Fashion Sequel/ by Samantha Huynh: Like a Local in Lisbon

This past weekend I celebrated Carnaval in Sesimbra and Torres Vedras. Both had a huge public celebration and parade where every day wore a costume. This festival allows people to leave their everyday individuality and experience a high sense of social unity through food and lots of alcohol. Ha fun!

Other than that, this week I stayed in Lisbon since I was sick and it sucks to travel when you're sick. The ironic thing is I got sick from travelling. After this week, I have trips planned every weekend so I'm really excited for that. This upcoming Friday I'll be travelling to Paris. :)

Staying in Lisbon allowed me to explore new cafes and restaurants. I found a very cute cafe near my house called The Mill. It's a really unique place, it's a cafe during the day and tapas and drinks at night. It's also open on the weekend which is a huge plus. In Lisbon, not a lot of cafes are open on the weekend, and when it's open during the day it usually closes by 5 pm. I tried brunch menu and ordered The Sydney Breakfast which is sweet corn fritter with poached eggs, avocado, and fresh cheese. It was very tasty and a very good healthy breakfast after a night out.

I also tried this Mexican restaurant called Mez Cais. I was really craving Mexican food and this definitely filled my cravings. The portions were quite small but if you share some appetisers and get a main, you'll be filled. I shared the nachos, mango ceviche, and got a chicken burrito.

This weekend my housemate showed me this unique bar called Pensao Amor. It's located on Pink Street, one of the most popular places in Lisbon to go for a night out, which was once known as the city's red light district. Pensao Amor was once a brothel and they remade the building into a bar. The decor of the place was very wonderful. The ceilings are painted with frescoes, walls covered with mirrors, paintings and old posters, and there were decorative pieces all around the space creating an old burlesque atmosphere. The bar also had a library, sex shop, pole dance performance, and a person who reads your personality from looking at your face. It's definitely not your typical bar.