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5 habits I've picked up during my Lisbon years
These are the biggest life changing habits I've picked up during my seven Lisbon years.
They come in no specific order.
Vegetarian diet
Not my pic.
Not that Portuguese cuisine is known for its vegetarian dishes (because it has none!) but my view on food and cooking have changed while spending my 30's in Lisbon (or it's the old age hehe). Good flavors are rather a simple thing and a lot can be done with fresh and good ingredients without complex procedures.
When still living in Finland I didn't enjoy cooking that much or know exactly how to use the best out of the ingredients I had in my reach. Finnish grocery stores are filled with overproduced and ready-to-go meal options which I also indulged greatly. Finnish cuisine is also rather meat focused which I have stepped away from a bit during my years abroad even though I still enjoy a good steak every now and then.
Portuguese supermercardos on the other hand differ quite a lot - many things can be found fresh and locally produced (except cod because that they actually get from Norway). Instead of e-code filled spice mixes you don't need much else to highlight the natural flavors except salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil. This has changed my way of seeing and consume food tremendously.
Nowadays my social media feed is filled with Mediterranean style vegetarian recipes and I've taken on such things as herbs, onions, garlic, olive oil, arugula and fresh vegetables to my daily diet. I take advantage of seasonal products such as pomegranate, watermelon, mint to bring variety to my plate.
Fun fact is that I've also learned to eat oats, berries + cottage cheese in here which all have been part of Finnish classical diet forever but which I used to hate when living back home.
I'm more human
Not my pic.
Things don't always work and not especially here in Portugal. Systems crash, procedures fail and so do people. You cannot be in a hurry while living in this city or schedule no more than one bureaucrat procedure on your weekly agenda. And that one thing takes the entire day often! Portuguese people and culture still embrace old fashion lifestyle in many ways. Many things still run with pen and paper here and developments come in practice slowly. It's human that mistakes take place and that things might not be easy on the first try.
On a different side of the coin however, elderly, pregnant women or people with small kids or injuries often get priority in groceries and other places. Or you might be passed by the queue because you only have one item in your shopping basket when the person in front of you is buying for a family of six. There's humanity in everyday counters. I'm not saying that not being able to trust the process is entirely stress free but I do enjoy the more human side of things. Life is more merciful, my flaws don't make me and I demand less from myself and those around me.
Traditional = more simple life?
Not my pic.
I'm not saying that everything is about money or that you wouldn't need it but when you don't have much of it you tend to prioritize the real things in life.
The essential part of Portuguese everyday life routine is the meals, family and relationships in general. Yes, we all have to go to work but it doesn't become us. During free time people read books, exercise, go to the beach or play football - some of these being perhaps the essential parts of a Portuguese (or even of South European) lifestyle. These off-screen activities embrace social relationships, healthy and in my opinion more equal lifestyle where one's background with money or success doesn't matter.
This a far cry how I remember the years lived in Finland. The society is very performance and success focused - whether it's from the financial wealth to meeting the social standards - life is measured with achievements, success. The standards are the same for everyone, every child, woman and man and pressures start to grow from a very young age on. Individuality feels criminal. It's about reaching the finish line with great scores instead of enjoying the journey and its benefits to you.
Portuguese salary is is still lower than an average EU-citizen's elsewhere in Europe. As mentioned this country is slow to develop, therefore people and the lifestyle have remained traditional in many ways. Despite of the recent years' tourism boom that has brought along more pressure to provide things in a more modern manner. However it's not super uncommon to step into a store that only accepts cash, or to a Portuguese kitchen that has changed only a little during the last century. Life can be so simple.
Outdoor sports
Not my pic.
Funnily enough coming from the country of four seasons, thousands of lakes and forests that offer almost the same amount of possibilities to exercise all year round, I didn't learn to embrace outdoor sports before January 2020 - in Lisbon. I started running just before the covid shit storm, just in time when gyms and everything else shut down. There was nothing else than the empty streets and parks to conquer.
Funnily enough this new found lifestyle would suffer significantly if I ever moved to Finland (or any other Northern country with proper winters) because indoor, treadmill running doesn't do it for me. I'm in eternal love with the Portuguese weather because I can get around the rains or heat waves - the weather is not an obstacle for me!
Less productive
Not my pic.
I said these five things come in no particular order but it feels natural though to put this last. This is the result of all these four.
I don't feel pressured to do anything that I don't want to do. Whether it's to change jobs, to have a relationship, to travel, to exercise or eat healthy. I do all these things because I want to and if not, it's because I'm not feeling like it. I may be less productive and not where "I supposed to be at my age" - I can feel the judgement every time going home.. but the choices I've made during these seven years have felt truly mine and only mine.
Sometimes I do wonder if these changes and steps would have occurred if I had lived in Finland or somewhere else. Some maybe, others not.
Évora, located in the hot Alentejo is full of history and culture! Don’t hesitate to visit!
Nazare, the surfing paradise
Some shots from my weekend trip in Nazaré a while back. This where the surfers come usually for the biggest waves during the winter season.
Masterlist
Contains my photos and blogs from 2017 on. Updating as we go along and digging some older posts from MTL times.
BLOG
Eurovision
UMK 22
Host City 22 : Turin
ESC 20 : Best Non-English Entry
UMK 20
Eurovision 2018, Lisbon.
ESC 19: Songs that I love but others don’t / Artists coming back to ESC / Songs that I don’t love but others do / Different genres / UMK artist guess /
ESC 18: Positive review / Negative review / Songs that I loved but other’s didn’t / Non-English songs / Biggest growers / Different genres / The BIG 6 / Saara Aalto Songs / Mid tempo tracks /
ESC 2023: 10 things I don’t want to see / Voting system to be changed / Who will qualify SF2 / Who will qualify in SF1 / Top 5 Non-English Songs /
UMK23: Keira / Benjamin / Robin / Lxndra / Käärijä / Kuumaa / Portion Boys / The worst UMK stagings / UMK23 review /
UMK24: Cyan Kicks / Sexmane / Sara Siipola / Jesse Markin / Windows95Man / Sini Sabotage / Mikael Gabriel x Nublu
Lisbon Life :
LX Blogs / LX tips Part 1 / LX tips part 2 / 1 year in LX / Sintra first impressions / Quilty 6 months in LX / Fall 2017 / One month in LX / 2w / PT expectations / Going to LX /
Something else
100 years of Finland / 3 x / Home / Geography of my way /
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Lisbon
Sintra / Lisbon before Covid-19
Lisbon Before Covid-19
Lisbon Before Covid-19 Part 2
Mixed: Olaias Metro, the most beautiful / Xmas / Less known LX / Random Part 1 / Pantheon + random / Rua August sunrise /
Waterfronts : Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 /
Parque das Nacoes: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 /
Belem: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 /
Palaces: Queluz part 1 / Queluz part 2 / Belem Part 1 / Quinta da Regaleira Part 1 / Pena and the Moors Part 1 / Pena and Moors Part 2 / Pena and Moors part 3 / Pena and the Moors part 4 / Pena and the Moors part 5 / Royal Palace of Ajuda /
Lisbon Streets: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 /
Beach: Part 1 / Cascais / Praia da Ursa
Sétubal: Part 1 / Part 2 /
Arrabida : Part 1 / Part 2 /
Portugal
Berlengas: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 /
Azenhas Do Mar: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 /
Porto: Part 1 /
Nazaré: Part 1 / Part 2 /
Évora: Part 1 / Part 2 /
Braga: Part 1 / Part 2 /
Coimbra: Part 1 / Part 2 /
Costa Nova
Helsinki
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 /
Lahti
Lake: Summer Part 1 / Winter Part 1 / Winter Part 2 /
Travels
Bologna: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 /
Amsterdam : Part 1 /
Galicia: part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 /
The rest of my Coimbra photos from the city and the university.
Lisbon / Portugal blogs
Lisbon and Portugal isnpire hundreads of travel posts, bloggers and videos but there are a few that stand out for me which I check out regurarly.
HERE TO GO TO
http://www.wheretwogoto.com/category/around-portugal/around-lisbon/
A travel blog for Portugal and outside of it. Good tips for day or weekend trips from Lisbon. Written by expat couple in English.
SALT OF PORTUGAL
https://saltofportugal.com/about/
Mainly about Lisbon and Portugal. Different themes you can search for posts produced by small group of posts. I like that concept how they create this thing together. Nice artwork. They also have their own voicemap tour of Lisbon! And scarfs inspired by Lisbon tiles.In English.
LISBON BY LIGHT
https://www.lisbonbylight.com/lisbon-stories/
This is lovely even though more like a design blog. I love the idea of ’stories of Lisbon’ as locals of the city, often artists. Great strories and inspirations. Great way to discover portuguese brands and artists. Very ’arty’, very Lisboa.
THE LITTLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
http://www.littleupsidedowncake.com/category/lisbon-stories/
Like the name tells you already this about eating in Lisbon and elsewhere in the world. Another not a travel blog. You can look for recipes according to the time of the year, which is a fun idea. Love the posts of different cafés of Lisbon. Also stories behind the counter. Amazing photos!
LISBOA COOL / LISBON SECRETA / TIME OUT
Available in Portuguese as in English. These are all quite similar, commercial websites about Lisbon. Tips for visiting and learning more of it but also events, restaurants, cafes… Time Out comes out as a magazine once a week if you prefer.
VISUAL DIARY
https://www.lily.fi/blogit/visual-diary
In Finnish. Written by a graphic designer living in Lisbon for over 3 years. She writes about life, in general but especially in Lisbon. Great lists. Also about design. I love her photos. She also has a great instagram account worth following if you speak Finnish.
LISBON ME PLEASE / LISBOA LIVE / LISBOA COME
https://www.instagram.com/lisbon_me_please/
https://www.instagram.com/lisboalive/
https://www.instagram.com/lisboa.come/
Do you follow blogs about your home city /country?
The first fall of snow
Today was the first fall of snow where I live. It’s time like this when I miss home the most, Christmas and winter time. I miss going out in the backyard covered in gloves and winter boots that never quite fit. I miss coming inside to the smell of my mom’s home cooked dinner with rosy cold cheeks and a sniffling nose. I miss my mom’s hugs, big arms wrap around my tiny body, covered in warm love from head to toe, I miss her hot chocolate that warmed my hands and burned my tongue.
I miss my home town, a home I never truly got to know, it’s feels foreign hearing my parents talking about the street names and corner shops, places I feel so close to but yet so far… I miss Copenhagen in Christmas time, I miss the Danish Christmas music playing in stores, I miss the feeling of my dads rough hands pulling my hat down over my eyebrows. I miss the winter markets and the smell of Copenhagen when it snows, like wet asphalt and crispy almonds.
I miss my childhood home and I miss the time when my parents were the best people in the world, I miss the time when my dad seemed to have all the answers. I miss the kid I was and I long to feel the safety of a home.
