Vacation Recap
The peaks and valleys of my recent hop across the pond.
As a lot of my clients and friends know I recently was away for ten days in England and Portugal on vacation with my partner. We visited some old and some new places and I wanted to round up some of my favourite spots and what I would change when we go back (since we will definitely be going back to both countries again).
We flew into London and took the train half hour from Gatwick airport to Brighton for our first night. This was my first time on the english coast and I loved it. The town was adorable, colourful houses, small winding laneways, quaint old pubs and beautiful restaurants. It had a vibrancy to it that felt modern and alternative even though it was so old and historic.
We explored the pier, walked around the laneways and did some great vintage shopping. I brought some cool art back for the studio and all in all would recommend Brighton to anyone planning a trip to London since it’s so close it’s possible to do as a day trip.
I then proceeded to spend 3 full days in London proper, my partners friends were getting married (this is what brought the trip on to begin with), and so we had a couple days of wedding related festivities to attend. I managed to squeeze in a tourist day on the last day and explored the British Museum, SOHO and Buckingham Palace. We were fortunate to have sunny skies for our trip and it made the experience so much more enjoyable (we encountered rain last time we were there).
We left London and flew to Lisbon on day 5, although we were in Portugal for 5 days, we only spend one night in Lisbon. Truthfully I wish we had spent more time there. This was my second time visiting Lisbon and the love I felt for it last year was reignited the moment we arrived. Lisbon is truly such a magical place. If you like a bustling city feel, with amazing food, gorgeous architecture and never ending roof top patios then Lisbon is the spot to visit. We visited some of our favourite spots from our last trip there and then managed to squeeze in a couple new places as well in our quick little 24 hrs there. I also managed to squeeze in a haircut with the stylist who cut my hair there last summer. I’m not saying we went to Lisbon so I could get a haircut, but I’m not denying it either…
We regretfully departed Lisbon and took the fast train up north to Porto for the remainder of our trip. Eager to visit a new city we had heard so much about, we spent three and a half days exploring. Although stunningly beautiful (the architecture of the churches and old tiled buildings is mesmerizing), we didn’t love it the same way we loved Lisbon. We found a couple of great spots, good vintage shopping, an unreal natural wine bar, and a mind blowing woman owned restaurant that I wish we could have eaten at every day. However all in all, I loved the food and general vibe of Lisbon more. I also wasn’t able to find a good coffee anywhere, and this is so important to me when I travel. I would definitely go back, I would like to be proved wrong, but I don’t think I would go for more than two days.
If you’re interested in any of my google maps pin lists with my favourite spots in either Lisbon or Porto please feel free to reach out and I’ll gladly share that with you!
We’ve been back for two weeks and I’m already day dreaming the next visit to Portugal. Do you have a city or country you feel drawn to? I’d love to talk about it at your next appointment!
Til then
xox
Tiff