A PRE-RETREAT
ARTS TOUR of LISBON
with
5 - 8 September, 2026 (3 days/3 nights)
This pre-tour is followed by
'Coming to Age' A Memoir Writing
Retreat with Joanne Fedler MORE
8 - 20 September
combing both means 15 days/14 nights
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 specialists
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Create your own souvenirs by taking a pottery-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 an urban sketching workshop with a talented architect and painter.
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Walk our socks off, jump on trams and have fun discovering fascinating Lisbon together!
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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, painters, 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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Take a private guided tour of art museum dedicated to showcasing important Portuguese post-modern Art for insights into the most influential Portuguese artists
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Enjoy a private tour of a private collection dedicated to Art Nouveau, an important decorative and cultural movement in Lisbon
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followed by a wine tasting
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Learn about Portuguese literary great, Francisco Pessoa
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Experience the culture and important protagonists of Fado
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Enjoy an evening with dinner and music
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Discover the rich legacy of Portugal's unique ceramic culture - azuelos
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Take a private ceramics classes to underglaze and decorate your choice of ceramic pieces
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Take an urban sketching workshop with a professional architect and artist
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This program is designed and accompanied by Anna Kwiecinska
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Be prepared to walk a lot, jump on trams and catch a taxi when we need to - 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.
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 5 - arrival day if you are on the pre-writing retreat arts tour
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DAY B - SEPTEMBER 6 - arts tour
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DAY C - SEPTEMBER 7 - arts tour
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DAY D - SEPTEMBER 8 - arts tour
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DAY 1 - SEPTEMBER 8 - participants for WRITING RETREAT-ONLY ARRIVAL DAY
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DAY 2- SEPTEMBER 9 - Writing retreat starts with a full day tour of Historical Overview for Lisbon with a unique Welcome Dinner
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DAY 3 - SEPTEMBER 10 - private bus transfer to EVORA with sightseeing en route.
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DAYS 4- 8 SEPTEMBER 11 - 15 (inc)- 6 nights in Evora - A UNESCO World heritage walled city - writing workshops for 5 half days
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DAY 9 - SEPTEMBER 16 - private bus transfer to C.17th monastery in Alentejo region
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DAY 10 & DAY 11 - SEPTEMBER 17 and 18 - private writing and relaxation
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DAY 12 - SEPTEMBER 19 - private bus transfer to Lisbon
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DAY 13 - SEPTEMBER 20- Retreat ends
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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 Joanne Fedler 2025
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 PRE-TOUR EXPERIENCE INCLUDE?
see all the inclusions >
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3 nights own-room or twin accommodation in a 4-star hotel
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Breakfast 3 days
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Dinner + Music evening
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wine tasting
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3 days guiding with Anna and our specialist guides
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Ceramics workshop in Lisbon to decorate with underglazes tableware objects of your choice
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Urban sketching workshop with artist/architect
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3 art Museum entrances + private guided tours
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2 other museum entrances
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some Lisbon transport (trams)
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
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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 LISBON MINI-TOUR
All of our Creative Living Retreats are designed to offer you maximum comfort and relaxation and personal space - so you have your own bedroom unless you choose to twin-share.
Please choose the SAME CATEGORY COMBINATION for this pre-tour as you choose for the writing retreat, as you will keep the same room in Lisbon
ROOM PACKAGES ARE MADE UP OF THESE COMBINATIONS OF ROOMS in the following Writing Retreat
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COSY - single occupancy 'standard' (14 m2) room in Lisbon and Evora and in the convento
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SUPERIOR - single occupancy 'standard' room in Lisbon; single occupancy 'superior' rooms in Evora and the Convento
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DELUXE - single occupancy 'superior' rooms in Lisbon ( 23m2 ) and Evora; deluxe suite in Convento
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TWIN - twin share rooms in Lisbon and Evora; superior twin rooms in Convento in the Convento
Please note that this retreat is especially for women.
if you choose SUPERIOR for the writing retreat, then please choose COSY for this segment -you'll have the same room in Lisbon.
(SUPERIOR - single occupancy 'standard' room in Lisbon; single occupancy 'superior' room in Evora; deluxe room in Convento).
EARLY BIRD PRICE - BOOK BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30, 2025
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 150 when you book both The Soul of Portugal PLUS the Writing Retreat
… Over the course of several days together, we learnt the ribs, bones and joints of writing. Joanne spilled forth her legions of learnings our way … she is a seasoned and compassionate
writing mentor who ceremoniously gathered a small cluster of mature women, for the most part unknown to each other, to express soulful stories through their foray into writing.
I’m thrilled to have received the exquisitely distilled gifts of her in-person tutelage.
I spent a week alongside extraordinary women with whom deep communion was achieved and friendships born. We leave … nourished, supported, and invigorated.
I hold dear these precious gentle, and joy filled days writing by the warm and salty sea.
Nathalie R. Canada
Writing by the Sea in Bali Retreat 2025