Fun Five is a monthly email I send out on the 5th. Each edition is a short list of five things I’ve been enjoying lately. Things like inspiration, design, music, food, small curiosities, and more.
October is here, and my partner and I are freshly back from an incredible two-week vacation in Portugal. We kicked things off with three nights in Porto, road-tripped south through Coimbra, Óbidos, and the Algarve, and wrapped up with three nights in Lisbon. Between the golden sunsets, colourful tiled homes, and incredible meals, it was easily one of the most inspiring trips I have taken in a long time. Narrowing it down to five highlights was difficult, but here are the small discoveries, rituals, and moments that stuck with us the most.
1. The underrated magic of free walking tours
If you are heading to a new city, I highly recommend booking a free walking tour. Across our entire trip, every single guide we had was deeply knowledgeable and genuinely passionate about their hometown. It helps shed light on subtle details you would easily walk right past on your own. This made a massive difference for Lisbon in particular. Learning the historical context behind why the streets and neighbourhoods were rebuilt the way they are gave me an entirely new appreciation for the city as we explored it.
2. The legendary Portuguese rooster
You can't go far in Portugal without running into the famous Galo de Barcelos, the funky, colourfully painted rooster that symbolizes good fortune. We spent the whole trip admiring different handcrafted versions in shop windows, casually looking for the right one. On one of our days out, we heard an actual rooster crow in the middle of town, which felt like the universe giving us a clear sign that it was time to commit. We picked up a hand-painted one for our home, and now "Frank" sits as a great little reminder of the journey. And if you're curious as to why it symbolizes good luck, I'd recommend looking up the folklore, it's a fun little tale.
3. Sunset drive and seafood in Matosinhos
While staying in Porto, we took an evening cab ride out to the fishing port of Matosinhos, and it ended up being one of our absolute favourite dinners of the trip. The drive itself is gorgeous, hugging the coastline for about twenty minutes right as the sun drops over the ocean. Once you arrive, the street is lined with traditional seafood spots grilling the day's fresh catch over open charcoal right on the sidewalk. We went to Tito 2 and had the fish of the day alongside some grilled sardines. It gets busy fast, but the vibe is totally relaxed and well worth taking an evening away from the center of town.
4. The simple satisfaction of "Tudo Bem"
My favourite everyday discovery of the trip was the greeting tudo bem (pronounced roughly like too-doo bayng). It translates to "Everything alright?", and the customary response is just to say tudo bem right back, confirming that all is well. Beyond the meaning, it is just immensely satisfying to say, especially once you lean into that distinct nasal Portuguese accent. We found ourselves repeating it back and forth to each other constantly and it brought an immediate smile to my face whenever a local greeted us with it.
5. Coimbra, Nazaré, and Óbidos in a single day
We loved our whole itinerary, but our undisputed favourite day of the trip was traveling from Coimbra through Nazaré and ending the evening in Óbidos. It felt like packing three distinct worlds into a single day: steep historic university hills in the morning, dramatic coastal cliffs and ocean energy by the afternoon, and peaceful, lantern-lit alleys inside the fortified town at night. As wonderful as the major cities are, the pace and individual charm of Portugal's smaller towns really stole the show.
Thanks for reading the Fun Five. If you have a favourite spot in Portugal or a memorable travel day of your own, hit reply and tell me about it!
P.S. Here's Frank
