I have just returned from Cascais, a small coastal town just outside of Lisbon and it was a struggle to return. The town was screensaver beautiful, the sun beat down on my Scottish, pale skin and I ate and drank like a king, so of course, the taxi ride to the airport, the flight returning home and thetaxi journey through grey and cold cobbled streets was a struggle. However, this sort of struggle; the struggle of not accepting life as it is, the struggle of yearning for more is just what motivates me to keep working and bettering myself, so that I won’t dread returning to work in a job I have no passion for, watching what I spend and being constrained creatively. If I don’t work on myself and embrace struggle, I’ll keep feeling that struggle of returning each year. I’d rather live a life full of exploration, curiosity and fulfilment and in order to do that, I must struggle.

This sort of struggle; the struggle of not accepting life as it is, thestruggle of yearning for more is just what motivates me to keep working and bettering myself

The holiday itself however was incredible. We stayed at the Pestana Cidadela Hotel in the Pousada and Art District which was incredible, complete with the best hotel service I have ever experienced, beautiful rooms and a hotel breakfast that’s actually good, full of exquisite meats, cheeses, fruits and pastries. The restaurant on site Taberna Da Praça provided excellent traditional Portuguese food and the bay/beach was a short 5 minute walk away.
Other highlights included trying new foods such as squid, mussels, thebeautiful Pastéis de Nata (traditional Portuguese custard tarts), the incredible Prego steak sandwiches (eaten in Portugal as dessert), fresh cheese and lobster.

We also explored Lisbon, climbing the Elevador de Santa Justa which boasts beautiful views of the city (pictured above), trying various small bites at theTimeout Market, trying Ginjinha, a traditional Portuguese liqueur, made through the fermentation of cherries, at Ginjinha Sem Revival and learning to surf at Carcavelos Beach.

Whilst last week was most definitely not much of a struggle, I did explore new cuisine, new places and new activities. I also struggled my way back home to get back to work. Holiday is over and it’s time to make my ambitions a reality and that won’t happen by constantly thinking back to a relaxing holiday, instead it will happen by embracing struggle, thinking ahead to the future, a future of fulfilment, of meaning and purpose and of more and more of these world explorations, not just once a year but throughout every year. This is not a crazy dream as long as the work to get there is embraced. If you’re not embracing struggling, what’s stopping you?

Keep on Struggling,

Gregor

Tarts That Are To Die For - Pastéis de Nata

As mentioned above, these are traditional Portuguese custard tarts and they are incredible. Simple but delicious. We ate these whenever we had a chance; when passing cafés, at the Timeout Market (see below), hotel breakfast etc. If visiting Portugal, these are a must. We were told on our last day that the original pastéis de nata was made at Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, by a tour guide and he recommended we try them, so that will be for next time.

Market To Visit - The Timeout Market

These markets live in various big cities around the world and the Lisbon location was delicious. We found out about these via the Netflix documentary series Somebody Feed Phil and it did not disappoint. Basically, it’s a huge indoor market with a wide variety of stalls serving a wide variety of cuisines from Asian street food to massive donuts to seafood. We tried an amazing ‘meat cone,’ tacos, more Pastéis de Nata, travesseiros (another Portuguese pastry, which translates to ‘pillow’), vegetarian gyozas, a Korean bao and a massive Boston Cream donut. If in Lisbon or any of the other cities that boast a Timeout Market and you want a reasonably priced lunch with a variety of options, this is perfect.

Restaurant I Loved - Cantinho Do Avillez

I first found out about José Avillez whilst watching Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode in Lisbon in which he eats a three course meal (including a steak sandwich for dessert) with Avillez and luckily, he has a restaurant in Cascais, just a short walk from where we were staying. We went twice because thefood, service and setting were just perfect. This is where I first tried theprego steak sandwich for dessert and it was beautiful. It’s served in a pan which I believe had some form of garlic oil inside and it seemed to get soaked up by the bread making this the best steak sandwich I’m ever likely to eat. I also had beef tartare, roasted cheese and fried eggs in steak sauce here. If venturing out to Lisbon, Avillez also has restaurants there including the Michelin Star Belcanto (also featured in Somebody Feed Phil).

A Beautiful Area to Visit - Sintra

We visited Sintra on our last day in Portugal and it was beautiful. Thevarious colours and shades of thebuildings, the small historic centre that’s engulfed in trees and the Pena Palace that overlooks it make this a must see. The views at Pena Palace are spectacular and the history behind this area is rich. We spent around four hours here but you could easily spend a couple of days exploring this area.

Quote to Ponder

I think people are too aware of trying to figure out what’s ‘hot’ and trying to emulate that. Ultimately, you need to develop your own voice as a film-maker or even as an actor. It takes time. In terms of bad recommendations, don’t believe anyone who tells you they know what they are doing. William Goldman, the screenwriter, once wrote “nobody knows anything” in the movie business and it is true. I know I don’t, and I have been doing it a long time. It’s always starting from scratch each time.
So don’t listen to anyone who tells you what kind of movie to write, or how you should look, or what kind of work to do - Ben Stiller