Lisbon Travel Diary

After years of talking about it, I finally got to visit Leonor in her hometown, Lisbon, in Portugal. I can’t emphasise enough what a beautiful European gem this is. I still can’t understand why people would rather choose other random European cities with marvellous Lisbon and its wonderful weather (even in winter) as an option. I stayed with Leonor and her family between their farm in Aveiras and their city-central apartment in Belém.

Known as the City of the Seven Hills, Lisbon boasts all the charm of a typical European city; cobbled streets, old and new architecture, a highly efficient and safe transport system, amazing food and the staccato of a Latin language. A predominantly Catholic nation, their churches and monasteries are on another level, while attractions like Rua Augusta Arch, Downtown Lisbon, Cascais and Sintra beckons you with their romance.

Visiting Sintra was one of the ultimate highlights for me. A little suburb situated up in the mountains, it is home to two of their most noted and beautiful palaces, and is a quaint little area that makes you feel like you’re on the set of a Robin Hood movie at times.

I’m currently dreaming of a summer back in this incredible place, because I’m beyond sad that I didn’t get to visit Algarve, a beach town two hours away. A place so dreamy, an image of it comes standard as a background for your Macbook pro, I kid you not! Knowing Leonor has a holiday house AND a boat there doesn’t make my longing any easier. With the rand currently failing at epic rates though, travel plans are sadly dealing with a great spanner in the works. Nonetheless, it was good to be back in Europe, back with my sister-friend and to finally meet her family and her six cats and adorable dog after all these years.

Looking at these images, my travel bug is still very much persisting for another adventure. What’s your dream destination? Tweet me or leave a comment below! :)

xx