How was your Labor Day Weekend? Did you relax at home with a staycation or did you get out of town for one last vacay? I wish I had been traveling, but yesterday really felt like a beautiful weekend in Portugal on the farm amongst the mountains. It was warm and the breeze was welcoming and invigorating, like a beautiful comforting hug. The day was slow and steady and there was a lovely calm and quiet in the air. Like any worthwhile weekend, the charcoal grill was lit, filling the soft evening air with smokey wood scents, that always remind me of our home in Portugal and the many meals made effortlessly over the churrasqueira. It was an absolute blissful Monday – I painted, read, wrote, sipped and relaxed all day outside in nature.
So on this Travel Tuesday I’m going to instead pretend I’m back in Portugal and in Lisboa exploring its colorful streets…If you’ve been to Portugal, then you may agree that one of the first lovely things you see are plenty of beautiful pastel houses. From historical homes and buildings, to your suburban village house, like my family’s, we’re known for our pretty and happy feel good painted houses.
It’s of course not just a Portuguese thing, you’ll see this throughout a lot of European countries. And I feel it perfectly showcases Europe’s lifestyle motto of “La Dolce Far Niente,” {the sweetness of doing nothing} and yes I’m quoting Eat Pray Love. But it’s true, majority of our American society lives a high paced lifestyle and yet still can’t find the time to get anything done. In Portugal, and other European countries, at least to me, we know how to take life lightheartedly and enjoy each moment of it, like family dinners that lasted well past the 10pm sunsets. In Portugal, it always seems the days are endless, especially in the mountains, as if they slow down to just the right speed so that we can leisurely do the things we want to while still having enough time to enjoy a moment. Of course, life is crazy, hectic and hard too, there is an almost underlying positivity about everyone’s outlook.
Along with looking beautiful, I’m certain historical architects created pastel buildings to brighten our days and remind us that life really is beautiful. I mean if I lived in Lisboa, I would definitely be in awe everytime I’d walk to work or an afternoon espresso. You definitely discover not one, but many amazing new details you didn’t know were there before, so just imagine all there is to see of Lisboa, if you were just visiting a few days. I had my lovely uncle and aunt give me the grand tour of the city, and even as native Lisboetas, they were discovering new things about their city too. We saw as much of Lisboa if not more, in a couple hours, than most see perhaps on a weekend. Our first stop were the historical landmarks in Belém, and then the rest of the day was spent walking through the history filled streets of the heart of Lisboa and today I’m sharing the third and final installment of my Lisbon city tour, and it’s my favorite.
I love European style buildings, they have a natural rustic elegance with many showcasing distinct designs that take you back to another magical time in history. The city of Lisboa, as the capital, is naturally colorful and vibrant, with all its rich history it’s easy to see why it’s the mecca of Portuguese culture. You don’t need to love history or architecture to have your heart skip a beat when walking around Lisboa, its beauty will simply captivate you. And not just the look of it, but its feel – the giving people always wanting to entertain, the food that is simple but naturally delicious, the soulful melodies of fado, the beautiful paintings and art you can’t find anywhere else. 
It took just this one day in Lisboa at the beginning of my trip, for me to instantly know that the next few weeks were going to be very special. My mind is not just in Lisboa, but I’m completely head over heels smitten with Portugal, more than I’ve ever been in the 20something odd years I’ve been coming to this native country. At this point in my life it’s where I felt the most connected, whichever city I visited. It’s the kind of lifestyle and feeling I want in my life, the kind I’ve envisioned. In all honesty, how can one not come back from a European trip and not fall in love with the new lovely country they’ve just visited. Am I right? 
But Portugal will always be home, it’s where my family is, it’s where I love myself the most. I’m just thankful that I have plenty more photos from my trip to share with you, so that I can relive these moments all over again, because I’m just not ready to face the fact I’ve been back for 2 1/2 months already. What I do know for sure is that a trip next year is definitely happening, because celebrating 29 al fresco at the farm sounds like heaven to me. In the meantime, let’s continue to swoon over all the loveliness of Lisboa…
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