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Lisboa---Getting Settled
  • Tom Hixson
  • Kevin Sarmento
  • Tom Hixson
  • Kevin Sarmento

Lisboa---Getting Settled

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  • Trip start
    March 12, 2026
    Lisboa---Getting Settled
    Jack and Rose had separate quarters
    The cats are no longer stressedLord Byron wrote much of Childe Harold's Pilgrimmage in SintraMoorish castle in SintraRegaleira Palace, Sintra1Happy Birthday, Kevin!

    At Last, We're Here!

    March 12 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    We left San Francisco last week and arrived in Lisbon March 12. Since then our lives have been consumed with unpacking, learning how to use European appliances, and, in particular, adjusting our cats, Rose and Jack, to their new home.
    We left Napa with the cats March 11 and they were to fly on Lufthansa; we would retrieve them shortly after we arrived on United. On the way to SFO, our pet relocator Elaine called to tell us Lufthansa had just gone on strike, so she miraculously got them on a KLM flight and changed all the customs paperwork, but it turned their trip into a 60 hour ordeal. After clearing customs, they were delivered to our apartment at 3 am last Saturday. Long story short, they adjusted within a few hours and are now completely at home!

    We are so impressed with Lisbon so far and our neighborhood couldn't be more central to restaurants, shopping, and lively local venues.

    Yesterday was Kevin's birthday so we took a tour to Sintra nearby and we're astounded at the beauty of this mountain retreat with magnificent palaces and castles dating back 1000 years. And that evening, we celebrated with a visit to Ramiro, a world famous restaurant (Anthony Bourdain did a show here) which serves only shellfish...clams, giant shrimp,lobsters, crabs and scallops. Absolutely wonderful!

    We will update folks via this site on a fairly regular basis over the next month so anyone who's interested in our adaptation to Portugal can tune in.

    In the meantime, we look forward to hearing from our friends and relatives, and wish everyone sanity in these troubled times.    Read more

  • Lisboa---Getting Settled
    Kevin enjoys dim sum at Madame Bo's
    Discoveries monument. V.da Gama at the helm. The bridge looks like GG in SF!Interior of Jeronimos MonasteryJeronimos courtyardTom with one of his literary heroes, Fernando PessoaBelem TowerLisbon to Rio flight, 1922! Business class unavailable.Time Out Lisbon

    Settling in: Week 2

    March 23 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    This last week has become a blur of activity: setting up bank accounts, searching for household staples, signing up at the gym, and discovering Lisbon on foot (and on Uber, which is remarkably cheap and efficient here).

    But, daily drudgery aside, we are also taking the time to enjoy this new world, realizing we have barely scratched the surface as we try to absorb Portugal's incredibly complex and fascinating history and culture.

    Quick notes: restaurants here are absolutely amazing. There's a highly rated Angolan restaurant across the street, an incredible Georgian restaurant (not as in Atlanta, Georgia!), and Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian, Indian restaurants within 2 blocks. Last night we went to the Time Out Market down by the water, a football field sized building representing 26 Lisbon restaurants. Quite an experience even if the crowded conditions could provoke a panic attack!

    Sunday we visited the Belem neighborhood to tour the many sites there, including the Tower of Belem, the Discoveries monument, and the exquisite 16th century Jeronimos Monastery. Vasco da Gama, and Camoes (Portugal's equivalent to Shakespeare) are entombed in the church here, while Fernando Pessoa ( Portugal's Proust) has a niche in the Monastery.

    So much to see and do!    Read more

  • Lisboa---Getting Settled
    1Pink Street doesn't get lively until 3 am
    Lots of old buildings in our neighborhood being restored4Kevin's family can relate to special Easter bread available everywhereKevin prior to No Kings demonstrationGreat energy at No Kings demonstrationPraca de Commercio before rallyPraca de Commercio during rallyUltra cool Japanese venue in Principe Real

    Discoveries

    Mar 29–Apr 3 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Lots of activity this week as we adjust to our new lives. Little things like getting a Portuguese phone number, a haircut, or understanding the protocol for weighing fruits/vegetables are all discovered and help us further adjust. Also, we're now in touch with a great firm whose associates will feed our cats whenever we're gone. We just learned we can no longer get the cats' food (thanks to tarrifs!) but tried a Dutch manufactured brand and Jack and Rose absolutely LOVE it. Problem solved!

    We live on Travessa Fabrica das Sedas, or Crossing to the Silk Factory. There was an early 18th century silk factory nearby, since converted to shops. And there is an early 18th century aqueduct within a block with a lovely park full of mulberry trees to feed the silkworms. The aqueduct still brings water down from Sintra and is now used to power Lisbon' s many fountains; a great museum is attached.

    We went downtown Saturday to attend the No Kings rally which featured dynamic and energetic speakers ...altogether a moving experience!

    Last night Portugal went on Daylight Savings so this is the second time this month we had to endure an hour of lost sleep (uh, not counting the 11 hour flight over) ! For our US friends, we're now 8 hours ahead of California.

    2 groups of friends will be visiting in the next few weeks and then on May 1 we head to Hanoi for the Travelers' Century Club conference followed by side trips to Shanghai and remote Dunhuang to visit the Mogao Caves, so we'll start a new Penguins edition once that commences!    Read more

  • Lisboa---Getting Settled
    4Convent Azulejos tiles
    Chapel in Carmelite ConventRing the bell at the Convent and leave your message in the wooden wheel (avoid contact!)Creepy nun's access to communionNuns' dining hall...no talking!!!Mother Superior's posh digsAncient cypress in Principe RealAqueduct near usSunset at Chapitos with Lisbon's Golden Gate in the distance7Easter dinner: Mexico meets Japan!

    Feliz Pascoa!

    April 5 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    It's Easter week in Lisbon which is a big deal. No egg hunts or Peeps, but Easter here is a time for families to gather in celebration and eat (and drink their favorite Portuguese wines).

    We continue to discover marvelous facets of Lisbon. Thursday we walked down to the incredible Chinese Pavillion (https://lisbon.for91days.com/chinese-pavilion/ ) which is a rabbit's warren of elaborate rooms filled with treasures from all over. It serves as a local watering hole, but has occasional fado performances. The one we attended was incredible---the fado singers were over the top great as were the guitar accompanists, one of whom played the 12 string Portuguese guitar. Amazing! This group plays in fantastic small venues in Lisbon and in no way resembles the tourist fado restaurants catering to large groups of cruise ship passengers. We'll be back, and will plan to visit the Amalia Rodrigues (Portugal's Edith Piaf) museum as well as the Fado museum soon.

    We learned that one can hike atop the 18th century aqueduct near our apartment so we'll look into that too. On a side note, the aqueduct was the scene of notorious serial murders in 1841. It seems Diogo Alves liked to throw his victims from the aqueduct, but the authorities eventually caught and executed him. The grisly tale can be found at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/diogo-alv….

    Yesterday we visited the 16th century former Carmelite convent which is famous for its azulejo tiles as well as the gilded church. Absolutely incredible !

    And finally, last night we ate at Chapitos in the medieval Alfama district. Access the restaurant by going through a tiny shop which opens onto an outdoor bar area which then leads to a spiral staircase. At the top is an incredible restaurant with a sweeping view of the Lisbon waterfront. The owners also run a school for circus clowns who can be seen practicing below.

    In the meantime, a happy Easter and/or Passover to everyone!    Read more

  • Lisboa---Getting Settled
    1Castelo Sao Jorge, Lisbon
    With Julie at BelemGargoyle gushing rainwater at Jeronimos1Julie and Steve with us atop the castleSteve and Julie join us for a quick lunchTom in the Throne Room, Queluz PalaceOrnate chapel in Queluz Palace4Kevin dwarfed by Azulejos, Queluz PalaceElaborate 18th century secretary in perfect condition, Queluz PalaceKevin pointing to "Nunes" signature (his mother's maiden name)Queluz Palace from the gardens1Queluz Palace, backyard

    Castles and Palaces

    April 12 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    This week we were fortunate to entertain friends Julie and Steve who are touring this part of the world and are headed soon for a bike tour in the south of Portugal.
    They'd not been to Lisbon before, so we took them to Belem and Jeronimos Monastery. Later we ascended to Castelo Sao Jorge for awesome views of Lisbon as well as the Tagus and the vast expanse of the Atlantic. The castle is a highlight here because of its vantage and its history--nearly a thousand years as a classic crennelated castle, but recent excavations have uncovered artifacts from Celtic, Phoenecian, Roman, and Visigothic occupations taking us even further back to 800 BC!

    While our friends took off on a short trip to Barcelona, we visited Queluz Palace, one of the Portuguese royal residences built after the 1755 earthquake, and what a palace it is! Surprisingly not on everyone's top sight list, it's relatively uncrowded but as fascinating as Versailles, and a great introduction to Portuguese history.    Read more

  • Lisboa---Getting Settled

    Signing Off (for now!)

    April 15 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Now that we are fairly well settled in Lisbon, we decided not to risk losing a part of our audience altogether (and potentially boring the remaining crowd beyond endurance). So we will put this particular Penguins edition to rest.

    We will, however, be headed to Hanoi in a couple of weeks followed by visits to Shanghai and Dunguang in the Taklamakan Desert. At that time, we will begin a new Penguins journal and hope that those who remain interested will join us on this adventure as well as other trips planned for later this year.

    In the meantime we hope all our friends and family stay well, and please keep in touch!    Read more

    Trip end
    April 15, 2026
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