February 11, 2022:
At 6:12 P.M. on this Friday night, I can feel the breeze moving my hair, as I work from the terrace of the Lisbon apartment that my best friend and I have used as a home base this week.
In front of me, just down below, sits the Praça de Figueira, while the Carmo Covent and Santa Justa Lift are just beyond that, a not-so-distant walk from where I sit right now.
Behind me, the São Jorge Castle sits above on a hill, and the sun is rapidly setting lower in the sky.
I’m working, remotely, and getting the chance to visit such a beautiful new city. All at once, aspects of my position in the field of study abroad surround me.
We had a Zoom meeting on Tuesday and I was sitting outside as the sky grew dark. It didn’t even occur to me until one of my coworkers asked where I am, that not everyone knew I would be here this week. Then, I realized how this trip appears from the perspective of someone who is not me.
The ability to explore during the day with Brooke and then come back and work in the evening is something that reminds me of the importance of flexibility to my life.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work from Europe, last minute like this, but being reminded of the amazing nature of this trip helps me feel that awe constantly instead of letting my amazement slip away.
It was the same way when I had a smaller meeting this evening and was told that they were living vicariously through me. This just feels like life to me, but then it isn’t ‘just’ anything. It’s something that I’ve been able to personally and consciously craft and design to somehow fit my deepest desires into the mundanity of every day.
That is just absolutely incredible to think about.
Brooke and I have been able to explore the city, from where we are staying in Baixa to all the other neighborhoods around us. We’ve spent mornings at cafes and grabbed dinners on my ‘lunch breaks.’
When I had site visits to the Portuguese university that my organization partners with, she had a chance to stay at home one day and then join me as I worked the next.
We visited Sintra before I had to work one evening, and it was the most beautiful day trip I could have imagined. The colourful castles were scattered throughout the green hills, and just beyond that, the ocean.
This trip makes me realize that the intersection between work and play should be a small one, if you are doing the right thing. Even though I don’t plan to be doing this job forever, it feels great to be here right now.
7 months later, and oh how life changes.
September 20, 2022:
I’m sitting in Brooke’s new home in LA, after returning from my latest Europe trip to none other than Lisbon.
(I also went to Mallorca, Spain, but I’ll talk about that on its own. It deserves a page or two, that’s for sure.)
This trip was a little different, it’s my first after leaving the study abroad role that I held for over a year, which last brought me to this place.
This time I dyed my hair the night before heading to Europe, in a risky but much-needed move. This period feels like it’ll be about change, so what better combination than that of physical and geographical transition? Even if just for a moment.
I met my friend Max and another study abroad friend, Julia, in Lisbon after they’d spent some time road-tripping around Portugal. I’d started my trip off in Nashville and Columbus, celebrating a bachelorette party, a birthday, and reconnecting with friends and family, so it felt like we were all on a similar wavelength when we met up at the Lisbon airport on a Friday morning.
Coincidentally, it was September 9th, the four-year anniversary of embarking on the voyage that had brought us together in the first place.
That first day consisted of lunch and wine before a long nap, some pastéis de Nata, and getting ready for our first evening out.
Max and Julia have some Portuguese friends that had transferred to their university during school, so we met up with them for dinner and drinks that night.
We went out and drank €1 beers and took €2 tequila shots into the street where everyone spends time before going to the club. The night was spent dancing and connecting and, for whatever reason, I remember doing a lot of staring at the moon. It was great to be back in Lisbon.
We had some great conversations in the Bolt on the way home, before somehow reconvening to talk even more, before finally falling into bed around 6 am.
Saturday afternoon, we woke up and went to brunch at Nicolau, which was a favourite of Brooke’s and mine in February, and happened to be on the corner by where we were staying this time. (I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a factor in deciding which AirBnB to choose for this trip.)
We met up with Marta and Maria, their college friends, then headed over to Belém, an area near the water, where we tried pastéis de Belém, (a variation of ‘de Nata’,) saw a cathedral, and walked around for hours. It was nice to see a part of Lisbon that I had completely skipped last time around- it was something new for us all to experience together.
They talked a lot about their experience at USD together, and I reflected on how that compares to my own experience in California now.
It’s funny because I didn’t go to school in San Diego, but living there now allowed me to be a part of that conversation. I knew all the places they were talking about, and that context reminded me of how deeply I’d wanted to be in San Diego before I actually moved there.
We had another great dinner and headed to a bar that sits at the base of the Carmo Convent. We found ourselves right next to the Justa Lift and, again, the moon was so bright in the sky that you almost couldn’t help but to stare.
What a fitting change of perspective, from looking up toward this spot on our balcony in February, to now sitting higher up, looking back down at where we’d come from. Maybe it was the gin and tonic, or the moon, or the conversations we had, but it felt like a meaningful representation of moving forward while not forgetting to reflect.
Just as we had the night before, but with a great deal more clarity, the three of us talked at the AirBnB after getting back. We reflected on the experiences abroad that had brought us here, while also talking about things from our current lives.
I think I’ll miss those few late-night talks around our glass kitchen table with pastéis de Nata (and maybe vegetarian McDonalds…) in hand.
Our last day in Portugal began with massages that led us to find the best brunch of the trip, at Dear Breakfast, in the Chiado neighbourhood. We got ready to move to our next location by doing laundry and cleaning up some, before heading out by mid-afternoon for the rest of the day.
We found our way back to the Sāo Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint and park, another place I loved in the winter. You can see the city sprawled out, as it fits the curve of the hills it sits on, with its multi-colored buildings, the castle, and the Tagus river to the side. Such a beautiful place that always has something new to offer.
The afternoon was spent walking, and exploring all the places around the city we’d not yet gone to, before making our way to a wine bar that we ended up spending hours at. This was another incredible night of enjoying ourselves, but also connecting on a deeper level. Something about the wine, mixed with a small travel group, made it so easy to open up and learn new things about one another.
We got more pastéis de Nata, some Porto wine, and even more McVeggies (we were really marketed to this trip, clearly) thanks to the signs all over the city reminding us about that cheap and easy option for late-night food.
One last round of talking at our kitchen table, and the Portugal portion of the trip came to a close just like that.
It felt like we had so much time there, and it was just enough. What a contrast it was to the packed days of exploring and working in February, all while holding its own type of adventure and preparation for what is to come next.
I’m glad that I made time for Lisbon and can’t help but think about what my next journey there will look like… eventually.
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