Lockdown Life in Lisbon: What We Do during the Coronavirus

2023 Update: This blog post was written a couple of years ago when I was bored out of my mind during the pandemic. I haven’t really changed it over the years since it’s quite funny to look back at. Almost like a little piece of history on this blog. Enjoy!

I think that in a few years people will ask each other: “So where were you during the coronavirus outbreak?” To this, my answer will be that I was in lockdown in Lisbon.

20 days ago, Glenn and I arrived in amazing Lisbon. Instead of separating and returning home from our world trip, we decided to quarantine and isolate ourselves with the rest of the world in one of the sunniest cities on earth – Lisbon.

So, how is lockdown life in Lisbon going?

Well, the first days I lived in-between watching peacocks jump around the rooftops of Alfama, binge-watching Netflix series, and suffering from complete boredom.

It’s really nice to finally be able to relax after constantly traveling for 8 months, however, we found that we have to keep ourselves busy in order to not suffer a complete breakdown of boredom.

In this blog post, I will tell you what we do in our Lisbon lockdown life during the coronavirus, and who knows, maybe you’ll find some inspiration. Let’s get started!

How did we end up in the Lisbon Lockdown?

In São Paulo Airport (Brazil), on the 16th of March 2020, we made a rash decision to stop traveling as all the countries in the world closed down one after the other.

We bought a last-minute plane ticket to Portugal instead of heading to Thailand as planned.

It’s now been 20 days since we landed in Lisbon, and we couldn’t be happier with our decision to return to Europe.

We feel comfortable and safe here in our little apartment in Alfama, and the days seem to pass by quickly. So, for the next days, weeks, months we will ride out the coronavirus crisis by joining the lockdown in Lisbon.

There are several reasons why we chose to go to Lisbon.

I think the main reason was that direct flights from Brazil were available.

Secondly, we love the sunny weather in Lisbon, and we didn’t own any winter clothes after traveling in warm countries for the last 8 months … not that you need it when you stay inside most days anyways.

Third, it was a place that we could be together. Denmark has closed its borders to Glenn, and we cannot go back to Belgium for other reasons.

Fourth, my sister actually lives in Lisbon! So, even though we were in lockdown, it was nice to still be able to see her and go for some sunny walks outside.

Lastly, if you join a global coronavirus lockdown, then it’s better to do it in a place like Lisbon with great wine, cheese and Pastel de Nata. And yes – we’re expecting to put on a few pounds… But who actually cares?

The importance of staying sane during lockdown

First of all, calm down! (I say quietly to myself every day…)

I’m actually being literal, staying calm is all you can do when you stay inside all day.

I agree that coronavirus is horrible for our health sector, the global economy, and all the people who suffer and lose loved ones. However, let’s stay positive and think about it for a second. Our grandparents went to war and all we have to do to fight this is to stay inside and wash our hands – come on, we can do this!

For now it’s not too bad. For now we can still stay sane.

If the pandemic lasts for a long time, we might all eventually go crazy! But for now, let’s just try to stay sane.

Find something that keeps you sane and grounded while being in lockdown.

Unless you are working all the hours of your day, isn’t it time to finally finish that book or paint that living room? Learn a new language? Or maybe you never got to watch Game of Thrones? (guilty here…ssh. Update 2022: Finally watched it!)

There is so much to do if we just get a bit creative.

Just do something that takes your mind of the constant influx of bad news coming from the media.

And hey, stop buying toilet paper! It’s really not as big a necessity as you think. In Asia they use a spray hose, so just calm down on the paper – one roll at a time, please.

What we do in Lisbon Lockdown during the coronavirus

Unlike other European contries, Portugal is not in a complete lockdown. The president has declared state of emergency, all the shops, restaurants and bars are closed, people are not allowed to gather, there are limits to how many people can enter the supermarket etc.

This is what we see all over Europe, however, though most people stay inside, you are still allowed to go outside for exercise.

But if you are in a country where you aren’t allowed to go out, then there are still plenty of things on this list that you can do at home (except for the first point). Let me show you what we do during lockdown in Lisbon.

1. Go for a walk, if you are allowed

The first 14 days in Lisbon we didn’t go outside except for when we had to do some grocery shopping. Even though we weren’t put in an official quarantine by the Portuguese government, we felt like we should self-quarantine just to make sure that we didn’t spread any potential virus.

Now that we have self-isolated in two weeks, we are starting to go outside for walks and runs. I think that it’s really important for your mental and physical health to get some exercise done.

If you can’t go outside, then try to do some exercises inside – I’m sure there’s a good app that can help you with that. Or hang your head outside the window for some fresh air – it’s really good for you – weird advice, I just realized…

And remember to support the little shops on your walks.

If we walk by some small shops, restaurants or bakeries, who do take-away, then we like to buy something just to support them during this hard time. A lot of shops are facing bankruptcy. So buy a coffee or a bread on your way home from your walk.

2. Talk to the people that matters

The world is so great nowadays! You can actually talk to and see the people you love through a screen.

I like to open a bottle of wine and talk to my best friends and family, not that you have to drink alcohol to talk to your loved ones, I don’t know why I wrote that…

Anyways, now is also the time to get in touch with the people you wish you were still talking to. Everyone is home, so there is no excuses for not patching up important relationships.

3. Work or start a project

A lot of people are still working from home.

This is good as it keeps people occupied and busy from losing their minds. We do the same.

Glenn is editing and uploading new travel vlogs to our YouTube Channel Worldwide Walkers, and I’m running this travel blog.

If you don’t have work, you can start a project such as starting a blog, a YouTube channel, write short stories, learn a new language on Duolingo, or whatever you feel like.

4. Throw a party (for yourself)

Who says you can’t throw a party alone?

Get some drinks and put your favorite music on the speakers. Maybe do a little dancing? (Remember, all exercise counts!). You can also call your friends over Skype and take the party to an online platform.

5. Watch all the series on Netflix

Yes, I know, like you haven’t done that already, right?

In the beginning of this isolation, watching Netflix was kind of all I did.

I even re-watched the whole series of Mad Men… However, watch out that you don’t get too bored with it.

Netflix is what I call brain-downtime, you also need to stimulate yourself during the day, meaning you shouldn’t watch Netflix all day long.

So now we try to do something during the day and only watch series and movies in the evening. It works well for us. So far we have watched all the Avengers and are starting on this strange documentary series called Tiger King… I’m sure you’ve heard about it.

6. Work on your Masterchef skills

Maybe you’re a great cook already and you need to up your game a bit. Now is the time to work on your cooking skills!

That way, you’ll be ready to invite your friends over and make them jealous of your amazing cooking skills! (whenever you can invite people over again of course).

Or maybe you’re a terrible cook, and it’s time to finally learn how to boil an egg…

I love cooking and Glenn loves eating, so I make sure to cook something every day in our little apartment. The wonders you can make with a micro-wave and two hot plates, trust me!

7. Clean your place

Cleaning seems less boring these days, so take advantage of that while you’re feeling bored and get all of the cleaning supplies out of your cupboard – also the ones in the back!

It’s time to do a big spring cleaning.

8. Do the things you always postpone

Are your CD’s a mess too? Why don’t you spend some time putting the Bowie into the right CD case, then next time you want to listen to him, you won’t accidentally put on Madonna?

We all have small messy things around our homes, and we finally have the time to sort it out.

Put your CD’s in order, give your shoes a proper clean, color order your nail polishes, find the right matching socks, and such. There are plenty of things to do that you always postpone our neglect.

Stay positive during your lockdown life!

I think I made it clear what we do in our daily Lisbon lockdown life during the coronavirus: Nothing.

Okay that’s a lie! Now you know that we actually manage to fill the days with work, walks, cooking, skyping, Netflixing, cleaning and such. It’s not unbearable yet.

I think the best thing we all can do is to stay positive.

Even though it seems endless now, coronavirus will not dictate our lives forever.

Glenn and I will probably prolong our stay for another month or two here in Lisbon since we don’t expect the Danish borders to open up to Glenn anytime soon…

So, we will keep doing what we do everyday: Wake up, make coffee, work, go for a walk, and enjoy the small things in life. All we can do is follow the health recommendations and wait this pandemic out.

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Thank you for reading this blog post about our lockdown life in Lisbon, we hope you got a bit inspired or at least smiled once. During our stay in Lisbon, we also discovered some great attractions and places to visit in the area we lived in.

Check out our blog posts from Portugal:

• 30 Things Portugal famous and known for
• How to spend a weekend in Lisbon
• The best things to do in Alfama
• São Jorge Castle in Lisbon

Now take care and stay positive!