Written by The Travel Butterfly.
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| Photo by The Travel Butterfly. |
Lisboa airport
December 27, 2015.
My flight arrived at five in the morning, and since the
check-in at my apartment is at 10am, I have some hours to kill at the
airport.
As I’m savoring a “pastel de nata” in a bakery, I slowly
immerse into the happiness of the holidays; I feel so fortunate to have a
“first row seat” in the arrival area at the airport so I can watch all the expressions of love: a father’s eyes lighting up when he sees his
daughter looking for him, warm and welcoming hugs, and couples kissing. This
reminds me of the girl I met while on the endless line for immigration. She had been traveling for 13 hours and
this was her third and last stop before meeting her boyfriend in Porto…. after
three months! It was so sweet to
see how she talked about him with so much love and admiration. I kept thinking how she managed all
these emotions; she was going to see her love after three loooooong months and
she was going to arrive at a city she had never been before… such a beautiful story. I wish I could
be there to see the reunion.
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| Photo by The Travel Butterfly. |
I almost finished reading “The Alchemist” during my
flight. I’ve always believed in
signs and I think there’s a reason this book ended up in my hands. The book says that when you listen to
your heart and go after your dreams, you love your present and get to enjoy the
road in search of your dreams.
There’s something to look forward to, and this is when your heart is
truly happy…
So, some days ago, I listened to my heart and decided to make a
New Year’s trip to Portugal… by myself.
I have proved that my heart is right when it pushes me to be brave and
dare to experience life adventures even as a solo traveler.
Well, It’s time to go… I take a cab. The driver, Jose, is so nice. An unexpected tour of Lisbon begins as soon as we leave the
airport.
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My Sweet First Day in Lisbon
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| Photo by The Travel Butterfly. |
A strong feeling of anticipation rushes in as I get ready to
begin discovering the town. I was able to get a few contacts from friends, but
I have to admit it’s kind of nerve wrecking when you arrive alone in a
completely unknown city for the first time.
My apartment is located in Rua Augusta, right in the center of
the city. From my window I get to see the “Arco de la Praça do Comercio”. Today
is Sunday, still early in the morning, and
everything is so quiet. Some
shops have begun opening their doors. I
wonder if this is always this peaceful.
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| Photo by The Travel Butterfly. |
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| Photo by The Travel Butterfly. |
I try to fight jetlag, so I leave my apartment and look for a
place to have a nice breakfast; I walk a couple of blocks and find this
bakery. I think I might have died
and woken up in heaven. This place is sorted with all
varieties of breads and pastries. I get a cappuccino, a ham and cheese sandwich
made with delicious semi-sweet bread, a cheese fluffy bread roll, and another
“dulce de nata”….
I walk a little bit more and I feel like having another coffee. There are no naps in my agenda, just
a strong determination to defeat this jetlag. The sweet lady from the coffee
shop suggests I try a chocolate
cake.... and I’m back in heaven or maybe this is just how sugar comma feels…
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My special tour of Lisbon
A good friend
of mine put me in touch with João. They met long time ago when they were
backpacking in Europe. They stayed in touch for years and recently met again in
Lisbon. He has assured me that João is
the nicest guy I could ever meet in Portugal…
Well, I get
ready to meet him for my private tour of Lisbon! He has asked me to meet him at “Praça Dom
Pedro IV”. I check the map and see it’s
only five blocks away from my apartment.
So, I think I should be able to get there in no time… well, not really... in just a matter of
hours, Rua Augusta got packed with shoppers, street artists, and tourists! The
entrance of my building is blocked with spectators of a hip-hop dancing show; I
get a little bit stressed but manage to go through the crowd. As soon as the
road is free, I start walking as fast as possible…
I get to the square and start looking for João. When I finally spot him standing all cute with his hands in his pockets, I realize he is so much better looking in person than in those facebook photos. He sees me and waves with that great smile of his…wow! And here I am, not looking my best and hoping the eye concealer helped me look a little bit “fresher”.
He asks me if
I would prefer to walk, and I do. It’s a beautiful day and I love walking;
that’s the best way to discover a new town in my opinion. We walk around Chiado, which is full of
designer stores, shops and modern buildings.
João doesn’t talk much. I’m good at reading people but I’m having a hard
time with this one…is he shy? I believe I’m pretty friendly, or at least my
friends think so, and from time to time, I’m able to get a laugh out of him.
He works for
an airline and he’s constantly out of town. The backpacking days are so long gone, he tells me. He asks
about my plans for New Year, he will spend it in Azores with family. I have no
plans, BUT that’s part of learning how to truly enjoy a spontaneous trip.
We walked by
the “Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.” This is the opera house of Lisbon; he
tells me he loves watching ballet. I perceive some romanticism hidden behind
his introvert personality.
The theater was opened in 1973 as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed by the great earthquake in 1755. During the summer, you can enjoy free outdoor performances like opera and ballet.
We get to “Bairro Alto,” and as we start walking in this
neighborhood, I feel like I’m quickly falling in love with Lisbon. I am awestruck by its beautiful streets and
its old and charming architecture.
We take a break at a rooftop bar with a view of the city.
I have to admit, João is not only a nice guy but very good looking as well. He is in perfect shape and has wonderful teeth (I do love
beautiful teeth by the way), but... I don’t think there’s any chemistry between
us, and it’s fine. I am sincerely
grateful for this day, but that
doesn’t mean I do not try to flirt, I do… but I don’t think I’m being
reciprocated, so I give up. He asks me
if I am ok and if I’m having a good
time. I tell him I am….but I’m sure I look tired (I can only hide the jetlag
for so long). He doesn’t seem convinced
with my answer. So, this is confusing!
Besides the fact that he already has spent half of his Sunday with me, and
insists on making sure I am enjoying the tour (AND his company), at times, he just seems so
uninterested, especially when he spends a lot of time checking his phone...
weird!
We walk around Bica. He shows me the “Pink Street” and the
places where a lot of the nightlife takes place in Lisbon. After a few blocks
of walking and talking, we end up at a small but lively jazz concert by the
river: Rio Tejo.
The tour ends with nutella crepes at the Praça do Comércio. He walks me to my building
entrance, he gives me a friendly hug, which honestly seems right, but I don’t
know how and when things get even more confusing than before…we suddenly stare
at each other awkwardly and
slowly get closer, and kiss!... or did I kiss him first? Oh boy, I’m not sure…
so much for no chemistry!
We kiss again and my brain is still trying to understand
what’s happening. He asks me if I’m
going to invite him over but… although he is so attractive and yes, such a good
kisser, now that the blur on my head is gone, I kindly say no.
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Table for one por favor
I start walking around my neighborhood looking for a casual
place to have dinner. I walk in this place that doesn’t seem too intimidating,
and it turns out that the waiters are so polite and friendly. It’s just what I
was looking for.
While I enjoy an exaggerated amount of octopus and clams, I watch some heavy flirting going on across my table. A cute waiter spends so much time complementing two young beautiful tourists, it’s funny. It’s great to have something fun to watch while enjoying a meal. A sweet gentleman who works there checks on me frequently making sure I love my dinner…. And oh, yes! I definitely do. The octopus is tender and the rich olive oil enhances its flavor.
I’m done with dinner
and I get ready to leave, but this young flirty waiter approaches me and
asks me to stay and have some drinks with him. I lie and tell him I will be
back. He says “goodbye, guapa” (goodbye,
good looking)...”Goodbye” I reply thinking: “if you were only a little bit
older….” I contain my laugh and continue walking.
Back at my apartment, I get a message from João saying it
was great meeting me and hoped I had a good night. He’s traveling to Azores tomorrow and there
are no plans for a second date, but then again, I really have no
expectations. Life is so good now, why
would I bother about anything else but being happy and continue falling in love
with Lisboa?
Boa noite!
To be continued...
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