Christmas Eve Special

Its Christmas Eve and I was up at 7am for a morning run, just because its a holiday it really does not mean I forget my goals to be healthy. To be able to see the city before everything opens up for business and streets get busier is a perfect start. I was trying to push myself more and more to run more but with all the hills, its a little bit hard. I tried not to over do it as it was the day to head to Belem.

It all starts great with some good healthy breakfast and sunshine, if reminded me of my mornings when I lived in Dubai. A sunny day always sets the mood right for any journey to begin. After breakfast it was time to think of what to do next, Belem was the best choice. Its just about a 5-10 min train journey on the train if your going from Cais Do Sodre but there is the option of buses as well.

I loved that we went to Belem on Christmas Eve because I finally got to taste the Pasteis De Nata from Pasteis de Belem, a very well know location for such a tasty pastry. It was also really easy to get through as there was no long lines (which I try to avoid) 🙂 I was more than excited. A sunny day and some good dessert with chai latte… It was a Christmas Eve I was happy to have. Don’t worry I didn’t go to Belem just for that, as I wanted to show my mum some beautiful places which I came to in September. When in Belem, it is a must to visit Jeronimos Monastery… there are no words for such a place. The stonework and cloisters reveal the most finest Gothic and Renaissance work. In the monastery it was amazing to see the Tomb of Vasco Da Gama. 

After a tour around , we wanted to go to Sintra but completely forgot that it was Christmas Eve and the trains were cancelled at that point. It was all good as we needed to get back for some lunch… Yes I needed food but we decided to try some food in the square in Terreiro Do Paco when we got into the city. Its a typical tourist area but what I liked about it that alot were Portuguese compared to some of places in Chiado. 

After all the food I had, a walk was needed before Christmas Eve dinner. My life is based around food since I have been exercising a bit more than before. I can’t complain since I love eating and trying different cuisines. Some may say Christmas is not Christmas without the cold and snow… SORRY I will take the sun any day of the cold.. hahahaha.

We were embracing the sunny days we got, as its a sort of luxury to get it back here in the UK during winter. At this point we needed a nap and chill out before a big buffet of happiness at the Hotel Mundial. The meal was pretty reasonable for the amount of food we could eat – €40 each which included a bottle of wine. Through the night I got to meet the cutest family from Nice, France. It is lovely meeting such a fun family and truly adorable children, there is a wee young lady missing in the picture, who happy running around. It makes me smile that Christmas Eve was filled with smiles! 

A full meal and a nice time, it was chill out before heading to midnight mass at Lisbon Cathedral. It was definitely a ceremony I wanted to see and be a part of. The ceremony was 3 hours but I could stay that long due to my back pain kicking in really badly after and hour.

Check out my full day on my Channel : WORLDOFFAZ