Portugal dos Pequenitos - Coimbra, Portugal

In the lower section of Coimbra, there is a surprising attraction called Portugal dos Pequenitos. By the name you may think this is only for children, but it turned out to be a pleasant place to spend Sunday morning. To enter is 8.95 euros per person.

Millennium Trilogy

The Millennium Trilogy also known as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy is one of the best thriller series I have read. Stieg Larson did a great job creating the plot, the characters and the depth to the main story and the surrounding ones. It is a pity that he is no longer on Earth to finish what he started.

In the first book, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander and Michael Blomkvist meet for the first time as they get assigned to work on a very complicated case of a missing 16-year old girl disappeared for nearly forty years. The twist was completely unexpected for me and I loved it – the twist, not the actions.

In the second book, The Girl Who Played with Fire, we get to know part of the inexplicable family of Lisbeth as Michael struggles to discover who killed, and why, the most recently-hired magazine journalist.

Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, third and last book of this series, provided the answers to most of the interrogations I had during books one and two. After reading this one I came up with more questions except that now, I think, we will have to imagine the solutions or accept the situation as is.

When starting with the first book, I was a little confused with the Swedish names of streets and cities. Soon, I found that these names were not very relevant to the story – I kept reading, and I got hooked very soon. Final word of caution: the stories in all three books are strong, graphic, and violent.

The books are available in paperback and Kindle.

Ibis Porto Centro, Porto Portugal

What I like about Ibis hotels is the price and the fact that I know what to expect. Ibis Porto Centro has an excellent location on Rua da Alegria. It is walking distance from Sao Bento train station, all the attractions in the center; it is even possible to walk to the Ribeira. This Ibis hotel was fully renovated and it looked very modern. Our room was adequate and clean; bathroom size was on the small side. The staff was friendly and helpful. When you go request a room that is not on the street side since it could be noisy. The only challenge we had was that the room did not have air conditioning and it could get warm especially during the day. Breakfast did not have as many options as in other Ibis hotels in other countries (e.g. France, Germany) but it was cheaper: 6 euros per person vs. 10 euros per person in Paris and Frankfurt.

Ibis Coimbra, Portugal

What I like about Ibis hotels is the price and the fact that I know what to expect. Ibis Coimbra is very well located on Avenida Emidio Navarro across the street from Parque Manuel Braga (parque da cidade, city park) and walking distance from Coimbra train station. Our room was adequate, clean, we had a bath tub (not all Ibis have it). The staff was friendly and helpful, and gave us excellent recommendations about places to visit. When you go request a room that is not on the street side since it could be noisy. The only challenge we had was that the room did not have air conditioning and it could get warm especially during the day. Breakfast did not have as many options as in other Ibis hotels in other countries (e.g. France, Germany) but it was cheaper: 6 euros per person vs. 10 euros per person in Paris and Frankfurt.

Ibis Saldanha - Lisbon, Portugal

What I like about Ibis hotels is the price and the fact that I know what to expect. Ibis Saldanha is well located in the Saldanha neighborhood, close to Saldanha metro stop serving red and yellow lines. Our room was adequate, clean, we had a bath tub (not all Ibis have it). The staff was friendly and helpful. When you go request a room that is not on the street side since Avenida Casal Ribeiro is a busy one. The only challenge we had was that the room did not have air conditioning and it could get warm especially during the day. Breakfast did not have as many options as in other Ibis hotels in other countries (e.g. France, Germany) but it was cheaper: 6 euros per person vs. 10 euros per person in Paris and Frankfurt.

Apple-Berry Baked Oatmeal

This dish is so easy to make you would not believe it could be so tasty, healthy, and satisfying. It still good the following few days; put the leftovers in the refrigerator and just reheat or eat cold when you are ready. 

For brunch you could combine it with scramble eggs or if you prefer to keep tastes aligned you could serve with yogurt.

Lean In

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg speaks to every woman who faces the choice of career or family life. This books talks about the different challenges women encounter in the workplace and at home. Even in the 21st century it is difficult to be a woman especially if you are one who decided not to follow the ‘traditional’ role of stay home mom/wife. 

I loved the book and I admire Sheryl for using her position and status in the industry to raise the issue in the name of all of us. I was identified with practically everything she said in the book and now I know that some of my personal traits are just in the wrong gender. I support her message to stop self-limitation, to give each other support (men and women), and to make a conscious effort to change the way we express gender differences in all environments. 

Gender differences are so apparent and still we make so much effort to never talk about them in the workplace. We whisper behind closed doors and at home and we make comments such as ‘how could she apply for a new job if she was pregnant?!’. I try to questions these comments everytime. Probably from now on I would take a more firm stand especially if the comment, like in this case, comes from another woman. 

Lean In has both factual information and stories of real women mostly in the West. To be clear, this book does not address situations that women in other parts of the world confront on a daily basis. Sheryl admits that in this side of the world women are better off than in the rest of the world. However, that should not be a consolation and an excuse to stop the path to real equality between men and women at home and at work. 

This book is available in paperback and Kindle.