Lisbon.
I went to Lisbon for the weekend of the 5/7 with a cousin. I've been to Portugal before when I was 13 but that was on a two week holiday to the Algarve. I have only heard good things about the city, but had no plans to go until he suggested it. We only went for three days, so I can't claim any authority, but I would recommend it for a pleasant city break.

The people all seemed really friendly, which straight away marks it out from London and Paris. However, there didn't seem to be many people of my age around. The tourists were also of a far higher calibre than is normal. I didn't see public drunkeness or loutish behaviour.

The city is full of small cafes - all selling the exact same pastries, doughnuts and cakes. In fact the shops all reminded me of the 'Lisboa Patisserie' on King's Road, which I like to visit every few months or so. What is really unusual are the 'ginjinha' booths. These are small shopfronts, like the the newsagents you see in railways stations, only smaller, which sell a cherry liquor that is 20 per cent alcohol. They are ideal for alcoholics as all that is necessary is to stick your money on the counter and you are rewarded with a little plastic cup of the drink, with cherries in the bottom for extra flavour. Nowhere have I seen the act of drinking so reduced to its bare essentials. It's a very nice drink too.

Many of streets are covered in mosaic - using small stones roughly square with sides the length of an adult thumb. They don't always stay in place and there are many patches where they have come loose. The city is on several hills and probably isn't ideal for wheelchair users.

I wish we had studied Portuguese at school instead of French. The former is spoken in Europe, South America (Brazil), Africa (Angola and Mozambique), India (Goa) and Asia (Macau). Nearly all the continents are covered. What does French teach you? How to read the menu in pretentious restaurants. Time to change the national curriculum.