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Discoverportugal - Blog Posts
One of the most intagrammable place in Portugal, Costa Nova can be reached by bus from Aveiro. I believe these houses are air bnb use but not many locals live in these.
This is definitely one time visit thing. The houses were cute and it was more than just a couple houses (surprised by the amount) but they didn’t feel real and everything screamed for touristic in my opinion.
More Cabo da Roca and Praia da Ursa
Praia da Ursa Bear’s beach is famous for its distinguish rocks. Next to Capo da Roca (most western point of EU) you can hike there within 45min-1h. The route is often described as easy but if you’re not used to make an exception from the paths going down might be difficult.
It’s surprisingly popular and the traffic on the path is heavy. There are entire families with food, tents etc with them.
Please note that this beach is also known as a nudist beach and as it is located right on the Atlantic coast, the waves are big and cold. I recommend going here when the summer heat wave reaches its peak.
Lisboa / Sintra before covid
Now when it’s all cold, dark and so autumn like it’s good to remember the perfect first summer days..
I visited Palace of Queluz last January which is one of the best kept secrets in Sintra / Lisbon located literally between the the fairytale town of Sintra and the portuguese capital. This is the most beautiful room I’ve ever been visited. And the best part was that I was the only person there!
They say that Olaias is the most beautiful metro station in Lisbon and even one of the most outstanding ones in the world!
Jeronimós Monastery, an UNESCO heritage site and not for vain! Truly worth paying the entrance fee for!
I’ve visited the Belém, the famous and historical district of Lisbon plenty of times but never entered the monuments which the tourists line up for hours. Here are some shots from the Monument of Discovery and the Jerónimos Monastery.
Merry Xmas! Feliz Natal! Hyvää Joulua!
Sétubal colours! I kind of miss the summer, not the hot temperatures but the rainless days...
Setubal, 1h away from Lisbon. Gorgeous beaches, cute little town. Heaven for seafood lover. Annual Eurovision concert :)
Less known Lisboa. Monsanto park and Marvila. Worth stepping out of your normal path.
The rest of my Coimbra photos from the city and the university.
Photos from my visit to Coimbra, 4th biggest city in Portugal. It’s famous for its university which is one of the oldest in the world and especially the beautiful library Joanina (no photographing allowed!). Such a lively student city. Easy to reach from Lisbon and the city can be covered in one day easily. The city has more medieval feel than other portuguese cities I’ve been to. Here’s the first part of the photos I captured.
Random Lisboa when it was still summer and warm!
Lisbon Tips vol. II
DON’T COME HERE DURING WINTER ... AND NOT
ESPECIALLY IN THE SPRING
Despite of being the sunniest capital in Europe winter which means from November ’till February is chilly, windy and rainy. The problem is not the temperature but the humidity and the fact that houses aren’t heated. Spring is not only rainy but super rainy. There can be 30 rainy days in one months trust me. March-April are is the worst time to visit here. Unless of course you like the rain.
Photo of Kerry Murray!
NO SPECIAL COFFEES (they have their own)
Portugal has a very strong coffee culture so they don’t need frappuccinos and fancy lattes – they have their own and they keep it simple. In the center you can find Starbucks and other international coffee shops but in general the traditional portuguese way is clearly more popular here especially among the locals. Take a look here how to order a portuguese coffee:
https://lisboasecreta.co/made-in/15-formas-de-pedir-cafe-em-lisboa-o-guia-que-te-faltava/
(not my pic)
PORTUGUESE FOOD AIN’T SPANISH FOOD OR ANYTHING SPICY (my opinion obviously)
A lot of people confuse this or expect these countries have similar food culture – not. They have the same ingredients but the way of using them is clearly different. Seafood is obviously in especially codfish in which there are over 300 recipes to cook it. Fish in general comes in all forms of cooking. Sardines seem to be another big hit. They use spices but carefully. Olive oil is the queen of portuguese cuisine and the local one is told to be the best in the world. Eggs are popular also so don’t wonder if you’ll find an egg on your steak or in your burger. The local cheese of goat’s or sheep’s milk are worth trying for.
ELECTRICITY AND TECHNOLOGY IS EXPENSIVE
When living in here even though many things are cheaper than elsewhere in Europe, housing is not of those things. Rents are a one thing but like having electricity and Internet + other technology is expensive. ”Bill included or not” are usually mentioned for a reason in the adds when rooms are being rented.
LISBON IS NOT A BEACH DESTINATION
To get to the beach you have to take a train or bus (1h-) depending which beach you wanna go to. There’s no beach in Lisbon. I’m sorry!
METROS RUN BETWEEN 10MIN AND THIS IS NORMAL
When I left Helsinki they had just renewed the metro timetable so that during the rush hour there’s a metro every two minutes. In Lisbon the normal waiting time is 10 minutes. Sometimes it’s shorter like 6 minutes but.. yeah. You don’t wanna have a minute schedule in this city.
Olaias Metro station (red line) - Not my pic!
PAY ATTENTION WHAT YOU PAY
Lisbon and Portugal are experiencing a huge tourism boom which has caused the price getting higher what comes to eating and drinking out + accommodation. I wish people while travelling would find out what is a normal price in a local range before buying a product with three times more expensive rate. But this is not a simple problem which would have a simple solution.
PEOPLE ARE HONEST AND ALWAYS APOLOGIZE
If you forget money on the machine or are given wrong amount of change back – people will come after you. Not that I wouldn’t keep a good care of my money but this goes for anything you might drop from your pocket or bag. But don’t think that pocket thieves or criminals don’t exist here! Another thing is if you bump into someone on the street or in the metro or wherever - make a gesture that you’re sorry and didn’t mean it. A simple gesture with a hand will do it. People appreciate this a lot in here.
VEGETERIANS ARE A MINORITY
Portuguese food is all about the fish and meat so vegetarians especially if you’re a vegan are struggling to find a proper meal in the local restaurants. However people are quite flexible sometimes, they can prepare something outside of the menu aaand the vegetarian diet is quite trendy at the moment so there a growing number of restaurants that are specialized vegetarian dishes...even in Portugal.
BOOKS, CD’S AND VINYLES STILL EXIST
The other side of the coin of Portugal being slow, traditional and old fashioned is that BOOKS, CD’S and VINYLS still very much exist unlike anywhere else where all the literature and music has gone online. Obviously there are plenty of strores that sell these things. This is what I love about Portugal!
Lisbon / Portugal blogs
Lisbon and Portugal isnpire hundreads of travel posts, bloggers and videos but there are a few that stand out for me which I check out regurarly.
HERE TO GO TO
http://www.wheretwogoto.com/category/around-portugal/around-lisbon/
A travel blog for Portugal and outside of it. Good tips for day or weekend trips from Lisbon. Written by expat couple in English.
SALT OF PORTUGAL
https://saltofportugal.com/about/
Mainly about Lisbon and Portugal. Different themes you can search for posts produced by small group of posts. I like that concept how they create this thing together. Nice artwork. They also have their own voicemap tour of Lisbon! And scarfs inspired by Lisbon tiles.In English.
LISBON BY LIGHT
https://www.lisbonbylight.com/lisbon-stories/
This is lovely even though more like a design blog. I love the idea of ’stories of Lisbon’ as locals of the city, often artists. Great strories and inspirations. Great way to discover portuguese brands and artists. Very ’arty’, very Lisboa.
THE LITTLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
http://www.littleupsidedowncake.com/category/lisbon-stories/
Like the name tells you already this about eating in Lisbon and elsewhere in the world. Another not a travel blog. You can look for recipes according to the time of the year, which is a fun idea. Love the posts of different cafés of Lisbon. Also stories behind the counter. Amazing photos!
LISBOA COOL / LISBON SECRETA / TIME OUT
Available in Portuguese as in English. These are all quite similar, commercial websites about Lisbon. Tips for visiting and learning more of it but also events, restaurants, cafes… Time Out comes out as a magazine once a week if you prefer.
VISUAL DIARY
https://www.lily.fi/blogit/visual-diary
In Finnish. Written by a graphic designer living in Lisbon for over 3 years. She writes about life, in general but especially in Lisbon. Great lists. Also about design. I love her photos. She also has a great instagram account worth following if you speak Finnish.
LISBON ME PLEASE / LISBOA LIVE / LISBOA COME
https://www.instagram.com/lisbon_me_please/
https://www.instagram.com/lisboalive/
https://www.instagram.com/lisboa.come/
Do you follow blogs about your home city /country?
These are the last photos of my Berlengas trip two months ago. Will be going through new photos :)
Lisboa in one year - the best of:
After 12 months living in Lisboa I opened my Lonely Planet guide for Portugal and looked back what has been done and should be done before once I leave Lisbon. Yes, I have decided I’m gonna stick around for another year for professional and financial reasons but after that I’m gonna start looking for something else. Even thinking of returning to Montréal. But here are the wisdom of the first year living in the portuguese capital. I know I have learned some.
MOMENTS / EXPERIENCES:
After a photo shoot gone wrong because the sun rose in a wrong way I realized that the old trams which I have been wanting to take since I came here were EMPTY! So ended up taking one, actually severals on this random winter, sunny morning and just enjoying the ride while people rush to work, kids to school, shops open and the city awakens. The beauty of everyday life and that evident only for me.
Numerous Couchsurfing nights that went on forever untill the morning without plans and with random people you had never met before nor meet again. Good times and definitely fun times!
Tinder dates that last for 7h while learning new areas of the city, stories, tips etc! Nothing major romantic but time well spent definitely!
Sunrises seen almost as many as the pasteis de natas eaten thanks to my early schedule at work. No matter how cold or hot it is - and how badly which ever of those suits you I love how the amount of light changes according to the seasons. Even in here.
My hair looks so much better here than in Finland! No idea if it’s the vitamin D + zinc pills, the sun, the new SYOSS hair products or the combination of all of this - it is working!
My previous experiences abroad have been intense but none of them has lasted as long as my time in Lisbon. I don’t feel like this is my final destination but I’m feeling the time in here will play a significant role in my life however.
Obviously, Portugal gave me Eurovision. Despite of mixed feelings of how I look back at those weeks - obrigada!
1 museum, 3 palaces, 2 fortress + multiple churches visited and about 1000 left to visit more.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:
Hundreds and hundreds of Pasteis de Nata eaten. I know the best spots! Dare to say that I’m probably more expert than some locals.
After the negative first impressions I opened my eyes to my neighborhood and how great it is to live right here. Just local people without the tourists but still nice cafes, restaurants and shops. Whatever I need I know I can find it here! Can’t imagine living in anywhere else than in Alvalade-Roma-Areeiro area!
Seeing the beauty, the charm and history of the city and this country and why people come here and more importantly why they stay.
How unique is this city compared to anything else I’ve ever been and my experiences in the moment of time. Lisbon grows and changes rapidly and how I see it today will be already gone by tomorrow. Thanks to this it is innovative, international, personalized and different but also fragile, dying what it is old and local. I think of my touristic choices more from now on and their affect after I’ve done whatever I came to do and left the destination.
Knowing Lisboa spirit and understanding it a bit better every day. Embracing the details and colors around me – everything that makes Lisboa wrong and right but what makes it real. This city is a book to be read slowly and pages that continue forever.
LIFESTYLE:
Used to do Yoga before I came to Portugal but it was more random and not regular. Here however I can do it in my room as often as I can – just put some yoga music on from Youtube and tadaa! Another new hobby is bouldering/climbing which I don’t know how to do but I am still enjoying it!
Wherever you are and which ever turn you take on the streets of Lisbon – there will be a coffee shop! And not one of those international chains but an actual local portuguese cafeteria.
Never leaving empty handed from the markets where the hand made products are being sold (jewellery, clothes, souvenirs, etc). Especially the ones that you bump into randomly and unexpectedly.
Thousands of photos taken. I think I took better photos while living in Finland but I do have more material to go on here.
Exploring the country outside of Lisbon but not too far away not to be able to do day trips to visit the coast, amazing beaches, forests and mountains.
I ain’t a big fan of Portuguese food since I don’t eat seafood but instead I’ve had my eye on on the pastries and sweets since the beginning.
PEOPLE:
Knowing all the right people when your computer crashes, or you need a photographing buddy who knows all the best places or you need a new portuguese teacher etc. Lisbon is not that big and the international crowd with the locals is easy to navigate if only you make an effort!
Portuguese are a proud nation realizing its faults and are always happy to show you around and share their expertise.
When you break the ice with your neighbors, staff at your local store with people from here in general cause they are shy and somewhat distant in the beginning. But in the end you’ll get help, a friendly advice or whatever it was what you needed. They will go great lenghts for you.
LANGUAGE:
I’m still a far cry from a fluent Portuguese speaking but when you notice you understand quite a bit of what’s being said around you – in Portuguese.
Finding music in Portuguese which I love – and it’s not Fado.
Diogo Picarra - Paraiso (2018)
OVERALL:
When looking back the list I made before I left Finland - I've accomlished more or less everything I wanted. Only the language learning is the thing I'm a bit behind. So I’m on the right path here :)