We’re in week three here in Portugal and this week felt like a bit of a shift.

I’m getting the groove of working later; starting from late afternoon into the evening.

The only challenge (apart from being a wee bit tired at times) is the lighting in the room I use to hop on my zoom calls is yellowish. So I look very vintage. Almost like we are filming in sepia.

I just don’t like the idea that vintage stores are showcasing clothing I used to wear, so the vintage lighting in my “office” is just a reminder that time is marching on.

But I digress. That topic deserves a whole other post.

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We are still walking a lot during our days (more on that in a minute), but I am trying to figure out a way to get some more strength training in because I was doing so well at home!

And let’s face it, the food situation is heavenly from a palate and experience point of view, but my midlife body is warning me that I need more fiber, more protein and less of absolutely everything else.

But, stressing about it is counter to everything – so we will just keep on moving!

This week we also left Lisbon for a few days to head to Porto.

Kind of a vacation in the midst of our adventures.

We are currently on our way back down to Lisbon, stopping in some beach towns to try to take in as much as we can.

But, one thing that keeps nagging me is the question: are we enjoying this enough?

There’s a part of me that is loving every second.

A part of me that is feeling the weight of no real plans past the next couple of weeks.

A part of me that is so grateful that we have taken this opportunity.

A part of me that wants to make sure I am appreciating it enough…

So many parts!

But let’s do a bit of a recap of the past week.

The Week in Wandering

At the start of the week, we were still in Lisbon.

We got up early one morning and went for a long walk. It feels really good to just get up and out and moving. I love our new little walking routes that we take in the mornings.

Then it was a full-on work stretch for a few days. Monday – Wednesday were kind of ordinary days.

Work, a quick lunch, back to work. Then dinner.

We have been trying to stick to one meal out, and something simple we make at home (chicken or salad, although I’ve been creating these yogurt fruit protein bowls (I had brought some of my protein powder with me from home).

One late afternoon, a cleaning person came to our airbnb ( a pleasant surprise to us!). We had to disappear for a couple of hours, so we went out for what we thought would be a walk and grocery run, and ended up in the Alfama district, which is just so pretty.

We had time to kill so sat on a patio overlooking the city for a bit, and then instead of heading home, Rob got a craving for a charcuterie board. We have seen plenty of them around, and had said it was on our “while in Lisbon list”. He looked up where to find the best charcuterie board in Lisbon so we headed over there.

It was a small place called LE 17.45. We ate outside, and it was one of those meals that was more than just food. It was an experience

The kind where everything is just… really good. The food, the setting, the energy of it.

And it actually sparked a conversation.

Do you go back and try to recreate those experiences?

Or do you leave them as they are?

I’m still not sure. We decided we would wait and see how we feel.

The next day, partly feeling the heaviness from all the cheese, and partly because we want to explore as much as we can, we decided to walk a different direction. We ended up wandering through some very hilly streets.

And the challenge, the push of walking the steep hills felt good.

I love walking along the flat of the river, but sometimes the hard of the hills feels good too. Like I am expanding and pushing myself in a good way.

A few more exploratory walks, including one where Rob got a haircut (the have a surprising high ratio of barbershops to people who need haircuts and shaves it seems…), I did some window shopping, and we had some yummy creations from the “Potato Project”, and some delicious “dubai style” strawberries (chocolate and pistachio).

I swear, so much of travel for us is the food.

And I am not going to try to pretend otherwise.

On Friday we picked up a rental car (a bit of a fiasco, but we managed) and drove to Porto.

We stopped in Aveiro along the way. It’s known as “Portugal’s Venice,” which might be a bit of a stretch, but it was cute. Canal, boats, lots of tourists.

We found a spot for tapas. Chickpea salad, cod fritters, a mini steak sandwich (that was ridiculously small, but very good) and tomato rice.

Then ice cream. Of course. (I need to prep for our time in Italy when I host my next retreat. So it is kind of a work obligation!)

We also made a quick stop at the Body Shop for bubble bath, as I had high hopes that one of the hotels we had booked would have a nice bath. My nervous system is desperate for a bath before bed! 

We then made our way to Porto.

A couple of years ago, in anticipation of a gap year we were hoping to take in a few years, we started collecting Marriott Bonvoy points.

And since this is kind of our impromptu “gap” adventure, we decided to cash in on some of those points, so had booked a Marriott Bonvoy hotel on points.

While the hotel was a bit out of the way, it was beautiful and forced us to get some good steps in to go back and forth to old town Porto.

Porto is beautiful. Stunning really. To me, it has this fairy tale feel (kind of like Prague, imo).

There are lots of hills. Lots of steps. But spectacular views everywhere.

That first night we found a restaurant with a really high rating: Taberna dos Fernandes.

We waited in line, got in, and had one of those meals where everything is just perfect.

Fresh tomatoes. Fried sardines. Garlic shrimp. Seafood rice that was so good but so filling (and so big. We obviously ordered way too much – we could have definitely skipped the appetizers, but they were so so good too!)

We made friends with the younger couple that was sitting beside us, and that actually was also what made the dinner “an experience” as well.

We started talking (the tables were close!) and ended up chatting all the way through dinner.

I think we really bonded over the shared love of the book “Die With Zero” – truly the book that I think planted the idea of a gap year for us, and pushed us to seize the time we have now to go on this adventure.

They live in Hong Kong. She’s from South Korea. He’s from Spain. And somehow we’re all sitting in Porto having dinner “together”.

It’s one of those things I love about travel.

You meet people your life would never have crossed with.

And for a few hours, it does.

I wish I had thought to take a picture. But maybe that would have been weird. Maybe it was just me who really appreciated this experience and bookmarked this memory that I think will be giving me dividends in the future.

The next day we explored more of Porto.

We went to the famous bookstore. It’s beautiful, but packed. One of those places where you can appreciate it, but also feel the crowd kind of ruins it.

I bought the book “The Little Prince”. One of my fave books I read (in French) when I was younger and then I read it to my kids too (we always used to read books at night even when they were older and this was one of my favorite ones to share).

We returned to Taberna Dos Fernandes for lunch because there were so many things I still wanted to try: the shrimp pasta, the octopus and then a lime tart that was to die for. We did not regret our decision. Such a wonderful family run restaurant.

We wandered the rest of the day. We bought some souvenirs (which will be Christmas gifts!) for our kids. We walked across the bridge. Checked out the Half Rabbit sculpture. Rode the gondola. Took in the incredible views. Every direction. So manu photos of what I’m sure will look exactly the same to anyone who sees them!

While we were walking across the bridge, we started talking about how this qualifies as one of our “thin moments”.

A moment of perfection.

Where everything just feels really clear. Almost like a moment where heaven and earth meet (which is the actual definition of a thin place – a term from Celtic tradition).

Where you’re in it. Fully present. In awe and taking it in.

That walk across the bridge felt like one of those.

We finished off our evening by having the famous francesinha – a specialty of Porto. A sandwich with layers of meat and this yummy sauce. It did not disappoint!

The next day we started making our way back down towards Lisbon and stopped for the night in Figueira da Foz.

It’s a beach town, but it was also Easter Sunday (I’m so grateful for this beautiful season and the reason for it! He is risen!)

Looking for a lunch spot proved to be a challenge. Some places were closed. Some were packed. We found a spot for lunch that took forever and wasn’t great.

It almost felt comical how long it took. Rob said the best part of his meal was the coke zero. And this meal was a contender for the worst meal position.

We found a great cookie place though and that always makes up for things.

We headed down to the very wide and natural beach for a long walk. Giant waves, freezing water. One of our kids called and we Facetimed from there – catching up from the past few weeks while we enjoyed the amazing sunset.

After a mediocre dinner at the hotel (Rob also commented how his drink was the highlight!), we ended the night watching a show and I finally got my bath!!! It was heavenly! Exactly what I needed.

What I’m Noticing

OK so back to the question I shared at the beginning, before my travel diary section…

Are we enjoying this enough?

Am I appreciating it enough?

Am I maximizing it?

And the more I think about that, the more I can feel how it actually takes me out of the moment.

Because now I’m measuring it.

And when I’m measuring it, I’m not in it.

So yes, I am enjoying it. We are enjoying it. My 90 year old self is very much appreciative of these memories we are creating.

We are laughing a lot and reflecting a lot too.

And I will admit, there’s also been this underlying layer of uncertainty.

Rob figuring out work. Not knowing how long this phase will last.

And I can feel how my nervous system wants that resolved.

Wants clarity. Wants answers.

Definitely more than his nervous system does. He is working on some stuff (creating a cool car spotting app), and enjoying this time while waiting for the right opportunity.

This past year he has fully realized his health, his overall satisfaction, his values and his desire for challenge, meaning, growth and interest are what are most important to him.

So, I have been playing around with some reframes…

That when things move forward, it might actually be inconvenient.

That getting back into work life back home means stopping this impromptu travel.

And this is precious, precious time that we are MEANT to have.

And that shift has been helpful.

It softens the urgency a bit.

So here we are.

Enjoying this moment. Anticipating what will come next. Trusting that life is unfolding exactly as it always was meant to.

I must end now… more food is calling me.

Until next week….

xoxo