I have 72 hours left in Lisbon. I decide to mimic the New York Times and do a “36 hours in…..” trip. But where? Good friends Nick and Ivan to the rescue. They suggest lunch in Aveiro and then head to Coimbra. Why not! In the morning there is a Alfa Pendular train (fast train) from Lisbon to Aveiro going 220km/hr and so it only takes 2 hours.

Aveiro, on the west coast, is known as the Venice of Portugal, because it is set on a lagoon. Not gondolas, but barcos moliceiros, that long ago were used to transport salt and seaweed from the nearby sandbanks, now ferry people up and down the river.

I get up very early and am at the Oriente train station as the sun comes up.

Here comes the train.

In no time, I arrive at the Aveiro train station, the original 1864 portion of which has been lovingly restored. The tiles (azulejos) depict traditional regional scenes and I am lucky to arrive as the sun shows them off beautifully.

I hop in an uber and head for the Museum of Averio, which was created in 1458 and is housed in the old Convent of Jesus of the Dominican Order. Joanna, the daughter of King Afonso entered this house in 1472. No one else is there and I stroll at leisure though the exhibits. I am struck by a baroque chapel which has been painstakingly preserved.

The tiles which are the hallmark of Portugal are also on display.

Afterwards, I head to the huge city park known as the Parque Infante D. Pedro. It is so peaceful amidst the urban bustle of the city.

Now to see those Portuguese gondoliers! I head for the lagoon and I am not disappointed. The boats are gliding down the river.

I need to glide down the adjoining streets to my Michelin restaurant, Salpoente. The restaurant is in a building created from two former salt warehouses and it is elegant and tranquil. I am so impressed with the quality of the decor and the professionalism of the servers. With their assistance, I decide on a starter of diced salmon and strawberries with dollops of burrata. It comes as a ring of lusciousness in a most unusual dish, with an avocado mousse in the center.

I pair my meal with a nice glass of red from the Douro Valley and await my next course.

I want to stay and sample many more things, but my train to Coimbra awaits. Again it is the fast train so it only takes 25 minutes. The train rolls quickly along with the clouds.

I arrive and after an 8 minute uber ride, we pull up to the beautiful Quinta das Lágrimas. #quintadaslagrimas https://www.quintadaslagrimas.pt/en/

The lobby is busy, but the staff is so agreeable. I am offered a lovely glass of juice and the General Manager, Pedro, asks my name and assures me they will be with me quickly. I am soon ushered to a desk where Tânia begins the check in process. I had reserved a garden suite and I am delighted to learn that I have been upgraded to the Pedro and Inês suite. Tânia takes me to my room and tells me the story of Pedro and Inês.

When he was heir to the throne, Pedro fell in love with Inês de Castro, lady-in-waiting to his wife Constanza. His father, King Afonso IV, banished Inês from the court, but when his wife died, Pedro immediately sent for her. They lived together for ten years and she bore him four children and they secretly married. The king grew alarmed at the power Inês had over the young Prince Pedro and in 1355 Inês was murdered by a group of Portuguese noblemen. Pedro swore that his beloved Inês would one day become his queen. When Pedro ascended to the throne in 1357, he inflicted vengeance on those who had murdered his wife and took the corpse of Inês from its tomb to do it honor, hereby beginning the curious tale of the “queen after death”. He proceeded to dress her corpse in royal robes, sat her upright on the throne and, as king, had the power to force all the courtiers and nobles present to pay homage to her crowned corpse and kiss her decomposing hand. Pedro arranged that after his death they would be together in magnificent 14th-century tombs in Alcobaça, with the inscription “Until the end of the world”. Pedro had planned it so that their first sight upon opening their eyes on Judgement Day would be of each other.

I excitedly get my first glimpse at this romantic suite. Oh wow, it is superb!

A bottle of Portuguese liquor and the local famous pastries, Pastéis de Tentugal, have been left as treats.

I’ll enjoy the treats later as now I will do a walk about the lower part of Coimbra. Coimbra is the former capital of Portugal. While the capital was moved to Lisbon in the 13th century, today Coimbra remains a beautiful and important city and is beyond a doubt worth a visit. If Averio is the Venice of Portugal, Coimbra is the Cambridge/Oxford of Portugal because of its famous university. I cross over the bridge spanning the Mondego River and find myself strolling down the stone walkways.

It is a gorgeous evening and I hear fado music playing in one of the local coffee houses. In Coimbra, unlike Lisbon, fado is sung by men and instead of melancholy music it is more poetic. I stop for a while and listen.

Back at the hotel, I get ready for dinner. I will be eating in the hotel’s Gastropub. The food is amazing and when I ask for the wine list, I see their best white wine is called Pedro e Inês. Meant to be!

The next morning a beautiful breakfast buffet is set up and the grounds are such an inviting place to enjoy breakfast. I particularly like this one local bread called Escarpiada.

To save time, since I only have today, I uber to the university which is at the highest point in Coimbra. Founded in 1290, today the university is divided into eight different faculties (Letters, Law, Medicine, Sciences & Technology, Pharmacy, Economics, Psychology & Education Sciences and Sports Sciences & Physical Education), comprising about 25,000 students. It is the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese speaking world. Apart from attracting many European and international students, the university is visited by many for its monuments and history. Its historical buildings were classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2013.

I start at the Nuevo Church, check out the Chem Building, and visit the old Church.

I then head straight to the National Museum Machado de Castro when it opens.

It is pretty amazing. In the basement is th ancient Roman cryptoporticus from 400 A.D. Basically, it is a subterranean gallery and it is exquisite.

Tearing myself away from the underground, I wander though the rest of the museum. The highlight for me is the 1534 French terracotta sculptures representing the Last Supper. Simply amazing.

Afterwards I stroll though campus. Groups of students in black capes are singing in groups. Two students were particularly charming!

I visit several other historic sites before I reluctantly leave the city and walk back across the footbridge to my lovely hotel.

After checkout, I decide to have lunch in the garden before my train. A three course beautiful meal with all the wine you would like, vegetables and fruits fresh from the hotel garden, along with the freshest seafood is all delicious (and costs 26 euros).

I am so surprised when the waiter brings me a bag and says “A gift from the hotel”. Inside is the hotel’s gorgeous cookbook.

Let me just say this hotel has got my vote for top hotel experience in quite some time! It does usually come down to people and the Quinta Das Lágrimas has an excellent staff. As my readers know, I have done full interviews with Hotel General Managers and Chief Concierges. While I didn’t get to do that here, I spent a fair amount of time talking with Pedro Ribeira, the General Manager and Tânia Sabino, a rising star in this hotel group. I wish every hotel I stayed at had the dedication, professionalism and warmth of these two wonderful people. They were kind enough to let me take a photo of them before I left.

I take the fast train back to Lisbon and the next day I am sad realizing it is my last day in Lisbon for a while. I visit my old haunts and snap some pictures.

I meet Catarina near the Saint Magdalena Church and we enjoy breakfast together. I will miss this new friend very much.

I attend one last mass in Lisbon and surprisingly the priest calls all the September birthdays up to the altar and does a special blessing for us. So sweet!

I get home to finish packing and when Ivan returns from Barcelona he comes over for pizza, wine and conversation. I will miss Ivan and Nick greatly. I can’t wait to see them again somewhere in the world.

After Ivan leaves, I am finishing my packing when I look at my shoes which I have worn on quite a few walks about Lisbon. This is what I see!

I have actually worn out a new pair of New Balance shoes! After throwing them in the garbage, I look at my health app on my phone and see that during my time in LisbonI have walked 1,152,000 steps and climbed 1,200 floors. Walked over a million steps and climbed the equivalent of scaling all 10 of the tallest buildings in the world. I need a rest!

The next morning, I wave goodbye to my apartment. I will miss my lovely home of two months. I uber to the airport as the sun comes up.

As I fly out of Lisbon, I see the Vasco de Gamma bridge and it twinkles as it says “See you again soon Shirley”.

Thanks for spending time with me in Lisbon. I’ll let you know what my next adventure will be!

[I love to hear from my readers. Recently, WordPress has had some difficulty with the comment section appearing below the post. They just informed me that if you click on the post title to read the post in a “single post” view, the comment section will load at the bottom of the post and you will be able to leave a comment at the end of the post without signing in. I tried it and it works. Yeah! Back to seeing comments!]

The secret to youth? If your birthday is celebrated away from home, you get the party, but not the added year! It’s just like travel calories. They stay on foreign soil when you leave the country. So I have been able to avoid 14 years of aging in my 14 Shirleyfests and left thousands of calories in 14 different cities. Try it!

My sister MJ arrives on Wednesday. She has made it to 12 of the 14 Shirleyfests which makes me very happy. After a long flight, I know just what she needs…..a long walk…uphill. Off we go, stopping for lunch at Taberna da Rua das Flores for some very fresh seafood.

A few more hills and miles and I let her rest before we head out to Mercearia da Século for a delicious dinner. Fernanda is there, but her husband Paulo is in Italy helping immigrants get settled in their new country. Her daughter fills in and we have a delightful dinner followed by, of course, gelato on the walk home.

But why go to bed before I show MJ my little wine bar. The guys are as usual quite welcoming and so ends the first day of MJ’s visit to Shirleyfest.

Thursday, after coffee at Copenhagen Coffee Labs, we take the train to Cacais. Little did we know the adventures that would await us. While touring the art galleries in Cacais, we come across the Saltão Gallery where we talk to a man wrapping art for shipping. Glancing at a coffee table book nearby, we suddenly realize from the picture on the cover that he is the artist, Néliio Saltão! He is delightful! I love his art and I love his joyous nature. Before long he is pouring us the classic Portuguese drink Ginja! #neliosaltaoart

Just then we get a text from my friend Catarina who we had hoped to meet for lunch. She has reserved for us at Furnas do Guincho a little way out of the town center. We Uber there and arrive at this stunning restaurant right on the water.

Many courses, many desserts and many hours later we think we will return to Cacais and train back to Lisbon.

But Catarina asks if we had seen the Boca do Inferno. We have not. Off we go walking along the ocean. First we come to a hidden enclave of little shops called Casa da Gaia.

Afterwards, we walk further and we arrive at “the mouth of hell”, which is a breathtaking natural wonder. The dramatic coastal cliffs, sculpted by the power of the Atlantic Ocean, create a mesmerizing spectacle of waves crashing against the rocks. This rugged beauty, combined with the deep chasm and the powerful sound of the sea, gives us a sense of awe and reverence for nature’s raw power. The view from Boca do Inferno is spectacular. The endless expanse of the ocean, the interplay of light on the water, and the sheer cliffs are just magnificent.

We stay awhile and then reluctantly leave and walk to Cacais where we say goodbye to Catarina and train back to Lisbon.

Friday we walk all over beautiful Lisbon.

For lunch, I am bound and determined to take MJ to O Velho Eurico. Careful readers will note that if I do that, it will be my third lunch there in 10 days. We show up and the chef smiles broadly. “You really like my food, don’t you”? he says. Yes, I do and we proceed to show him how much by ordering many courses. Several of the staff have gotten to know me and stop by to say hello.

Later that day we explore the area above Belém known as Restelo. It is a neighborhood filled with embassies and beautiful big homes.

We head from there to the Museum of Contemporary Art, followed by dinner at Este Oeste.

Of course I have to show MJ the monuments of Belém lit up at night. It is a beautiful evening.

At 8:50pm we realize that the famous Pastéis de Belém is closing at 9pm and we are all the way over by the water. Not to be deterred, we race to the store to find them just about to close. It’s only 8:58 pm we say! Ok, they let us in and we get those warm pastries and are as happy as if we had gotten gold bullion instead of golden pastries.

Saturday we explored the Rato neighborhood because we have scored a lunch reservation at the award winning Forno d’Oro. This place consistently is awarded the Pizza Versace Napolitana Award, which is essentially a Michelin star for pizzerias. I must admit I come into the place biased, because the other award winning pizza restaurant is of course my favorite, Tony’s, in North Beach in San Francisco. This restaurant is beautiful and sparkling.

The most impressive feature though is the golden mosaic oven which is burning brightly.

We decide to make this our big meal of the day and go for a delicious pizza and a pasta and of course a nice bottle of rosè.

You think we could resist dessert, but we can’t.

To walk off this wonderful lunch, we stroll down Avenida da Liberdade and visit the high end fashion shops. When that wears us out, we stop for tea at the beautiful 138 Liberdade Hotel.

We are very good that evening and go to my neighborhood vegetarian restaurant Senhor Uva where my friends kindly fit us in without a reservation.

Sunday I go back to Church of Saint Mary Magdalena for mass and afterwards we wander about the lower part of Lisbon, stopping for lunch at my favorite rooftop, Hotel Chiado.

That evening involves a stroll though the Principe Real area followed by dinner at Decadente.

I love the location of this restaurant with the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara in front of it. We enjoy being serenaded there before the walk down the hill home.

Monday is my birthday. What a day! First breakfast at The Folks where we are given flowers to celebrate.

Then a stroll along the river at Parque das Nações so MJ can see the Vasco da Gama bridge.

On impulse we ride the overhead tram before getting lunch at Time Out market and buying flowers from one of the 8 historic flower vendors at Mercado da Ribeira.

A bit of a rest at home before the serious partying starts. We start with rosé on Nick and Ivan’s balcony.

Then we Uber across the “Golden Gate Bridge”.

We walk into Casa Reîa and it is unbelievable. Right on the sand, beautiful furnishings and lighting and the sun just starting to set.

Champagne, oysters, whole local fish and Wagu steak all make for a festive evening.

Then we get to the birthday cake which Ivan has made and brought to the restaurant. It’s a sky high apple cake.

Speaking of sky, when we finish, we take the ferry back to Lisbon and look at the night sky from the ferry. Magical.

But still not done….we run into my friends who run Senhor Uva on the way home and even though they are closing, they decide to let us in and another bottle of champagne appears and two more plates of dessert, with candles! My favorite part is Adrian decides to DJ and gets me to tell him my favorite songs. It truly was the best birthday!

MJ must leave the next day. Each trip I go to the cinema in my host city to compare and contrast. With my partner-in-crime departing, today is the day. I take the Metro quite a few stops away and emerge to a rainy Lisbon.

This is the first day it has rained since I came. Google maps says this cinema is close by, but I walk all around a huge shopping complex and only find it because I see a giant IMAX sign in the sky.

I go for a Pierce Brosnan movie that here is called Jogo Assassino, which translates to “Killer Game”. In the states, this movie is called Fast Charlie. Tickets are $7 which is a new low among my 14 Shirleyfests. Concessions are also inexpensive, but like every other cinema I have sampled, the sizes of popcorn are huge.The main thing I notice is the preview commercials. In Kyoto I was surprised that the only two kinds of preview commercials were for cosmetic surgery and a video about how they will criminally prosecute you if you video tape the movie. Here its all car commercials…BMWs, Audis, Mercedes.

The movie was entertaining, but hardly Oscar material. When I emerge I see I am in an enormous in-door shopping arcade called Columbo. One wing is all shoes, one wing is Spanish designers, one wing is every kind of restaurant imaginable and so on.

I look it up later and learn there are 50 restaurants, 300 shop and it is the biggest shopping mall of the Iberian Peninsula.

The highlight of the day though is that Ivan cooked dinner for me at his place. Delicious “Black pork” with a mustard sauce, potatoes and spinach.

There are two famous cemeteries that I have yet to visit in Lisbon. First is the British Cemetery. It is very close to my apartment and has an Anglican Church, St. George, on the property. After strolling around the graves (the most famous is Henry Fielding who wrote the novel Tom Jones), I try to enter the church.

It is locked, so I am about to give up when a lady with a cane is slowly coming up the long driveway. She says she is here to open the church, but she is late because “some fool has blocked the driveway.” She is the priest! Her name is Fran and she is from New York originally, but has lived in Lisbon many years. She had a big job in corporate America before switching gears and turning to the the Anglican priesthood. She lets me into the sacristy and proceeds to get her robes and vestments on, all the while telling me about the church, the cemetary, her life and her favorite things to do in Lisbon. I really enjoy talking to her.

I had such luck with this cemetery that I walk off to find the Prazeres cemetary. It is considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. It is the resting place for many famous personalities, including Prime Ministers and Presidents of Portugal. Poets, novelists and the “Queen of Fado” are all buried here. It is exclusively made up of mausoleums. It reminds me quite a bit of Recoleta Cemetary in Buenos Aires where Evita Peron is buried.

I end the evening at my favorite rooftop bar, Hotel Chiado. A light dinner and I head home.

Tomorrow I leave early as I’m taking the fast train, Alfa Pendular. I am excited because it reaches speeds of 220 km/hr. Stay tuned for one last post from Portugal about 36 hours in Averio and Coimbra. You won’t want to miss it as Coimbra is one of Portugal’s most beautiful cities.

Thanks for reading!

I love sharing things with you on my blog and sometimes my escapades don’t leave me with much time for writing. I’m about to embark on several days of escapades with my sister, who right now is in a cab coming from the airport to visit me. Let me try to catch you up on the highlights of this past week before it all melds into this week’s new adventures.

Monday:

I find a great new coffeehouse nearby called Albi.

It is run by an Australian/Brazilian couple named Fernanda and Julian.

It’s only been open two months, but is clearly the place to be.

Waiting for a table, I meet Martijn, CEO of Bnberry, a cool company that works with Airbnb,VRBO and other lodging partners on specific aspects of their business model. He’s Dutch, but he set up the company here in Lisbon 6 years ago. Because tables are scarce, we end up sitting together for about an hour chatting. I’m sure I will see him again this trip.

Another highlight of Monday is dinner at Nick and Ivan’s place. Gorgeous food, conversation and views and I get to meet Jane, Nick’s sister visiting from London.

Tuesday:

Catarina by some miracle gets us a lunch reservations at O Velho Eurico. This old restaurant is a place of pilgrimage, with the lines and sold out reservations for weeks to prove it. The chef is young cook Zé Paulo Rocha, part of a new generation of Lisbon’s rising chefs, who have worked to move the dining scene forward, marrying traditional items with a hint of modernity. I get there early and learn Catarina will be delayed. Fortunately Ze Paulo is putting out the staff meal on an outside table. I get to talk with him and he tells me about the dishes.

The crowd grows outside and all are eager to eat at this remarkable place.

It’s on the way to São Jorge Castle and it appears on an unassuming corner as if by providence, a cozy pit stop to replenish your energy to finish the climb up. I get my table and start ordering to cover for Catarina’s delay. She whizzes in, turning heads, and whatever on the menu I have not ordered she orders. It is a feast!

I need to finish this feast, because I’m taking my new friends Susanna and Annemarie on a long tour of every Miradouro in Lisbon led by Ricardo Santos. You probably read on one of my earlier blogs that I did this myself a few weeks ago. I enjoyed it so much I decide to to share it with my friends and ask a professional guide to lead us to see if I missed anything doing it on my own. Fasten your seat belts! Here we go

We start with Miradouro Santa Catarina

Next Elevador de Bica

Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantar

A stop at the church of São Rocco

Covento do Carmo

Elevador de Santa Justa

Miradouro do Chao do Loureiro

Miradouro das Portas do Sol

Miradouro de Santa Luzia

Miradouro da Graça

Miradouro da Sephora do Monte

What a day! I look at my watch and it says 30,478 steps and 52 floors.

Wednesday:

I am taking a train to Évora. Évora is an old Roman trading town and there still stands an impressive Roman ruin, one of the best preserved on the Iberian peninsula. Arriving at the Évora train station, I walk about 15 – 20 minutes into the city centre. All points of interest are within a 10 minute walk of each other, which makes getting around on foot the optimal choice for navigating the tiny alleyways and streets. One thing of note though, Évora is the hottest city in Portugal temperature wise. It is in the Alentejo region of Portugal, also known for fantastic wines.

You can climb to the roof of the cathedral, which I do. It is beautiful and windy.

To the surprise of no one, prior to leaving home, I snag a lunch reservation at the Michelin restaurant Dom Joaquin in Évora. I am fortunate to sit next to Raquel and Sam, a Portuguese couple on holiday. They are so kind and share tastes of their lunch choices with me. We are three foodies having a great lunch “together”.

After lunch I must see the Chapel of the Bones. It is known as Capela dos Ossos and the walls are covered and decorated with human skulls and bones. It was built to convey the message of temporariness and fragility of human life. It was built by Franciscan Friars and it is estimated there are 5,000 corpses that were exhumed to cover the walls. The bones which came from ordinary people who were buried in Évora’s medieval cemeteries are arranged in a variety of patterns. Above the entrance is a sign saying “We bones are here, for yours we wait.” I know! So creepy! Glad I didn’t see this before lunch.

I must say I thought about those bones the entire way back on the train.

Thursday:

Back to Coffehouse Albi for some more writing and my friends come into tonight from Vienna so I am getting organized for their visit. I met Arno in the Naschmarkt in Vienna on my birthday in 2017. I was shopping and Arno helped me talk to the shopkeeper. We hit it off so well and the following year I stayed with him and his family in the Dolomites prior to Shirleyfest Amsterdam. Their family joined me at Shirleyfest Bologna in 2022. Their girls were only 5 and 7 when I met them and now they are teenagers!

Friday:

We meet at A Brasileira to fuel the children.

Next we tour around many of the important Lisbon spots. Suddenly lo and behold we are passing O Velho Eurico. Do I dare? Yes I must. I go talk to the chef and tell him we are 5 people without reservation. He says, “you must love my food, as you are back so soon.” “Well yes I do….any chance of fitting us in?” “Stay here”, he says “ and we will definitely try”. Score we are in! Or rather out. We have a nice table under the trees and once again we order the whole menu.

In the afternoon, the girls whiz off to my fancy nail place to get their first professional manicures.

A little break before we meet back up at the Food Temple and eat delicious vegetarian food out on the steps. It is truly a gorgeous evening and so much fun to be sitting here sharing a meal with my friends.

Saturday:

I’ve organized a tour of Belém for everyone. What a surprise when our tour guide just cuts the enormous line at Pastéis de Belém and comes out with the beautiful tarts for everyone.

Everyone enjoys the tour and after lunch at the cultural center, we tram back to Lisbon central.

We meet later at my apartment for drinks. And then we head to Decadente for a multi-course meal.

Later we adults hit the rooftop bar at Hotel Chiado.

At midnight, I’m catching the Metro home very happy with our lovely day.

Sunday:

I go to mass at Church of our Lady of the Loreto of the Italians, a church built at the outer perimeter of Lisbon in 1676.

We only have time for one more activity with my Viennese friends so we pick riding the tram ride around the city.

Afterwards, off go my wonderful friends on a flight back to Vienna. I hope to see them on next year’s Shirleyfest or maybe even a visit from them to California next summer

Monday:

My friend Linda arrives. I met Linda in Shirleyfest Melbourne and what luck that she is touring around Portugal while I am here. We meet for coffee and plan out our day. We walk through Time Out market where I examine the Aperol spritz options for later. We end up at Taberna da Rua da Flora for a seafood lunch. It was so so good!

Linda has the good idea of a boat ride on the Tagus River. It is such a warm day that this is the ideal activity.

Later, we have dinner at Tasca de Esquina, a highly rated restaurant with a celebrity chef, near my apartment.

The restaurant is beautiful and the food perfectly prepared, yet even with those two things I cannot recommend this restaurant for 3 reasons. The servers were apparently having some internal tiff and in every action their unhappiness was obvious. The tables are fairly close together and I’m afraid this restaurant must have been featured in an American magazine or food blog recently, because all the other tables were populated with Americans and unfortunately for us….very loud speaking Americans. Finally when our bill came there were many items on it we had not ordered. We of course pointed this out and they took off those items, but I’ve eaten out at dozens of restaurants in Lisbon and this is the first time this happen to me. Too many great restaurants to consider going here again.

After dinner, Linda ubers off and I stop by Pinot Bar for a nightcap and a look at the beautiful moon before heading home to bed.

Tuesday:

I like to try things I do at home in my host city. Today I am getting a facial. It’s a lovely treatment room and many many steps and I am so happy with my facial. It was a 90 minute complete professional facial and guess what….it was 60 euros. Unbelievable!

Since I’ve skipped both breakfast and lunch and I spy Versailles, a famous pastry and gelato shop near my spa, I decide gelato is the perfect lunch.

Later I take myself and my new facial out to Belém as I am going to a concert at the Centro Cultural de Belem. At this late hour, Belém is magic. All the tour buses are gone and the place is serene.

I meet Ivan and Nick for a rooftop dinner first at Este Oeste.

The concert is Mahler’s 8th symphony. This is a large scale work with a huge choir and a huge orchestra. It is in two parts and the theme of the piece is being saved through the power of love. It is said that this symphony expresses confidence of the eternal human spirit. As an optimist, I’m a fan of this! It is so enjoyable.

Afterwards in the night we walk along the water and see the Belém monuments lit up by the moon, stopping for tea at a hotel on the water. We uber home very happy.

And that is wrap for another week of Shirleyfest. As usual I appreciate you coming along on my journey. Stay tuned!!

The first month in my new city it is like I am dating the city. I am getting to know it and see how I relate to it and it to me. Then, magically, as the second month begins, I am no longer dating…I am falling in love with my city. Every time! Lisbon is so easy to love.

I return from the Douro Valley on September 2 ready to get started on my second glorious month in Lisbon. If you read my last post, you know it was a wonderful trip with a minor footnote that the second day in the Douro, I was stung by a bee. No biggie..right? No biggie unless you are one of the people who develop the rare complication called Bee Serum Sickness. Yup. I am that rare person. Before you read on—don’t be alarmed. I’m pretty much back to normal now. But let’s get the bad out of the way quickly so we can get to the good.

Whenever I go on a Shirleyfest, I always find out from locals where is the best private clinic and hospital. I learned that lesson many Shirleyfests ago in Melbourne when I picked out of a phone book a very respectable sounding hospital called Royal Melbourne Hospital. Unfortunately, they misdiagnosed a broken pelvis that I had suffered in a fall. Turns out that was not the best hospital in Melbourne, despite the name. So now I always check before I leave home. Here in Lisbon it was unanimous among my friends: Cuf Tejo is the best place to go.

Fortunately, my good friend Ivan accompanies me, because it is quite a system to get seen by a doctor. He speaks perfect Portuguese and it all works out. Sorta….I am properly diagnosed and given a prescription for various pills which Ivan helps me get at the pharmacy. Unfortunately, my case is so severe that the pills are not sufficient. Back I go to the hospital 3 days later. I’m so proud of myself that I am working the system alone, until my doctor becomes quite concerned and insists that I go to another floor and be seen by a specialist…immediately.

I did less good with solo navigation on that, but ultimately it works out and 11 new pills are prescribed. I go back to the same pharmacist who remembers me and fills everything.

That’s the end of the September Surprises: Bad

Now September Surprises: Good

Not to be deterred by a rare illness, I decide to forge ahead and discover new hidden gems in Lisbon this week. I find many!

Wednesday: I walk through Estrela Park to stroll the neighborhood known as Lapa. Pastel colored buildings, chic design stores and abandoned embassies all gather together.

At the end of the road to the river stands the Museum National de Arte Antiga (The National Museum of Ancient Art). Founded in 1884, with 40,000 items spanning a vast collection, it is one of the most visited museums in Portugal. It is housed in a stunning building that was the former residence of the Marquis of Pombal. I decide to have lunch in their beautiful restaurant that has a patio overlooking the river and their Golden Gate Bridge.

Then I start roaming. Paintings, ceramics, gold and silver are all carefully displayed.

I stand and watch reconstruction being done on one painting for a long time.

I ask one of the guards what is her favorite work in the museum. “Oh, Inferno”, she says quickly. I find the painting and I must say, it wouldn’t be my favorite, but it was compelling!

Since I am out, I decide to try a trick I read about in the New York Times. All the tourist want to ride the 28E tram which makes a big circle around Lisbon. NYT mentioned that the 12E does the same thing and practically no one knows this and so it is very uncrowded. Let’s see.

Here is the big line to get on the Tram 28E.

Turns out the the venerable New York Times is right. The 12E is empty. I love my ride on the 12E.

Enough running around for now, I see that my favorite place Dear Breakfast is still open, so I head there for an iced coffee and fruit bowl. Ahhhh.

Thursday: There is a pastry shop called Casa San Miguel that calls itself “National Gastronic Archeology”. It is in the Alfama district and it is basically a living museum of Portuguese pastries.

All the regional pastries of Portugal are on display in a jewel box of a display case. I head over early in the morning as I know it gets crowded as people wake up. I talk with the owner who explains some of the different ways the Portuguese regions make their pastries. Everything here is made in-house from carefully guarded recipes.

I start with a coffee and the Travesseiro pastry from Sintra.

I have no willpower and leave with a box of three other pastries: The Pastel borallo (chickpeas, lemon and cinnamon), Pastel nata Lisboa (their own recipe—less sweet than other places) and the Bolinho de Tamara (date ball).

I need to walk! I decide to walk to Belém along the water. It is a very very long walk. I love the views along the way. (I can’t go entirely along the water but I do mostly).

Now I want to go to the Contemporary Art Museum in Belém. It is called MAC/CCB.

This museum does one of the best jobs I have ever seen of conveying what was going in history at the time the art was being created. It is remarkable that after a long time in the museum, I feel I have taken a crash course in both history and art! A lot of my favorite artists are on display and I learn of artists I didn’t know before.

Tonight I have a reservation at Mercairia do Sécola. This tiny restaurant is run by Paulo and Fernanda, husband and wife, devoted to the rustic comfort food of Portugal.

My friend, Catarina, joins me. We start with the traditional dried tuna with salad, orange, almond and toasted bread with tomatoes. Paulo pours a green wine that goes perfectly with the dish.

Next, Catarina chooses the marinated rabbit, cabbage and chestnuts and bacon and sweet potatoes.

I pick the octopus in olive oil with sweet potatoes and greens. Paulo chooses for us a red wine from the Douro.

We are not greedy and split one dessert.

Catarina says this as close to her grandmother’s food as she has ever had in Portugal.

Friday: Friday morning I am not well so it is the day I have to back to the hospital, which I have described above. The good news is that once I finish all that, Ivan and I head to the Atlantic Ocean. We drive to Praia Grande (Big Beach). It is a glorious day and there is a surfing contest going on.

Ivan has reserved at Bar do Fundo and we enjoy fish caught nearby and grilled and then fillet to perfection.

Saturday: Today I head across the river to meet a new friend, Karin. The ferry boat leaves form Belém and is an 8 minute beautiful ride across the water.

Karin works at the Dutch embassy and lives with her family in Costa do Caparica. This is a beautiful seaside town. Another new friend, Annemarie, visiting from Holland, joins us and for a while, Daniel, Karin’s son stays with us. We go for coffee at the neighborhood kiosk before strolling on the beach.

Then Karin suggests a forest hike to another beach. Off we go trudging through the forest, until we come to another beautiful beach.

Of course there is a darling restaurant just waiting for us to have a nice salad.

It is amazing that three people who did not know each other at all can have so much in common and so much to talk about. I take the 4:00 pm boat back to my side of the river with Annemarie and we agree to meet up later in the week.

Tonight I have no dinner reservation, so I decide to walk up to this pretty street near my apartment and see what happens. I am standing outside the Michelin restaurant Tapisco when the maître d’ notices me. I ask if there is any possibility for me to eat there without a reservation tonight. “But of course,” he says, “you must.” The night turns into a party as I am seated first next to Sam from London, a self-professed foodie and we dissect all the dishes and ingredients together. We order some delicious items.

Then on my right comes John and Patrick, a wonderful father and son from the US. John is keen to start something like Shirleyfest with his wife in the next year, so of course we talk for a long time about the philosophy of that. Patrick is off to race Formula race cars in the morning in another part of Portugal and he shows us videos of his racing which terrifies and thrills me. As I pay my bill, the manager, Bruno, tells me that since I live nearby, I must come back often and try all the things I didn’t get to tonight. Ok…I will!

And please do not judge me for stopping at the artisanal gelato shop afterwards. It was a long walk back home.

Sunday: I want to go to the English mass at The Church of the Madalena, a historic church originally constructed in 1164. First though, I decide to walk to the rooftop Lumi for coffee. It is difficult to figure out how to get access, but I do and then I see a man who is also confused so I help him. When I get there, the staff says the place is now closed, except if you are staying at the hotel associated with the restaurant. My good luck, my new friend, Jeff, that I helped with the elevator, is staying there! He asks me to join him and we have coffee and a great conversation before I take off for mass. The views from Lumi are wonderful.

I am so glad I went to this mass. It is September 8, the birthday of the Virgin Mary, so the priest gives everyone a candle and then we go up and place them in front of her.

The church is packed with regulars and they have a full and robust musical group of parishioners, which is just wonderful. Afterwards, I want to try out this lunch spot I read about called Chapitô a mesa. It is super cool with wonderful views.

I talk to the manager, Felipe, who after I finish takes me up to a panoramic restaurant they also operate that is open for dinner. He invites me to come back some night to enjoy their dinner and magnificent view. I will. I stroll though my neighborhood park where a little Sunday market is happening.

Nick is back from London today, so we agree to meet at our local wine bar, Pinot Bar de Vinho. I get to hear about his interesting, cultural experiences in London in the past week. I love the friendly staff at Pinot Bar, Jens and David. We enjoy some light courses and call it a day.

So my week back from the Douro was filled with hidden gems waiting for me to uncover them. I think there are plenty more September treasures to be found. I hope you follow along with me as I excavate for them.

On Friday, I head to the Douro Valley with friends Nick and Ivan. It is the first trip there for all of us and we have booked the Vintage House Hotel in Pinhão, thanks to a recommendation from my Montreal Shirleyfest friends, Bennet and Bonnie.

Living near Sonoma and Napa wine regions, I’ve always wanted to see the Douro Valley wine region. It is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world.

Our car trip from Lisbon takes us first to the little town of Coimbra.

Coimbra is the Cambridge of Portugal — the home of its most venerable university. The university’s highlight is King João’s Library, one of Europe’s best surviving Baroque libraries, displaying 40,000 books in 18th-century splendor.

The doorkeeper locks the door at every opportunity to keep the humidity out of this 300-year-old temple of thought. The interior is all wood. Even the “marble” on the arches is painted wood, since real marble would add to the humidity. The resident bats — who live in the building, but not the library itself — are well cared for and appreciated. They eat insects, providing a chemical-free way of protecting the books.

Before visiting the library we have a wonderful lunch in the courtyard of Sapientia Hotel and have our first pours of wine from the region.

After lunch, we get our allotted 15 minutes with a small number of people in the library. It is beyond impressive. After that, we visit the palace.

And now we hit the road to Pinhão.

We reach our hotel in Pinhão around 7:30 pm and enjoy dinner on the patio. The air is delightful. It reminds me of Hawaii with the palm trees and the water.

Of course the Douro River is the eye popping beautiful feature of this region. The Douro River carved deep valleys out of the land and then wine growers transformed the mountains into soil and walls and planted vines. Terraces were built to expose the vines to the rays of the sun which give the grapes the warmth that the wine craves. People think of Douro Valley for wonderful ports, which is true, but the region also has amazing whites, reds and rosés.

The next morning we enjoy a boat cruise on the Douro River.

We enjoy it so much, we plan to take the train into Peso da Regua and then take another boat trip upstream back to our hotel. We have a cute local train ride to Peso da Regua.

Before checking out boat options, we find that we are steps away, after alighting the train, from a beautiful restaurant called Castas E Pratos.

We enjoy lunch, then walk to get boat tickets. To our surprise, no boats are running because a helicopter has crashed into the Douro River. It is a tragedy, as 5 firefighters returning from an assignment were killed in the crash. Portugal has declared a day of mourning. The river at that point is quarantined for retrieval purposes. An extremely sad and shocking turn of events.

We return via train to our hotel.

An outing at the pool is relaxing until I get stung by a “vicious” bee. Actually the hotel was quite nice with ice and medical cream immediately supplied.

It did not deter us heading out at night to Casa Do Arco for an amazing dinner. Our taxi drives up and up and up and soon we are overlooking the whole valley.

The husband and wife team of Ana and Marco present us with an amazing well-paced dinner, paired with exquisite wines from the region. There are only 4 tables in this restaurant. We feel so lucky to be there.

The next day we are up for hiking and decide to hike up to Quinto do Seixo (home to Sandemans, a well known winery).

We reach our destination and find we are the only people there.

We have an outdoor tasting and enjoy the private attention.

Later we have lunch on their patio before returning to the hotel.

At the hotel we are able to arrange a second boat trip. The weather is fine as we enjoy two more hours on the water.

After the boat trip, I decide to take advantage of the hotel’s offer of a port tasting at Quinta da Roêda (Croft Port).

The story of this winery is quite convoluted, as it begins in York, England in 1588. They now consider themselves the most distinguished of all Port houses since they are the oldest firm still active today. As I take a seat on the patio, I find myself with Andreas educating me on the various vintage and aged ports as well as their newest offer…port tonic.

Apparently millennials are not drinking much port wine, but do like cocktails, so Croft has recently come out with this product combining tonic and pink port. They give me a can to take home. I’ll try it and let you know how it is. Meanwhile I enjoy the traditional tasting.

Returning to the hotel, we decide to walk to our dinner at Quinto da Rosa Vinho (Cozinha da Clara). It is a gorgeous evening and the walk whets our appetites.

It is a modern looking restaurant with a beautiful terrace over the river. A delicious meal ensues.

We order 3 different desserts to have on the terrace.

We walk home happily in the dark.

Monday after breakfast we drive to a lookout point and I am so glad we do. I will let the photos from there speak for how amazing the views are.

Our return to Lisbon is punctuated by a visit to the marvelous town of Óbidos.

Óbidos is a charming medieval village. The quaint village dates back to Portugal’s Celtic period, and was later taken over by the Romans in the 1st century AD. The Moors took it over in the 8th century, and finally Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, conquered it in 1149. King Dinis and Queen Isabel spent their honeymoon in Óbidos in 1282, and the king ended up giving her the entire town as a wedding gift. The walls surrounding the village today were built in the 1300s, and although they were partly damaged in an earthquake in 1755, they were completely restored in the early 20th century. Óbidos was actually an important port at one time, but the river silted up in the 16th century construction of monuments, such as the landmark aqueduct. Now it sits as a pretty little village welcoming many happy visitors. We walked the ramparts which is not for the faint of heart!

With one last coffee and gelato we wave goodbye to Óbidos and head back to lovely Lisbon. I highly recommend a visit to the Douro Valley. I really like where we stayed. My room had a patio overlooking the river and because it was on the ground floor you could just walk out onto the promenade and stroll along the river. I thought the Douro Valley would be similar to other wine regions I have visited. It is not. It is much more about the geography and the history and the river than the actual wineries, even though they are beautiful with amazing wines. Do yourself a favor and head there at the next opportunity.

Once again thanks for reading along!

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.