My 2010 summer holidays start in Portugal

---

My 2010 summer holidays start in Portugal

My work took me to Lisbon in July, and I added extra days to be with friends, to visit family, allowing myself many inhalations of the fresh Atlantic air.

Do you know when everything goes wrong? Well, my time in Portugal felt the opposite as everything fell in its place and I could manage to meet many of my friends ...

I also made NEW friends. Some of them (like Afonso, Leonor or Diana) in their early stage of life. Many of my friends have literally been quite active in making babies ... it is nice to observe them in their role of being a mummy, or to hear them about the role/joy of parenthood. And another one (1 that I know of) is on the way! Not known whether it is a boy or a girl, but the parents insist to tell that whatever the sex, is going to be BIG … perhaps the pregnant hormones sharpens their sense of humour?

I really felt lucky for being in Portugal at the same time as some friends coming from several corners of Europe, and kind of blessed with all the positive matches to meet up with my old friends from Lisbon, Tomar, Leiria e Marinha!

It was like a tetris game where all the right blocks come down and with a simple shift to the right or left: voilá perfect match! I even met 2 very good friends (in 2 different occasions) in Lisbon totally by chance! I was also in Lisbon just on time for the birthday dinner of my dear friend Nandinha ... well sometimes life can be good to us, and surely has been good to me this summer

Portugal was only the first part of my holidays. I will continue reporting on a second entrance on my blog. For now, let me just share what kept me busy in Portugal + some tips, for you perhaps?

@ Lisbon

* to (re)visit the Botanic Gardens, to walk through the renovated Princípe Real, …
* to have dinner at Ibo, a restaurant in Cais-do-Sodré with Mozambique flavours
Ibo
* to visit the new museum of Mode & Design, MUDE, at Baixa in Lisbon
MUDE
* to attend gratis summer concerts at the São Carlos square
* to visit the half naked, and watch the opened sky from Carmo church ruins and have a coffee at "Largo do Carmo"
* to take up the "Elevador da Glória" at Restauradores, and enjoy the view at the "Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara"
* etc. etc. etc.

@ São Pedro de Moel beach

* To visit the Casa-Museu "Afonso Lopes Vieira" ... not forgetting to ask the key to go inside the home chapel.

@ Leiria

* to eat a pancake on "Romã e Canela" and to pay a visit to my ex-colleagues at ESTG, and to the new Leiria shopping

@ Tomar

* The annual percussion festival TOMARIMBANDO

In addition, just let me tell you about a few good experiences I had at the beginning of the summer in Rotterdam:


* Jazz in your living room ... it is exactly what is sounds: you can register your living room for a day concert at Liveinyourlivingroom The initiative runs currently in the Netherlands, Belgium and New York. The band is a surprise, it will be something jazzy, and at my friend’s new bed & breakfast in Rotterdam Het Hemelrijk we had the privilege of an intimate concert with Jenny Lane : yes nothing less than the back voice of Anouk!
* Vintage or designed clothes by Lione at Showroom41 , where you can also get your hair or make-up done by Ed.


Gifts/trends/etc.

• Original gifts: write a letter, draw a picture in a seeded paper, and send it to a friend to burry it and let your message grow ... Growingpaper
  
• Trends: Planting a digital tree Treemagotchi
  
• Reach the 7th heaven on a levitating bed in Paris ... Seven Hotel Paris:
  

---

Comments

[leonel]

as always...
drinking the taste of life. Happy to know that you're always on the top Mari. Kisses from Leiria, Leonel