is it that makes Portugal Portugal ?
Lets’:
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Unravel Portugal’s distinctive literature, music, art and architecture with fascinating walks accompanied by specialists
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Create your own souvenirs by taking an azuelos ceramic tile-painting workshop and have it all glazed and ready when you return at the end of the writing retreat
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Learn how you can fill a sketchbook throughout this retreat by taking a couple of urban sketching workshops
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Experience fado, Lisbon's own historic music tradition
To be a poet is not my ambition.
It's my way of being alone.
ALBERTO CAEIRO
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WHY PORTUGAL?
Poets, writers, singers, artists and architects
This thoughtfully curated introduction to Lisbon will bring you into the orbit of some of Portugal's most luminous creative spirits - men and women whose soulful yearnings and social concerns found expression in music, literature, architecture and imagery which has endured in Portugal to become iconic hallmarks of Portuguese culture. Men and women whose influences continue to cast long shadows into vibrant contemporary society.
If you would like to immerse yourself into the cultural riches of Lisbon, in the company of specialists who will tell you about its painters, its poets and writers, those whose words and music continue to thrill our emotions, then I invite you to join me.
Lisbon is richly endowed with marvellous museums and galleries of every genre, so much so that even a solid month of daily exploration and visiting would only just touch the surface.
Whilst the first day of our Writing retreat with Joanne Fedler, on the 9th September, will take you on a guided tour of Lisbon to show you the grand vistas of the City of Seven Hills that celebrate Portugal's unique place in the history of global navigation and trade - for it is impossible to appreciate Portugal's place in the world without appreciating its naval prowess - a day in Lisbon is not enough.
Can one enjoy Portugal without getting to know these people? Yes. Can one appreciate what makes Portugal a unique cultural space without appreciating the distinctive voices of these Iberian men and women? .... perhaps not.
I hope you'll join me to meet passionate, specialists in their fields as we look into The Soul of Portugal.
What We Will Do
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Gain an overview of Lisbon's defining historical moments through walks with specialist guides in 4 fascinating guided walks
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Along the way you'll gain an understanding of Lisbon's pre-eminent role as the world's first global power and how that history impacted social history, architectural and artistic movements
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Take a private guided tour of a private art museum dedicated to showcasing important Portuguese C.19th and C.20th art for insights into Portuguese history and enjoy afternoon tea and drinks in its unique environments
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Learn about Portugal's literary identities, as well as those writers and artists who took refuge in Lisbon during WWII.
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Experience the culture and important protagonists of Fado before you enjoy an evening with dinner and fado music
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Discover the rich legacy of Portugal's unique ceramic culture - azuelos - with a specialist walking tour
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Take a private ceramics classes to underglaze and decorate your choice of ceramic pieces in a historic museum setting
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Take 2 urban sketching workshops with a professional artist to prepare you for sketching on the next part of your retreat
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This program is designed and accompanied by Anna Kwiecinska
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Be prepared to walk a lot & catch taxis when needed, it is not a coach tour, our aim is to experience as much of Lisbon as we can!
ABOUT ANNA
With a background as an art historian and gallerist, Anna's collaboration with artists and writers continues to be a fascinating career which evolved into specialist art retreats designed to combine seriously good tuition with authentic cultural experiences.
Over the last 14 years, hundreds of people over dozens of retreats have experienced the depth of wellbeing that being creative can foster. Creative Living Retreats are a source of focus for creative inspiration, with our intuitive teachers guiding you to Live Creatively
Anna lived in Portugal, where she taught English, and it is with an enduring passion for this country that she curated this experience to share with writers, travellers and curious thinkers as a prelude to the writing retreat ... a brief but intense deep dive into what makes Portugal, Portugal ... how is it different to its neighbour Spain ... can we look at the art, writing and music of Portugal and discern its essence, its soul?
The photographs on this site are hers.
It's hard to describe the level of care, detail, kindness and beauty that Anna provides in her extraordinary retreat in Bali.
It's rare and precious to be treated, fed, and held with such tenderness.
It had been a deeply healing experience and I'm very grateful
Donna J.S.. Bali Writing Retreat with Anna and Joanne Fedler 2025
Ler e sonhar
pela mao de outrem
To read is to dream,
guided by someone else's hand
FRANCISCO PESSOA
THE FULL PORTUGAL ITINERARY starts with this optional pre-writing retreat tour with Anna called 'Soul of Portugal' (3 days), followed by the Coming to Age Memoir Writing Retreat with Joanne and Anna (11 days).
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DAY A - SEPTEMBER 24 - arrival day if you are on the pre-writing retreat arts tour
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DAY B - SEPTEMBER 25 - ART PRELUDE WORKSHOP and WALK day 1
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DAY C - SEPTEMBER 26 - ART PRELUDE WORKSHOP and WALK day 2
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DAY D - SEPTEMBER 27 - ART PRELUDE WORKSHOP and WALK day 3
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DAY 1 - SEPTEMBER 27 - participants for WRITING RETREAT-ONLY ARRIVAL DAY
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DAY 2- SEPTEMBER 28 - Writing retreat starts with a full day tour of Historical Overview for Lisbon with a Welcome Dinner
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DAY 3 - SEPTEMBER 29 - private bus transfer to EVORA with sightseeing en route.
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DAYS 4- 8 SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 4 (inc)- 6 nights in Evora - A UNESCO World Heritage walled city - writing workshops for 5 half days
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DAY 9 - OCTOBER 5 - private bus transfer to C.17th monastery in Alentejo region
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DAY 10 & DAY 11 - OCTOBER 6 and 7- private writing and relaxation
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DAY 12 - OCTOBER 8 - private bus transfer to Lisbon
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DAY 13 - OCTOBER 9 Retreat ends
WHERE DO YOU STAY?
Anna searched all over Lisbon in 2025 to find a stylish, cosy 4-star hotel with all amenities that combined a safe, brilliant location close to cafes, restaurants, boutiques, historical sights and from where one could readily walk into the city's vibrant Baixa and Alfama areas ...
WHAT DOES YOUR SOUL of PORTUGAL EXPERIENCE INCLUDE?
see all the inclusions >
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3 nights own-room in a 4-star boutique hotel
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Breakfast 3 days
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Fado Music+Dinner evening
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Wine tasting
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3 days guiding with Anna and our specialist guides
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Private ceramics workshop in Lisbon to decorate with underglazes tableware objects of your choice
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2 Urban sketching workshops with Lisbon artist - some materials included
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2 art museum entrances + private guided tours
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some Lisbon transport (trams)
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retreat bag with art materials
What's Not Included
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airfares
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Lisbon airport transfers
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Lisbon transport beyond what is included - ie, all taxi transport is your own cost
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hotel porterage
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your personal insurance
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all beverages and meals not mentioned as 'included' in the itinerary
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any entrance tickets to places not described in the itinerary supplied on this site
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all personal expenses laundry, telephone etc.
COST of 'SOUL OF PORTUGAL' ART WALKS+WORKSHOPS
All of our Creative Living Retreats are designed to offer you maximum comfort and relaxation and personal space - so you have your own bedroom.
If you are also doing the Lisbon Art Walks and Workshops 'Soul of Portugal' Prelude PLUS the writing retreat, then you will have the same room in Lisbo for both segments. In this case, choose:
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COSY for Art if you choose any of the COSY options for Writing
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SUPERIOR for Art if you choose SUPERIOR for Writing
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DELUXE for Art if you choose DELUXE for Writing
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SUITE for Art if you choose SUITE for Writing
Your 4 Star Lisbon Hotel room options:
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Cosy is a small double 14 m2
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Superior is 20 m2
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Deluxe is 24 m2
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Suite is 27 m2
Please note that the writing retreat is especially for women, but accompanying partners are welcome, and this art prelude is open to everyone - please check in with Anna.
Please check the Terms and Conditions and if you have any queries please contact Anna
Secure you place with a Euro 500 deposit and balance payable 3 months before the start of the tour
SAVE Euro 100 off these costs when you book both writing+art segments
