All The Sun Light You Can See
For everyone who loves a good story, who works hard to travel, who dreams of European summers, who is attending my wedding in July; To my husband, without whom this would not have been realised; And to my cat, who couldn’t give a sh*t; This is for YOU.
Portugal and Malaysia might inherit more than half a century worth of history together, but the process for É and I to get legally married wasn’t friendly. Spoiler: We succeed against all odds. This also means it would only be right if I get to know my ‘new country’ better. (É already knows more about Malaysia’s history, politics and geography than I do.) What greater way to do that than a road trip across 14 districts (out of 18) and 30 towns / cities throughout the nation?
Most of the magic from our humble ROM in Kuala Lumpur 2 years ago is reserved for our reception in Lisbon, making this a destination wedding for my side of family and friends. Which is why this series is specially dedicated to them.
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Of course – there is a massive library of guides on the net ranging from CNN Travel to The Guardian overflowing with information like Lisbon’s Best Attractions, Best Bars in Lisbon, or Top 10-anything-under-the-sun. So why write this?
The cinspiration came when I was searching for Portugal travel tips and dining suggestions online. I realised that the results yielded for big cities (i.e. Lisbon and Porto) looked either too text heavy or replicated. When they are not replicated, I started doubting the authenticity of their suggestions – did the author recommend them because he happened to be there, or did he go all the way there just for them? What is his relationship with Portugal?
In smaller towns, search results perform poorly due to perhaps a lack of SEO, sites with zero English keywords or simply no websites were built for tascas and ‘chuletas‘. This happened several times when É was driving so he left the food search to me. Whether I had 30 minutes or 1 hour, I got nothing promising. But when he stopped the car to search (in Portuguese), his results yielded differently.
And can I just say, that TripAdvisor is either plain confusing or deceiving. Just because a restaurant is #1 on their list, it’s usually because it is touristic enough to get the most ratings. The best leitão restaurant in Mealhada is Restaurante Casa Vidal (it is said that the Queen of England gets her supply here), the most famous being Pedro de Leitões (The Guardian got it right on this one) but on TripAdvisor, it ranks at #3, while Vidal is not in there at all! As a traveler with limited time, who wants a more local, rustic experience, how would we know which is the right one to pick?
“Southern Love: Portugal” is built by researches, layered by experiences throughout a beautiful summer with a true born and bred Portuguese. It might not be a Portugal travel guide about ‘the best of the best’ (I have not been to the famous Pastéis de Belém, where you can find the most original egg tart in the world) but you won’t experience anything short by following this guide site by site. If you want to know something that is not featured, have any questions or simply want a chat, write to me at teycindy@gmail.com.
Counting down to my wedding, I hope this work-in-progress ‘e-book’ will inspire you to explore Portugal; unearth its bountiful secrets (sometimes forbidden love stories) in century old towns, roam its untouched rich soil, savour the rustic flavours served in earthenware dishes and the taste of ocean in sea creatures you’ve never heard of, or count how many bacalhau dishes you’ve tried out of a thousand recipes.
If you don’t leave with a heavy heart, you’ve done it all wrong.
Start with – Your guide to: Lisbon, Sintra
The pictures are amazing! Great post
xx
Mademoiselle Coconath
http://mllecoconath.com
Nice pictures ♥
https://bebopaalula.wordpress.com
oh yeah this is reli a great post.. it wasnt easy to reach this day
Thank you for the appreciation. Always xx
You look amazing!Wonderful pictures:-)
http://www.lostindaydreams.com/
Beautiful pictures <3
xo Kat
http://www.withlovefromkat.com
It looks beautiful there, amazing photos
xo
http://www.laurajaneatelier.com
been dying to visit portugal! looks amazing
xx
http://thedemeler.com
Wow this sounds and looks amazing! Your photos came out so beautiful! I would love to travel with my boyfriend, but he doesn’t particularly care for it (but he’s not opposed to it!). I’m new to visiting your blog so I’m just curious – do you guys always travel together or do you sometimes travel alone? I’m trying to find a good balance for my heavy desire to travel, LOL.
Nicole | http://www.nicolegramcko.com
Hi Nicole, thank you! I think starting with the type of trip your boyfriend likes (beach / city, relaxing / sporty) + a little surprise might just encourage him to wanna travel more.
É & I usually travel together but when he can’t (as he has a full-time job not full-time blog), I’d go alone, with a best friend or even family to fulfil a travel goal. Sometimes doing the things we love means going on a journey alone, & it doesn’t mean passion tears two apart. I think traveling solo is definitely something one should do at least once in their lifetime. Every experience gained from each type of travel, gives back in different ways (:
So well said! Yes–he is definitely more of a beach/relaxing travel type. I think he wouldn’t mind going to somewhere like Thailand or Nicaragua, rather than Norway and Sweden LOL. I love to just gain more perspective on that whole thing!
To be honest with you, I don’t enjoy all sorts of traveling either. It if gets muddy, involves jungles & heights (or diving) I’m out! Why wouldn’t he want to visit Norway or Sweden? Is it because it’s too close by? XD
Save those countries he doesn’t want to visit to go on an all-girls trip, with your mum, or do it solo! Make a Vlog & show him how much he is missing out. Haha!
Portugal is so magical and charming, Tey! Your pictures show an astonishing travel destination which everyone should explore at least once in their life!
Wow these photos are incredible!
https://thriftingwithk.blogspot.com/
Great post! I love travelling but living in Spain, sometimes I underappreciate the beauty of the countries that surround mine, maybe because they are pretty similar. Your pictures have made me see how breathtakingly beautiful the Algarve area is. I think I should give it a visit soon
Best of luck with your wedding planning!
Ana XX
http://anasweecorner.blogspot.com
I did 1 month of traveling in Spain & loved it to bits! Barcelona / Cadaques is my favorite. (Hope you are not a huge Madrid fan! haha) You’re lucky to live in the Iberian part of the world – almost anywhere is really beautiful <3
Thank you for your kind wishes! Sending lots of warmth to your corner from South East Asia xxx