Let’s flash back to September 2022 to my first time in Portugal.

I want to incorporate more from our travels on here since these trips we have taken are so special to me. And I thought why not start with Portugal, where I got to spend my 35th birthday with my loved ones last September. This trip took a few months to plan. I’ve thought about Portugal for about a year, as I never had the chance to explore the more Mediterranean parts of Europe. And after a few years of no international travel, and after watching quite a few international films, I felt that our first trip post-pandemic had to be back in Europe. It started with our dad hearing about Lisbon on the radio, and then the research began and things really got set in stone when I found the most perfect Airbnb in the heart of Alfama as we wanted to be conveniently location to be able to walk mostly everywhere. I didn’t know that much about Portugal other than what I’ve seen in beautiful photos of the city and ocean side towns, and hearing about the food and how cheap eating and drinking was, not to mention the impeccable weather everyone raved about. It was decided. Portugal was the ultimate destination to explore as a first-timer and with a larger group. It was nice that Gabi, bring Brazilian, spoke Portuguese, even though there are a lot of differences between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese. I’ve grown to love history so much more in the recent years, and this connection though was reason enough to want to dive into Portugal.

So many memorable moments from Lisbon where we start the first 5 days of our trip. A cup of coffee on the balcony of our Airbnb on a Friday morning. I still think about how perfect the location was. The apartment overlooked one of the main streets where the iconic 28 tram rides down into Alfama. We mostly walked this trip, but we wanted to take at least one tram ride for the experience and found ourselves delightfully on what felt like a bumpy roller coaster ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Highly recommend the experience even though it felt a little dangerous at some points hehe. We had dinner at a place we stumbled upon called Altar ended up being so amazing. Gabi and I decided to try something super traditional, the codfish bread soup, and they do a really delicious sardine dish which is super Portuguese. I never thought I wanted to eat sardines before this trip. And cod is everywhere here and it would be a shame not to try it. A walk through Praça do Comércio to feel closest to the water while still in the city. Here you can turn around in all direction can feel like the center of it all in Lisbon. And as you walk into Lisbon from here you get to see the city from below, which is such an amazing contrast from seeing it from above. Popping in and out of the quiet mom and pop restaurants in Alfama was my favorite part of the trip. We really had no plans at all when it came to where we ate and decided day of or just by walking by and see what caught our attentions. This is my favorite way to travel. A bottle of Sagres was our go-to for cooling down after sweaty walks. Even at the end if September it felt like full blown summer here. Apparently the weather is still as gorgeous even in November, which gives me ideas to come back later in fall for our next trip. The view from Miradouro dos Barros and well, basically all of the viewpoints, like from Miradouros de São Pedro de Alcântara, whisked us away to another universe. I would just stand there and think to myself, wow I am in this city I see before me. How is this real? I wonder if the locals get this feeling as well as they stroll the streets running their daily errands. I hope so. Our legs were put to work in Lisbon with all the uphill walking but the feeling of tiredness didn’t weigh us down. I think we were too excited to let that happen. There became a point during our trip that we actually started to crave the feeling if you can believe that. This city just makes you crave exploring it by foot.

Cascais, just about 35-40 minutes drive along the coast outside of Lisbon, was where we spend the second half of our trip. It had one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever had the chance to lay eyes on. Full of blue skies, rock formations and hills. Nature in all of its glories was showcased in this place. For me, just to be able to have the chance to see this kind of nature that we saw in Cascais is enough to fill me up and satisfy me. Enough to look forward to the next day to find out what other things I can take in and store in my mind. We walked all along from Estoril to Cascais and we didn’t let the hills slow us down. Seafood is prevalent especially in this area, so make sure you get your fill if you ever come to Portugal and especially Cascais. I could have a grilled Branzino and a side of fries every single day if I could have them like how they made them in Cascais. Little pleasures like this made this town so easy to explore. And even better when you make it around a few of the more touristy parts as Cascais does have a historical center. But for me, at least, the tourists don’t bother me. Because if you think about it all on the bright side, we are all here for the same reasons and we cannot get mad about that. But if you ever get a bit overwhelmed with some of the more crowded areas, I always recommend taking a walk to the more residential areas away from the water. We made our way to a local pharmacy to pick up a few things and made a little sightseeing adventure out of our stroll. You can see where the locals have their coffees peacefully under the shade. You can notice the way people decorate their front yards. You get a sense of the normal, everyday pace for those who actually call this their home. It felt really nice.

I was so happy to be able to be in a beautiful new country like Portugal with my family. For the past 3 years I’ve been able to visit beautiful places for my birthday, so I hope I can continue to make this as a tradition.