Today was a relaxing saturday–I woke up leisurely and figured out how to do laundry in my neighborhood laundromat. I am reading Shrill by Lindy West and today I managed to read quite a bit. After a simple lunch (toasted brie and jelly sandwich, hehe), I went to the Gulbenkian Garden and Museum with Laura, another intern. The museum had two parts, the founder’s collection and the modern collection, which were both connected to an oil magnate who had a passion for art. His collection spanned Ancient egyptian art to several Monets–it was a wild ride with a lot of variety in the founder’s collection. Funds raised from this collection and his wealth allowed the modern museum to exist as well–this was a collection of more portuguese modern artists, and it was also very interesting, though of course very different.
The garden was exceptionally pretty, and it was a nice enough day to spend quality time reading and chatting outside.
There were turtles and fish and ducks in the ponds! It was nice to see animals besides pigeons again (though there were a lot of pigeons too).
After trotting around the Calouste Gulbenkian Founder’s and Modern Art collections for several hours, we went and got ice cream at my new favorite place (and new weakness): the Nannarella. There are two locations, and while one of them is in a very cute part of the city, it’s also kind of far, while this one is literally only a 20 minute walk away or so, at the top floor of a nearby department store.
There were some funky views from the terrace on the roof of that department store, which I enjoyed while enjoying my very indulgent three-flavor cup of Italian ice cream.
Then we spent more time in the park, because there’s nothing quite like sitting around talking while the sun is shining and there’s nowhere else to rush to, plus it’s really a very beautiful place to walk around in.
Finally I came home and I tried to earnestly cook a full, real meal for myself–none of that toasted sandwich behavior. I made Shakshuka and added some ramen (not pictured because it’s not very photogenic), which was a very filling meal. According to one of my housemates, though, it looked like I was a chemist the entire time I was cooking it because of the expression on my face–but that’s okay. I have now half an onion and pepper left over, though, so I will have to figure something out for those–maybe a tomato sauce? eh, I don’t know. My housemates are so delightful though–it’s amazing to sit down with people for dinner and have conversations and animated jokes and learn about people from all over Europe: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and more. It’s really such a good community. However, they do like to have fun late at night. I was invited to go to a club with the group, but I know it’s just going to be so late when I get home (especially considering I got the invite to go later in the night at the hearty hour of 10pm) and I’m a sleepy person. Plus, I have big plans tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Much love!