Portugal - Europe's vibrant gem (week 205)

Another week has gone by. These past few days I've been swamped with interviews so to say I was really looking forward to the weekend would be an understatement. I spent most of my time yesterday thinking about all the ways I could take advantage of the next two days. That was until I did my routine check for this week's post in one of my favourite communities. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew I had to get to work. So here it goes (thank you @galenkp 🤘🏻)

---

---

You might've guessed the topic already - Which, of the countries you have personally been to, (other than your own), is your favourite and why? (the title kind of gave it away anyway).
I wanted to take a moment and share with all of you some of the ways magical Lisbon charmed my little heart (yes, I know it's a city, but hear me out...). It happened over the course of 7 days...Well, in reality, I knew I was already spellbound before I even set foot there. But discovering the city of colour marked the beginning of my journey of falling in love with Portugal as a whole.

#1 History and monuments
It's not a secret that Europe is one of the continents with the oldest, richest (and sometimes a bit crazy) history. And each respective country has quite the amount of monuments that tell its story over the years. Portugal is no exception.
While in Lisbon, I was lucky enough to visit and learn more about a few of these monuments. Sharing photos of two of my favourite - Padrão dos Descobrimentos and Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.

#2 Pastéis de nata
If you ever told someone you'd be visiting Portugal, chances are the first thing they'd tell you would be to try the infamous pastel de nata. Prior to visiting Lisbon, I had no idea what this dessert was (or the obsession it would become for me!). Pastéis de nata are delicious custard cream filled tarts/ pastries you'll see all over Lisbon. Based on months of research on my part (and a degustation of course), the best ones are being made at a place called Manteigaria. I will never forget that first bite - it was like the sweetest, most gentle awakening of my taste buds.

#3 Miradouros
Miradouros are view points scattered around Lisbon. They allow you to experience the city in a very poetic way. Stumbling upon those was one of my favourite activities as it showed us the vibrance and beauty that is Lisbon.
Picture of two of my favourite view points - Miradouro de Santa Luzia and Miradouro da Graça.

#4 Evening/ Night life
Lisbon at night is just as vibrant as it is during the day. There are many talented people we found serendipitously as we were strolling down the streets - we saw people singing, playing the violin, dancing, doing magic tricks etc...One of those gifted individuals, whose voice stopped people in their tracks, was San Oliver. He charmed us not only with his friendly disposition but also his immense talent and an iconic rendition of "A thousand years" by Christina Perry. I learned later on that he was one of the contestants on The Voice Portugal. How cool is that?!
P.S. You should definitely check his song Minha Pequena on YouTube if you feel like discovering a new artist!

#5 Wandering around the streets
They say that in order to really get to know a city/ country, you have to get lost in it. And that's exactly what I did (even though my best friend Google Maps was there to guide me when needed). Roaming down the streets of Lisbon allowed me to immerse myself in its culture, to discover places I wouldn't have known to look for otherwise, to admire views I wouldn't have seen...To experience Portugal less as a tourist but more as a local.

So there you go, these were some of the reasons that made Portugal my favourite country so far. There is something so special, so authentic and so poetically beautiful about it, that it made my heart skip a beat on multiple occasions. I can only compare visiting Portugal to that first sip of coffee - sweet enough to draw you in, yet intense enough to leave you wanting more!

---

All photos in this post are mine