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My birthday is next week and, as we’re planning what to do, I’m reflecting on last year’s birthday trip. I never wrote about it on here, and I want to capture the memories before they fade away with the years…

Last year, we decided to celebrate my 35th by taking a road trip in southern Portugal. Bryan flew in early for work and he planned the beginning of the trip, so when he picked me up at the Lisbon airport, I didn’t know what to expect. We drove about three hours south and, to my surprise and delight, the first stop was absolutely perfect.

Selema

Selema, Portugal is a magical and tiny town, with narrow streets and outstanding restaurants. Our Airbnb was right on the water. It ended up being a great location to visit a few different surf spots. We found a board rental place (Secret Surf Society) and a yoga teacher/massage therapist who gave me a very lovely birthday massage. Our Airbnb hostess owned a couple of restaurants in town, and the closest one made for an excellent seafood birthday dinner. I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful place to spend a birthday (though we’ll have to try to top it this year!)

Lagos

Our next stop was Lagos (only about 30 minutes from Selema.) Lagos was high on my list, from seeing photos of the beautiful coastline and hearing recommendations from friends. We rented another Airbnb. This one had a pool, but in early April it was too chilly to swim. We wore our wetsuits in the ocean for the whole trip, which was comfortable. We used the rental car to take a day trip to Sagres and to visit the surf spots, but you really don’t need a car in Lagos. In fact, the streets of the town were so narrow, it was challenging to drive. We enjoyed walks from our Airbnb down to try different restaurants. Most of them have limited seating, and we learned we’d better make reservations in advance or stay flexible with our plans.

Ericeira

It was tough to decide where to go next. We would have liked to have spent much more time traveling along the coast. The feeling was so relaxed and there was a lot to see. We saw many people traveling in camper vans with less of an agenda and living out our surf dreams! But due to work and dog obligations, we had about two weeks and were forced to choose our stops accordingly.

We chose to head north of Lisbon next, to Ericeira. I didn’t know much about it before the trip, but I was happy to visit a new place. We found a cute bed and breakfast with a very kind and helpful owner. The scenery was gorgeous and the whole area was very calm, quiet, and relaxing. The restaurants, just like in Lagos, were small but delicious. We had given back our rental surfboards by that point, so we did some hiking nearby and visited the town of Mafra.

Lisbon

Our final stop was Lisbon. I was able to spend a few days before I had to fly back to the states and Bryan would return to London for work. We continued to celebrate my birthday by taking a cooking class, eating unlimited pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts), and making our own charcuterie boards.

When it was time to leave, I was sad to say goodbye to Portugal so soon. It was a sweet trip and I hope to return for longer (maybe we’ll bring the dog next time!) I ordered one more pastel de nata for the road and it was back to the US of A.

Until next time, Portugal…