Gourmet: high quality and/or rarity, crafted to deliver exquisite taste and presented in a pleasing fashion.

Thus begins our daily adventure. We have no destination in mind other than to seek out high quality experiences and/or rarities. Our first stop is the market. I am disappointed that there aren’t a lot of stalls. We give a cursory glance to the fish and vegetables. On the other side of the building is the Time Out Market, a gathering place for foodies. In this giant food court, you can find examples of cuisine from across the city. I see a tiramisu donut the size of a plate! Finally something to be excited about.

The donut is rich and sits like lead in my belly. I both exalt in and regret my choice. After a comical incident, where I encounter an older American man in the women’s restroom who apparently can’t read Portuguese or understand universal symbols for female, we take to the streets.

We look for the elevator da Bica. The street is steep and we know we don’t want to walk. We walk back and forth arguing with the gps, who tells me we’ve arrived. My husband finally notices that the tram stop is inside the building that looks like any other shop along the street.

The tram ride is short but pleasing. I have great views out the back of the tram and can see the narrow street and the river. We walk uphill to the Miradouro Santa Catarina. The views are exquisite. The sun is shining just so on the water. We sit next to local college students doing homework and making out. I can’t help but smile. Life is good. It must be . . .the sign painted on a wall in front of the miradouro says so.

Deceptively hidden, the pharmacy museum is tucked in a corner just behind the park. We walk back and forth a few times before we find it. It is full of rarities. Medicines and apothecary tools from 4th century b.c and onward fill the museum spaces. I am mesmerized by a medicine bowl with prescriptions painted on the glass from Judea at the time of Christ. We giggle at the early enemas and chastity belts like junior high students on a field trip. This is confirmed when we later encounter junior high students on a field trip who have an identical reaction. There are plague masks and recreated pharmacies. Museums make me realize how much I don’t know.

We walk to the University of Lisbon. I decide to brave the four flights of stairs to the small geology museum. It is crowded with bones and rocks. This is a working cache of samples. I am the only visitor. I feel like Indiana Jones….the professor not the explorer. Dinosaurs and human remains surround me in silent witness. It is a little overwhelming.

We walk back down the hill and are startled to encounter the Parliament building. We had ridden by the side of the building several times while on the tram and never noticed it was the capitol. We totally overlooked the seat of government. I’m sure there is a lesson there somewhere, but today is my day to find the exquisite and the rare so we move along.

The medieval tavern delivers pleasing, rare, and quality atmosphere. Set up as a medieval inn, the tavern is a step in time. We buy food out of a wooden cart, choosing bread, cheese, and sausages. Our drinks come in clay tankards while minstrel flutes whistle plucky tunes. It is a good place to linger.

As the sun sets, we find ourselves once again at the Portas do Sol. Here is a gourmet experience that I can enjoy each and every day. It feels like home and yet is never less beautiful or inviting. I don’t know who planted the palm tree, but I thank them. It is exquisite, a rarity, and infinitely pleasing.