long weekend

Porto.

Posted on by lisadnovak

September 2024

Thoughts. 

I swore I’ve been to Porto before, back in the early days of “when we were young”. Portugal was one of my first real trips with David, so there was as much “how compatible are we really” and “can this guy hang” as “wow, Portugal is culturally interesting”. As a result, my recall of the visit is primarily lifting some Sagres Beer mugs from a great beachside bar, and a stay above a nightclub in Lisbon. And deciding, hell yeah this guy can hang.

Twenty years later, he can still hang. And 20 years later, I’m standing in the middle of Porto realizing: nope, definitely never been here a day in my life. But we used every one of our four days there making up for it. It was a lovely trip, in large part because we got to spend time with San Francisco friends who moved to Porto the same time we moved to Barcelona. My cousin was also with us for a few days and we roamed the city with just the right amount of plans. Highly recommend. 

Stay. 

  • Selina. We walked into this place on a Thursday night and … whoa. Great vibe, but great vibes are not always great when you are trying to sleep. Still, a great neighborhood (Ribeira) and cool place with rooms surrounding a large courtyard and bar/restaurant. I’d go back.   

Eat.

  • Mae. Absolutely delicious dinner. We cancelled our original dinner plans and didn’t have a spot to go, so sort of roamed a bit trying to find a place. This one was recommended by a hostess along the way, and I am still thinking about this meal weeks later. 
  • Brasao. Delicious and not small Franchisina (little French girl), one of the traditional dishes in Portugal.
  • Nicolau Porto. Best breakfast we had. And we had a lot of breakfasts. Acai, pancakes, french toast, oh my.
  • Casa Guedes Traditional. Sat at the counter eating amazing pork sandwiches, and watched the guy making them by the dozens. 
  • Mercado do Bolhao. Beautifully restored market with endless stalls. I would have liked to have explored a bit more.  

Play.

  • Porto Bridge Climb. Loved this with the kids.
  • Boiler Studio. The tile painting workshop with Daniella was a real highlight. She has a new studio with lots of offerings, I just wish we also had time for the Pastel de Nata workshop.
  • Jardins do Palacio de Cristal. Lovely morning in the park strolling.
  • Praia de Matosinhos. We (Milo) got to surf with his school buddy at a fantastic beach. We rented from Onda Pura and afterwards got to swap stories with the Porto expats at a picnic.
  • Sail on the Douro. There are hundreds of boat cruises for a reason: it’s great! Pick one and see the city from the water.

London.

Posted on by lisadnovak

March 2024

Thoughts.

There is so much about London to love, and no shortage of people to tell you where to fall in. It had been years since I’d properly visited, but my girlfriend was there for work, so I went too. It was so much more beautiful – and more green! – then I remembered. All I really did was eat, drink and stroll past all of the parks and charming shops / pubs / cottages with three amazing women I know from totally different stages of life. 

Stay.

Eat 

  • DUCKSOUP. Natural wines, cozy space and good people watching. 
  • Bubala. Middle Eastern vegetarian vibe in Soho. Super creative, delicious food.
  • Blandford Comptoir. Sweet spot in Marylebone, especially if it follows the required pub visit with an old friend. 
  • The River Cafe. Liz, you have made this restaurant iconic to me. What a fabulous place, even if you show up to the wrong River Cafe at first. 
  • Gail’s Bakery. Scones. I really love scones and these were fantastic.

Play.

  • Borough Market. This market is so much fun to walk through and sample all the bites. We walked there just to burn off the morning scones so we could try it all. 
  • Stroll. Sit in Parks. Repeat. It was full on spring when I arrived. Everything was blossoming and I even saw the sun! This was the very best part of my visit.