One Love Flowing in Gratitude
Ola from Portugal!
Wow it’s hard to believe we have been here for three weeks now. Our adventures have been many, and we are living in the flow of love which is allowing us to attract the most amazing people and experiences along the way.
Lisbon is full of history and our intentions were to visit as many museums as possible. The adventures this week flowed differently instead of going into museums for history we literally walked around the city. Our adventures were led once again by our quest for food which took us into the most beautiful and quaint areas in Lisbon. Google maps has been our best friend in guiding us in the right directions, we make sure to stay on the dotted blue lines as we follow the route. (If you know; you know)
We have made some amazing human connections, shout out to Judith Aidoo for her introductions. Our meet-up with Cori allowed us to explore a new part of town which was full of historical architecture, inclines, cool eateries and other shops. The inclines and cobblestone streets around Portugal are no joke and can make a mile walk feel like two miles easily. All a part of going with the flow and we are GRATEFUL to have the experiences.
Walking has allowed us to see things that we would miss by taking the subways, like the many street performances by some talented musicians and singers. One of the things I made space for this week was to hear live music, I thought we would find a restaurant with live music. However, the journey gave us the opportunity to experience live music on a stroll to the bookstore.
Lisbon is said to have the oldest bookstore in the world, of course we had to check that out. Livraria Bertrand-Chiado is adorned with beautiful tile over the exterior walls and a really nice window display with various books. Walking inside the bookstore was like stepping back in time with rounded arches and wooden shelves with books everywhere, most in Portuguese however there was a section with books in English as well. Unfortunately, due to limited room in my backpack I was unable to purchase any books. We took pictures with our published books outside and inside the bookstore which was a big deal for us. I mean think about it our books in the oldest bookstore in the world, how cool is that!
Another interesting site explored this week was Jeronimo’s Monastery, although we decided not to go into the Monastery ( the lines and vibes were a little too Disneyland for us) We were hoping to go into the Church which was next door however it was closed for maintenance. This would be another time the journey would lead us to live music as we walked around the beautiful gardens across from the Monastery we encountered a violinist. Once again Charles was inspired to do Tai Chi, it was quite lovely.
We were able to walk along the Tagus River front and see several historical monuments including Belem Tower, Monument to the Discoveries, and from a distance we were able to see Christ the King sanctuary/statue.
My preference for holidays generally is to chill at home with Charles, good food and watching sports. This year we created another first by celebrating with new friends and it was amazing! The location, the food and the energy around the table was all perfect for a gathering of Thanks-Living! Charles and I said YES, to an adventure that would be life changing. Dinner would be on a farm that required us to take an hour-long bus ride which was outside of our comfort zone. As a result, to our yes, we made beautiful human connections, ate a delicious meal, stayed on a family farm with a history of five generations. We also explored the town of Obidos to include walking within the walls of a Castle and touring the town’s oldest shop “Loja Americo.” Oh, did I mention the family that owns the Loja are also the owners of the farm! Shout out to Luis Felipe and Zelia!
In closing for this update, I must also mention Chef Mohan of Spring Tomato Italian Restuarant! We have eaten there twice and both times the food has lived up to this 5 Star rated chef. We plan to visit one more time before departing Lisbon and Chef Mohan is looking forward to cooking for us again. We went in for a meal and got much more, we have made a beautiful human connection with Chef Mohan! With the utmost sense of gratitude, we have enjoyed Portugal and allowed things to flow organically for our time here.
Although it is hard to believe we have just one week left here in Portugal, we will finish our adventure well in the flow of gratitude. There are still many things that we would like to do and see however staying in the flow we will just have to wait and see what makes the final cut. This I know, Charles and I are here for it and our answer is “YES”, to the adventures.
~One Love Charles and Diane
Thank you for reading, donating love drops, and sharing our journey with others who may be inspired! With appreciation, Obrigado/Obrigada!