This week, as I sometimes like to do, I dipped into my archives for a trip I made to Lisbon back in 2014. Admittedly, it was so much easier to undertake an international trip for a weekend when I lived in Toronto. It was also a time just after I had started Indelible Adventures and so things were still levelling out and I was finding my feet.
I always find it interesting to delve back into some of my earlier stories, not only to gauge how far I’ve come in terms of my writing but also some of my earliest documented adventures under the Indelible Adventures brand.
Part One:
I’m sitting in the airport lounge in Frankfurt on my way to Lisbon, Portugal for a long weekend. Yes, you heard correctly – for the weekend! Now at first glance you might think this a little decadent, or perhaps a little frivolous but I want to give you some context although, if you’re a frequent reader you’ll understand completely.
It’s no mistake that my new business venture is centered around travel, its benefits, especially for the likes of me are too numerous to mention. Having my own business provides me the type of flexibility in my life that I now see as essential, and clearly something that I’ve been moving increasingly toward over the past couple of years.
Strangely, it feels like I’m being magnetically drawn toward my new lifestyle in some weird way, almost compelled. Whatever it is my sense of adventure and instinctive curiosity is always tingling with the possibility of getting on a plane and exploring somewhere new.
The question that keeps coming to mind is “What am I waiting for?” This very question excites me and at the same time of it refreshes me to the core.
For those of you that have started a business, you’ll know that it takes longer than planned to get everything off the ground, and so I recently surrendered to the thought of not pushing too hard but letting it work its way through organically and letting it follow a natural progression and flow, yes, it’s a lot less stressful as well!
With this as my backdrop late last week I was looking at a weekend to get on a plane and go explore. Firstly, choosing a location was trickier that I thought because there are so many places still on my list… As the late Susan Sontag (Writer and literary critic) once said “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list”. I couldn’t have coined it more perfectly!
It eventually came down to two locations, both amazing options so I could hardly go wrong, however my mind was made up at the start of the week after a frigid chill swept through Toronto bringing with it cold arctic air and snow, hence my choice of Lisbon.
The other choice was Berlin, as I said a great option, but the weather differential played the critical role in my decision. Today Berlin reached a high of 6C, whereas Lisbon was a balmy 21C, you can see where I’m going with this especially after the crappy week we’ve had in Toronto and the temperature well below 0C for much of the week. Frankly, I didn’t want to face more cold weather over the weekend…sorry Berlin but I’ll have to take a rain check!
Part Deux:
I arrived safely in Lisbon just before lunchtime today, after two smooth and uneventful flights (always the best kind!). After checking in and dropping my bags at my hotel I found myself in a taxi headed for the Alfama neighbourhood (Old Quarter) to explore. I initially started my exploration at Castelo de São Jorge (St George’s Castle) which towers over the old city and has commanding views of the Rio Tejo (or Tagus river that splits Lisbon in two).
Lisbon itself was built on a series of low rolling hills and as such is interesting to hike, if you want a full body workout you’ve come to the right city. In all I spent four hours exploring and took just under 400 photos – not a bad afternoon’s work.
Initially I started in Alfama but then explored further afield to Baixa (which is the main tourist area) and Amoreiras with its high-end stores (equivalent of 5th Avenue in New York). Yes, they even had my favorite store (Massimo Dutti), which I had to go see just in case they had anything in Lisbon that they didn’t have in Toronto…surprisingly not too much was different.
Tomorrow, my plan is to walk along the waterfront to the Belém Tower which is situated a few kilometres along the waterfront where the Atlantic and the Tagus river meet. The tower was built on an island at the mouth of the river as a fortified position in 1519 and played a major role in a number of skirmishes and with the French and Spanish navies over the centuries. Since the earthquake that levelled Lisbon in 1755 the Belém Tower is now part of the shoreline as the river itself was strangely redirected by the quake.
After an afternoon of walking around Lisbon you can see the struggles, this proud city has endured and continues to experience since the financial crisis, with many stores closed and quite a number of rundown buildings even in the main tourist areas. Given that it’s the countries capital it’s surprisingly quiet and little traffic to speak of, but it has a great vibe which you can’t fake so if you ever get a chance to come to Lisbon…take it!
The next part of my long-weekend adventure was to catch a train and bus to visit Sintra. This fairytale town with opulent palaces like Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira, surrounded by lush greenery should definitely be included in your visit. These restored palaces are incredibly beautiful but honestly feel like they belong in a Disney movie.
Portugal has so much to see and do my long weekend merely scratched the surface…
Are you ready for adventure? Portugal should be on your list for consideration – great climate, friendly people, awesome culinary delights and oh those beaches along the Algarve…
Until next week
Ciao!
0 Comments on "Lisbon and beyond"