I’m about a week away from my next scouting trip to Portugal. This is going to be a relatively quick trip, just seven night. I am going to spend four nights in Setúbal and then three in Lisbon. I’m really getting excited for a get away since we just had a polar vortex in Toronto and over the last days the weather dropped down to -20° celcius with a windchill of -30°.
I had wanted to get to Setúbal when I was in Lisbon in October, but just plain ran out of time. From my research so far, it looks like it ticks a lot of the boxes I am looking for: being close to the water, nature close by, culture and close to a city with an airport. It will also be good to see how the weather is in February, compared to Toronto.
I’m also looking forward to spending some time in the Ajuda neighbourhood of Lisbon. I like that it’s close to the river and Parque Florestal de Monsanto where I’m planning to get a a run in. The neighbourhood also intersts given how close it is to Alcântara and I have always enjoyed going to the LX Market. I have also booked a couple of LGBTQ+ walking tours to get a better feeling for the city from locals.
This is likely the trip that will land the Portugal vs Spain decision. If it is Portugal, which city I will start retirement in around the end of 2026. I’m going to try to blog my experience every day while I am there.
Photo by Jens Lelie on Unsplash
