Where: Lisbon, Portugal
Eat: Portuguese pastries, plenty of red meat, and home-cooked meals during holidays
Drink: Portuguese wine from Douro Valley (and maybe do a port tasting, although the servers here really seem to hate tourists)
Do: Visit the Feira da Ladra flea market and Principe Real neighborhood for shopping, Sintra for a day-getaway, wander extensively in Alfama, and suss out a good place for Fado (we went to A Tasca do Chico and loved it–but make a reservation!)
(this is the 4th & final post in a series, make sure to check out post 1, post 2, & post 3)
It probably won’t come as a surprise to most of you that my favorite way to explore a city is often through… shopping. That can sound bad, I know. I don’t mean heading to the outlets or the mall, or even the 5th avenue equivalent, and spending away an afternoon. I like going to the weekend flea markets and strolling through quaint neighborhoods to check out the local shops. It’s a way to check out the locals, understand some of the city’s history and, oftentimes, get a better idea of the youth culture. I never truly feel like I’ve discovered a city until I find the neighborhood that speaks to me–which just happens to generally mean the one with the cutest front doors, vintage shops, local boutiques filled with jewelry and clothing made by local designers, etc… (I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise why I’m so obsessed with Etsy, then.)