I’ve been back from Oslo for a week and the word that most describes this week is “serendipity”. The thing I like most about spending weeks on end in one city is that serendipity can happen because you have time to let it happen.

I go out early for my morning walk and today I decide to walk to Monsanto Park. It’s about 4 miles round trip and there seems to be plenty of hiking trails. I follow Google maps and I do manage to get there, but it was not the route I expect. I follow some historic streets for a while.

Then I find myself at a busy highway with gas stations. After a while I return to a path and I am able to hike in the beautiful park.

I am almost back to my apartment, when I stop to look at the window of something I’ve noticed numerous times, called “The Social Club.” Gosh..a social club..how can I join that?

I am peering at the toy cars in the window, when a man walks out. “May I speak English”, I ask him. Yes, please, he says with a smile. “What is this place?”, I ask.

From that one question ensues the most delightful conversation with Gary Strashoon, the owner. Turns out he is lovingly restoring this old building to make it into a cool speakeasy bar.

He owns a farm outside of Lisbon and grows lavender which he sells to florists.

Such serendipity meeting Gary. He tells me his own serendipity story about having someone like me admiring his toy cars in the window with a little boy in hand. Gary graciously allows the little boy to pick out a toy to keep and then finds out the dad is the well known graffiti artist Bisco Smith. Bisco Smith then agrees to do the art work on the interior of the bar. Gary and I talk for quite a while about his plans and I am sure I will meet up with him and his dog, Doggo, again during my stay.

Serendipity today and also serendipity on the my first day back from Oslo. I meet up with Susanna, who Nick and Ivan have introduced me to. She has a great idea of meeting out at Parque das Noções. I haven’t been there this trip and it is a beautiful day.

The Vasco da Gama bridge glitters in the sunlight. It spans the Tagus River. It is the second longest bridge in Europe, after the Crimean Bridge, and the longest one in the EU. It was built to alleviate the congestion on Lisbon’s Golden Gate Bridge (25 of April Bridge). There is a newish hotel right on the waterfront and for 10 euros you can take the lift 35 floors up to the top, which we do. Wonderful views.

After a lunch along the waterway, we go to the Tile museum ( Museu Nacional do Azulejo). This museum is one of the most important of Portugal’s museums because it only contains Azulejo (tile), an artistic expression that differentiates Portuguese culture, and also because of the uniqueness of the building in which the Museum is set, former Madre de Deus Convent, founded in 1509 by Queen D. Leonor. Its collections allow a journey through the history of tile, from 15th century until the present days.

Going here is a beautiful way to appreciate something unique to Portugal. Such a delightful day with my new friend Susanna.

But wait. There is more. I get home about 7:30pm and decide to just go a few doors up to the sushi restaurant on my block. It is too late for me to start preparing dinner at home. There are only two ladies in the restaurant and I am put at a table by myself next to them.

The waitress vetos my idea of Japanese beer and insist I try their sake……many sake tastings later…I am undecided. One of the ladies, Flavia, tells me her favorite and she, her wife Iona, and I start to talk. They are fascinating, formerly from Brazil, and working remotely out of Lisbon. They are curious about Shirleyfest so I fill them in. By then a man from Germany, Tom, has arrived as well as two Brazilian ladies, Vivian and Ana. They hear us talking and say “we would like to join your conversation”. A lovely multi-country conversation happens spontaneously. Serendipity.

Other fun things this past week.

One day I decide to try to see most of the famous miroudores (overlooks) of Lisbon in one day. I start with the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte because it is the highest viewpoint in the city. It provides the widest views of Lisbon, with the Tagus to the west. It’s also less crowded , as the climb up Calle Senhora do Monteor the Damasceno Monteirosteps is really tough! I had to climb straight up for 30 minutes.

When I get there I see that most of the people looking out have come up via tuk-tuk.

It got easier after that. Next I walk to Miradouro das Porto do Sol, followed by Miradouro Santa Luzia and Miradouro Graça.

After all that walking, I stop for lunch at Union, an empanada restaurant. I enjoy a Portuguese beer (or two?). I also meet a lovely family from Paris and the father is quite encouraging on where I might rent for a Shirleyfest in Paris.

After lunch some more walking and shopping as I want to get coffee at the famous A Brazileira Coffee House and also stop by the “Pink Street.”

Before meeting my friend for dinner I stop at the last Miradouro on my list Miradouro de Santa Catarina. It is just getting dark so I grab a glass of wine and watch the sun start to set.

That night, Catarina and I try out Decadente, a Portuguese restaurant that bills itself as “unique modern Portuguese eatery – youthful, decadent & democratic – led by our fire and smoke heritage and inspired by our mercantile history.” The waiter also tells me that they strive for zero waste: all ingredients are completely used either in the dish or for making broths and sauces. We have a great dinner followed by joining the crowd at their rooftop bar to see the moon rise over Miradouro San Pedro de Alcantara.

The next day I do a walking tour of Belém with Claudia. Near the mouth of the River Tagus, Belém is the site of maritime legends, the birthplace of the pastel de nata (custard tart) and home of some of Portugal’s most important museums and galleries. It was from here in the 15th century that explorer Vasco da Gama set sail for India, returning with treasures that ultimately helped establish Portugal as a global power.

I want to do this walking tour today because from Belém it is about a 25 minute walk along the water to Darwin Cafe where I am meeting friends from California that have moved to Portugal. My walk near sunset is perfect.

We enjoy a lovely dinner and I learn a lot about their 4 year retirement to Portugal.

The next day I take the train to Sintra. Sintra is one of the wealthiest municipalities in both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole. It is home to one of the largest foreign expatriate communities along the Portuguese Riviera, and consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Portugal. But to me, Sintra is famous for its castles. When I was here last with Laura we visited the Peña Palace which was the ultimate in 19th century romanticism style architecture. I skipped seeing it again and instead strolled through town.

The town is quite popular at the moment and super crowded. I make my way to a restaurant recommended by Catarina called Incomum. I have the traditional black pork dish and a salad. Lovely.

On the train ride home, I realize I can get off the train midway and go to the National Palace at Queluz. It is simply beautiful with enormous gardens. For those of you who love horses, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art remains headquartered in the palace gardens. In order to foster the study of this art and the regular training of riders, it is here that Portugal established the only national library dedicated exclusively to Equestrian Art.

Back home, I am looking forward it dinner at Casa Nepalesa, an Indian restaurant. First tho, I manage to get my nails done at a salon Susanna had found for me. Very posh. They bring you hot Brazialian bread and coffee while you relax.

Last night Catarina and I try Food Temple. It is a vegan restaurant in the Mouraria district.Mouraria literally means “Moorish quarter.” It was where the Moors who weren’t slaughtered when King Afonso Henriques conquered the city in 1147 were allowed to live — until 1497, when they and the Jewish people were expelled from Portugal.
It is also the birthplace for Fado, Lisbon’s soulful musical genre, as it was where the legendary singer Maria Severa lived in the 1800s. There are over 50 nationalities that live in its jumble of streets directly below the walls of the castle. I make my way through that jumble to find people sitting on the steps with delicious food in front of them.

We order the tasting menu and four hours later we are still eating!

And that brings us back to today, where I met the owner of the Social Club this morning. Midday, my friend Nick has returned from Scotland and we have a wonderful lunch at Kefi and then go by to see my friends at Pinot Wine Bar. This evening, I head way up to the northern part of Lisbon to attend an 80s dance party. I walked through the campus of the University of Lisbon on a beautiful evening.

Planes are flying so low overhead from the nearby airport I feel I must duck.

The dance party is put on by InterNations and it really is international. I meet people from Ecuador, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Spain, Portugal, Canada….but not one single American. It is such fun.

And now I’m off to the Duoro Valley for three days. Thanks for reading along. Let me know if you have any questions for me.