In Lisbon, Portugal where the city’s golden light meets the Atlantic breeze, my partner and I celebrated our 6-year anniversary in the most romantic and enchanting city in Europe.
The minute we landed, we took an Uber straight to our hotel and checked into the Lisbon Serviced Apartments – Mouraria, just 5 minutes away from the city center. Although the alleyways and hills we had to climb to find the hotel was a bit sketchy, it was well worth it.
In our years together, we’ve discovered that we love the feeling of staying at home, even when exploring a new city. Pro tip: The serviced apartment we booked was equipped with a fully functional kitchen, laundry machine, fridge, separate living room and bedroom. They also had daily housekeeping, which made our travels completely worry-free. This price was so much more worth it than cramming in a tiny hotel.
After checking in, we went to our anniversary dinner at one of the most unique restaurants in the city called “Altar” and indulged in the finest Portugal cuisine, including octopus and sardines topped with a sweet local port wine. Highly recommend!
It was indeed, a magical first day.
On the second day we got our tourist caps on. The sun was shining bright so we explored the center of the city by foot right at 8 am. We booked a walking tour and discovered the tales of a resilient town after a world-shattering earthquake, a betraying King, and the maritime travelers that are so ingrained in the Portugese way of living.
By noon, we were strolling by the oceanfront. Our bellies were full from the sweet Pasta del natas. Afterwards, we decided to take a short ferry ride to Almada and couldn’t believe our eyes when we were embraced by the majestic “Christ the King Statue.” We learned, that this statue was inspired by the “Christ the Redeemer” in Rio De Janeiro. Bonus: the view from the other side of the statue also felt like San Francisco. #PostcardSent
Immediately after we came down from the viewpoint (and from the love of God), it started to rain. Maybe it was the universe’s way of telling us to get #cultured. So, we found refuge at the “Museum of Arts Architecture and Technology (MAAT)” and immersed ourselves in the coolest installations we had ever seen.
The mix of adventure, culture, history, food that you find in Europe is unparalleled.
We took a day trip out to Sintra, just a 40-minute train ride away from Lisbon. Once we arrived, we hitched a ride for a full-day personal chariot and DIY tour for €70 (including the train there and back), which was the bargain of the century. You could also take a day tour from Lisbon, which would be even cheaper and more convenient but we wanted to go at our own pace.
We explored the colorful castles of Pena Palace, visited the castles that inspired J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts and ended our day catching the most sublime sunset at “Cabo da Roca” aka the most western point of Europe. It felt like we had reached the world’s end, and in that moment, it was just us and the vast, endless possibilities waiting for us to grasp. (Honestly, it was like living in Game of Thrones, but with 100% more romance and 0% dragons and all the killing)
This moment has since been etched in as one of my most favorite places in the world because, even for a while, I had found my “Happily Ever After.” Isn’t it crazy that we don’t even know that our most favorite places in the world exist yet until we actually get there?
We only had a few hours left before we had to catch our flight back to Berlin. It was a soft, reflective morning, basking in Lisbon’s arts scene. We found ourselves in the hip “Lx Factory.” We probably bought one too many souvenirs and vintage jackets here.
Letting go was hard, but hey, Lisbon, you’ve got a piece of our hearts, and we’ll be back for it (and for more pasta del natas).
