Happy Thanksgiving from Lisbon

Of course, there is no Thanksgiving in Lisbon, except for our gratitude that we are able to live even temporarily in this wonderful city. As usual, we enjoyed a quiet morning before heading out to explore another new neighborhood. This was in Saldanha - a lovely, tree-lined boulevard about halfway between the center (Baixa, pronounced "baisha") and the airport to the north. We had already looked at an apartment in this general area but hadn't had time to spend wandering more. So, today, we made up for that earlier oversight.

And we liked it until the rains came. Generally, in Lisbon, rain is light and short-lived. This rain, however, was a downpour and lasted longer than usual. Luckily we found a coffee kiosk near the Metro entrance where we stopped to allow the rain to let up a little while we enjoyed an afternoon coffee. Then home to decide what we wanted to do for Thanksgiving.

The winner was Surf and Turf at the TimeOut Market. The food is to die for, the staff is friendly, and the setting is casual - we sit around the open kitchen and can interact with the chef.

Enjoying Thanksgiving dinner in Lisbon

Our Thanksgiving dinner chef slicing octopus

                                                            

                                                           Photo from Facebook page

After the pork and shrimp spring rolls, we had a plate of roasted octopus (for which we got the recipe) with black tapioca beads and duck, followed by a ceviche with fish and pork. All unbelievable! Dessert was, of course, chocolate. I have no idea how the surf and turf were incorporated, but it was delicious. 

As we walked home we passed Praca do Commercio, which is scheduled to light up for the holidays this coming Saturday - 11/24. One part, a 4-story Christmas tree, was already lit. My photo misses the colorful lights, but you can get an idea of the size of this display. It's totally man-made, but beautiful nevertheless. 

Praca do Commercio tree.

Hope everyone had a delightful day. We did.