Currently January 2022
Currently | 1.26.22
Life in the Age of the Queen
I took the first 10 days off in January and did nothing. No work. No blogging. No social media. Just discovering, eating, reading, or doing absolutely nothing and it was fantastic!
Only 2.5 days left in Lisbon. This past month has been beyond wonderful. Unlike Paris which I get tired of after 2 weeks (I think it is the hustle and bustle like New York or even San Francisco), I have not gotten tired of Lisbon! We were very cautious in everything we do, but as the Portuguese aren't typically morning folk, we have had the city to ourselves until about 11ish which is exactly the time we start heading back to our Airbnb for me to have lunch and start work and for Mr. Misadventures to have a break before heading out in the afternoon.
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The weather has been beyond our expectations. Sunny and 50's-to-60's! It has sprinkled a few times earlier in the month, but nothing that lasted more than 30 minutes. The food has been everything we could have hoped for and we didn't eat a bad meal. I am really, truly going to miss it here. Luckily we will be returning to Portugal again at the end of the year to continue discovering which is definitely something to look forward to!
France is also still on the books for September and October and we will spend some time in Paris this weekend before returning to Raleigh. It has snowed 3 times in January and there is actually another storm expected this weekend!
Now, onto January and what's been going on in the Misadventures world!
Watching | Zone Blanche/Black Spot
I tried to watch Eternals but just couldn't get past the 30-minute mark. I watched the first 4 episodes of The Book of Boba Fett which I am not loving. The hero for the month was Zone Blanche or Black Spot (bad translation, it should be something like Dead Zone) a French series that is very dark. Both literally (the gorgeous cinematography is very dark) and figuratively as the show is dramatic, mysterious, supernatural, and well, dark.

It takes place in a town called Villefranche in the Vosges region of France where a small department of police led by a female inspector with a past. If that is your thing, I highly recommend it! Season 1 and 2 are available on Netflix, on MHz via Amazon Prime (or on DVD from Amazon). The release of Season 3 is undetermined as it is a tough show both mentally and physically.
Can't Wait to Watch:
I saved “And Just Like That” the “Sex and the City” for the plane ride home. So stayed tuned!
Reading | Murder in Clichy
I am still trying to read Foundation, it is slow going, probably the reason why I have never read SciFi! I finished the lovely The Postmistress of Paris, historical fiction with an unusual cast of artistic characters set in the south of France around Marseilles during World War II. The more stories I read about WWII set in France the more I am in awe of the dichotomy of the different “Frances” during this time.

I had started the first book in Cara Black's series featuring a half-French/half-American female detective in Paris, Aimee Leduc called, “Murder in X” with the X being different neighborhoods in the city. The book is Murder in the Marais which I started in 2019 right before I started my new job. I was closing down my old job and prepping for my new one and I abandoned the book.
And I didn't pick it back up until this month! Then I read it in a day! And then I moved to book 2, book 3, book 4, and I am now reading book 5, Murder in Clichy. I also joined my local library so I can borrow the next ones from them!
Up Next…
- How to Be Italian: Eat, Drink, Dress, Travel and Love La Dolce Vita by Maria Pasquale
- The remaining Cara Black books leading up to her latest coming March 1, Murder at the Porte de Versailles
Best Bite | All of them!
Seriously. No one was more surprised than us with the food in Lisbon. We enjoyed every meal we had in and out of our condo in Campo de Ourique. We ate a ton of octopus, sardines, cod, duck, chicken, soup, rice, cheese. My goodness was it delightful! We had one bad coffee and a breakfast that was not what we expected. It wasn't bad but it wasn't what we thought we ordered. The food is fresh, simple, but tasty!

And the interesting thing was that we could get a ton of it at local grocery stores or small specialty shops and it was often just as tasty as a restaurant! We bought a package of sliced octopus that we take home and add olive oil, salt, and pepper (lemon and herbs if we had them) and it was amazing!
Working On | B1 French Classes
I am finally at the B1 level for my Alliance Francais classes! That means when I pass the test for this level I can apply for my French citizenship – hooray! Should be the summer (fingers crossed).
Feeling | Impressed
During our last stay in Lisbon and Porto 5 years ago we got an inkling of what Portugal was like and we knew we wanted more. This trip has confirmed that this country is special and has so much to offer at a price tag that we like very much. We love France, but it is expensive and there are a lot of taxes. Life in Portugal is cheaper and the food and pace match a lifestyle that we can embrace.
Loving | Carbs!
I started my low-carb lifestyle in 2017. I lost 40 pounds and have kept it off. But it doesn’t mean I don’t like carbs (love actually) or miss carbs. It just means I choose to heavily reduce them in my daily life. But for my month in Lisbon instead of dry January, I did carb January letting myself eat whatever I wanted. All the rice dishes (and there are oh so many), bread, biscuits, donuts, and other pastries like pastel de nata and the seasonal treats like Sonhos.

Oh, and beer!
More than any trip in the last 5 years I ate what I wanted because every bite was worth it, every bite delicious. I mean there is nothing worse than eating something that is full of carbs and it’s not any good like you cheated for nothing. I had 1 or 2 bad natas but after the first bite, I tossed. Why eat bad nata when there are so many good ones?!

Favorite Photo | Lisbon
Sorry to go on and on about Lisbon, but Portugal is pretty! If you like doors and street photography there is something for you. If you dig architecture that box is checked too. Everywhere you turn there is something to shoot! I packed extremely light, going for a capsule wardrobe with very few pieces that all worked together and my selections worked. Together or separately they were comfortable and effortless and I love this photo Mr. Misadventures captured.

Published in January
- I published my 100-page Paris Trip planner (you can see it at the bottom of this post, I am still working on it's own landing page). I have some smaller/shorter free versions of packing guides, but this baby is giant!
- I published a Phoenix and Tucson Travel Planner (you can see it at the bottom of this post, I am working on this one too). I have smaller/shorter versions, but this is the big pone!
- Coco Chanel’s Paris
That’s my month, what’s CURRENTLY going on with you?
Like it? PIN it!
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Love the way your year started! I’m updated with Just Like That but don’t worry, no spoilers 🙂
I need to watch And Just Like That. I’m not sure if I’d watch on a plane thanks to some suggestive scenes. People are me might be like !!!!
This sounds like a pretty amazing month, I can’t wait to visit Lisbon.
These are all great finds! I’d love to visit Lisbon someday
I am an avid reader, I needed ideas for a new book, I am going to check this out!
It sounds like you tried some amazing food in Lisbon. Sonhos look yummy!
A beautiful start to the year. Just Like That sounds a really good one to watch, and I will def add that to my lists.
That sounds like great weather. I’ve been dealing with weather in the teens and twenties and I’m freezing.
I would really love to go and visiting Lisbon! These are really great finds!
Sounds like a pretty good January so far. That food sure does look amazing. I also love to read, but need to pick back up on that more.
I love that photo of you against the teal doors! I’m glad you’ve had such a great time in Lisbon, it sounds like an amazing place to visit.
Sounds like you have been keeping busy and enjoying your time. I’ll have to check out your Netflix recommendation.
wow! It’s a dream to visit Lisbon, especially during pandemic. I am glad that you had great time!
Love that you gave yourself the freedom to explore the culinary scene in Portugal! I’ve never had a pastel de nata but I’d really love one someday – preferably in Portugal 🙂 Will you be staying in Portugal in February or are you off to somewhere new?
I like Paris too…but not for long. I’d love to visit Lisbon.
I would to read this book Murder in Clichy! Lisbon is such a nice place, hope to visit it soon 😍