Readers are noticing that my posts have been few and far between but that is only because my explorations have been limited to the Lisbon District and no further.

By now I was to visit Evora, Setubal, Comporta and Obidos but my plans have changed due to COVID. I am staying close to home and venture out only as necessary but I am still making discoveries and some I will share with you today.

First, an undiscovered, yet extraordinarily talented artist, Manuel Palma

Manuel is a photographer and painter who has created several hundred photos and dozens of paintings.

You can see more of his work on Instagram.

Without further ado, here are some of his photos followed by a few of his paintings and a video.

And from Manuel’s studio:

The essentials in life

Now some of you may think that lingerie is not a necessary item but I say au contraire! We must have some essentials during these times and quality lingerie is one of them for me.

Anyone who agrees with me, please leave a comment below 😉

I have been on a mission for several months to find a shop that provides quality underthings. There are chain shops in Lisbon that offer a range of under garments for women but in a limited set of sizes and the quality is mostly something you can wear for a year before replacing.

I read about one shop in the Biaxia, Dama de Copas, that was highly recommended on Yelp so I took  a trip into the city one Saturday morning to see what they have.

Everyone on the train platform or on the train is to wear a mask. The trains are cleaned several times a day and people choose to distance themselves from each other as they can. For that reason, I am comfortable taking the trains.

There are also enough cars on the train from Cascais to Lisbon where I am able to find one train car with few people.

After disembarking from the train at Cais de Sodre, I decided first to check out the TimeOut Market to grab a bite. It is a place that features well-known chefs throughout Portugal and each station offers dishes at a good price representing their restaurants so you are able to sample each menu. And lucky for me, it is also conveniently located across the street from the train station.

I was curious how the market would handle the issue of the pandemic and I was pleasantly surprised.

The TimeOut Market is also offering tables outside as an alternative to eating inside the building.

More food stations have been added that are smaller inside the market hall due to the increase in area from removing so many tables but I imagine their menus are just as tasty.

They even added a stand that offers my favorite warm weather cocktail, the Aperol Spritzer.

The official recipe according to the Aperol website is:

• Combine 2/3 Prosecco
• Followed by 1/3 Aperol
• Build into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice
• Top with a splash of soda water (sparkling water)
• Garnish with half orange slice

Highly recommended.

After my stop at TimeOut, I continued towards the Baixa, an easy walk from the train station. Here you can find popular shops, mostly chains, and restaurants catering to tourists.

One shop along Rua da Prata featuring lingerie caught my eye so I decided to go in and much to my surprise they had everything I  wanted! The name of the shop is Langiarte and do not think that when you walk into the store you have seen everything. You haven’t.

The very helpful shop clerks brought out dozens of options for me in my size, in every color and style. I felt like I was in a candy store.

And don’t be shy about asking for what you want because they probably have it.

The lingerie is from different countries in Europe and the quality is outstanding.

After getting everything I hoped for and more, I decided to continue to Dama de Copas. Their specialty is bra fitting and they promise they have every size any woman would need.

Their selections are elegant and beautiful.

After accomplishing my mission, I was ready to call it a day but not before climbing the hill that is part of the Chiado, a neighborhood with shops and restaurants in beautiful old buildings. It’s the (very) long way back to the train station but a walk I feel I must do during most of my visits to Lisbon.

My last stop was at a restaurant where I had seen older Portuguese gentleman enjoy lunch at a cafe near the train station during a previous visit to Lisbon. (A word to the wise: If you are a new visitor to Portugal, do not go to the restaurants that have photos of the dishes that are served, instead, stop by the eating establishments where the locals go.)

I ordered one of my favorite meals, Sardinha Assadas with the typical accompanied salad. This meal consist of grilled sardines with boiled to perfection then buttered potatoes and a salad of lettuce, onions, green peppers and tomatoes with a light oil and vinegar/lemon combination that is wonderful.

After finishing that wonderful meal, I was finally ready to head home.

It was a good day in Lisbon.

A walk through Marechal Carmona Park in Cascais

Last Saturday I decided to, once again, take the long way to my final destination.

It was a beautiful morning and I was headed to the Mercado for my fresh fruits, and vegetables, some cheeses and maybe a chicken or some fish. Instead of going directly to the Mercado in Cascais, I had the Uber driver take me to Marechal Park which is on top of a hill that leads into town, eventually.

This was my first visit to the park and I was curious to see what it was like.

The first sounds you hear when you enter the park are of roosters crowing and then you notice all of the birds singing and fluttering about. And then you see peacocks roaming the grounds. You feel like you are in a bird sanctuary that also happens to be a park. It is delightful.

There are all sorts of nooks and crannies in this park to explore along with an amphitheater, a field with social distancing circles, an art studio and a little cafe next to a duck pond.

After a pleasant walk around the park, I eventually made my way to the Mercado

You learn how to slow down and enjoy life in Portugal 😉

I will leave you with this painting by Manuel Palma:

-Dora Taylor