July 2-August 1
Month two is literally behind me and what a month it was. I write this on my way to Seville, after
spending a weekend in Lagos. I'm tempted to start writing about how wonderful Lagos is, but I'll get to that later. First, let's
talk about Lisbon.
Week 1: The Arrival
I arrived in Lisbon on July 2, after a long bus ride fueled with alcohol and never-have-I-evers. I guess that's what happens
when you put a bunch of people on a moving object for over 9 hours. From the moment I got off the bus and took a look at the old, unkept buildings, I felt at home. I don't know if it was the alcohol, or because I was (to put it lightly) ready to get the
fuck out of Valencia, but I felt an excitement I hadn't felt since I arrived in NY after a year in Miami.
I spent the next few days feeling productive (no more jet lag!), eating sardines in every shape and form and getting to know my fellow remotes. We were living in two buildings, mine hosting the largest group, which made it easy for people to gather in the kitchen and rooftop terrace. It became an ongoing habit to "stop by 6" every night after dinner for a glass of wine or whiskey.
We were having a great time until the shootings happened. The day I watched (big mistake) the video of Alton Sterling getting
shot, I could barely think of anything else. It felt so close. So painful. I tried to keep working, but it was hard to concentrate on emails when all I could think of was his family and how cruel life and the world can be.
Then, barely 24 hours later, another black man was shot in the States. The messages of anger, sadness and support began flooding my Remote Year Slack. Most of us were outraged. Some were sad. Some didn't know how to react. I spent the following days in a state of shock, feeling hopeless. Hopeless because I didn't see how this world could get better. The whole thing was overwhelming and made it hard to stay focused.
A couple of remotes organized a group dinner as a form of support. We brought food and gathered at the garden to eat and talk. Just talk. One of the most eloquent people I've ever met and a black man from the US, opened the floor. He shared his views and why it was important to talk about it instead of brushing it under the rug and go on with our lives as if nothing had happened--something we are getting too accustomed to. Then, one of the organizers spoke, then, me, then others until almost everyone in the garden had said their piece. That didn't make the pain and anger go away, but it definitely help. Group therapy, for the first
time, started to make sense to me.
We picked ourselves and our lives up in the following days. Experiencing this made us closer and that closeness gave me hope. Everything is not lost, but we as humans have a LOT to fix--starting with ourselves, our children, the government, the world.
Month two is literally behind me and what a month it was. I write this on my way to Seville, after
spending a weekend in Lagos. I'm tempted to start writing about how wonderful Lagos is, but I'll get to that later. First, let's
talk about Lisbon.
Week 1: The Arrival
I arrived in Lisbon on July 2, after a long bus ride fueled with alcohol and never-have-I-evers. I guess that's what happens
when you put a bunch of people on a moving object for over 9 hours. From the moment I got off the bus and took a look at the old, unkept buildings, I felt at home. I don't know if it was the alcohol, or because I was (to put it lightly) ready to get the
fuck out of Valencia, but I felt an excitement I hadn't felt since I arrived in NY after a year in Miami.
I spent the next few days feeling productive (no more jet lag!), eating sardines in every shape and form and getting to know my fellow remotes. We were living in two buildings, mine hosting the largest group, which made it easy for people to gather in the kitchen and rooftop terrace. It became an ongoing habit to "stop by 6" every night after dinner for a glass of wine or whiskey.
We were having a great time until the shootings happened. The day I watched (big mistake) the video of Alton Sterling getting
shot, I could barely think of anything else. It felt so close. So painful. I tried to keep working, but it was hard to concentrate on emails when all I could think of was his family and how cruel life and the world can be.
Then, barely 24 hours later, another black man was shot in the States. The messages of anger, sadness and support began flooding my Remote Year Slack. Most of us were outraged. Some were sad. Some didn't know how to react. I spent the following days in a state of shock, feeling hopeless. Hopeless because I didn't see how this world could get better. The whole thing was overwhelming and made it hard to stay focused.
A couple of remotes organized a group dinner as a form of support. We brought food and gathered at the garden to eat and talk. Just talk. One of the most eloquent people I've ever met and a black man from the US, opened the floor. He shared his views and why it was important to talk about it instead of brushing it under the rug and go on with our lives as if nothing had happened--something we are getting too accustomed to. Then, one of the organizers spoke, then, me, then others until almost everyone in the garden had said their piece. That didn't make the pain and anger go away, but it definitely help. Group therapy, for the first
time, started to make sense to me.
We picked ourselves and our lives up in the following days. Experiencing this made us closer and that closeness gave me hope. Everything is not lost, but we as humans have a LOT to fix--starting with ourselves, our children, the government, the world.
Ericeira, Portugal.
Week 2: Salt Water Fixes Everything
Weekend trips are giving me LIFE. Literally. I thought a month in each city would be more than enough to explore, but the truth
is, there's little time to do that when you work full time and have to do adult things like laundry and grocery
shopping. Therefore, I am trying to make the most out of the weekends and to me, the most means get to the beach as much as possible.
As some of you know, I love surfing. I suck at it, but I love it: the wipe outs, the exhaustion, the bruises, and the rush of
feeling a wave lifting you up... You haven't seen me truly happy until you've seen me coming out of the water after a surfing
lesson. That's why, when I heard a group of remotes talking about going to Ericeira, one of the top surfing destinations in the
world, I had to join.
Ericeira was the first taste I had of the Portuguese waters--the freezing, crystalline, aggressive Portuguese waters. I thought
Dominican Republic had the most beautiful beaches, but let me tell you, the coastline in Portugal is something out of this
world. All the Pinterest boards can't prepare you for how shockingly beautiful these beaches are.
I explored the beaches from the shore (too cold to go in, even for me) on Saturday and hit the bed early to get ready for
surfing on Sunday. When the time to surf came, our instructors (two older, handsome Portuguese men) drove us to a surfing beach that was as vast as it was intimidating. We put on a thick wetsuit and booties (again, too freaking cold), carried our boards and went through the on-shore instructions every surfing lesson requires, which I know like the back of my hand by now, but have to go through every time since I don't have the balls to surf alone.
The day was cloudy, the shore reefy and the waves choppy, so not a great day to surf. I hit my face with the board after a
wipeout, freaked out when I fell in a hole unexpectedly (too much going on to keep my cool in the water!) and came out after an hour when I realized the ocean was not in the mood for beginners. I was still as happy as I can get, making conversation with our instructors and practicing my Portuguese which they said was "bom, mas e abrasileirado" (good, but it sounds Brazilian). Duh, I thought.
We came back to town and got ready for dinner. One of the girls in the group and I deviated from the rest to get our seafood fix because how are you going to go to a coastal town and not get seafood????!!! After dinner we went to watch the Eurocup final France vs Portugal and guess what, Portugal won its first motherfucking Eurocup tittle. I cannot describe how wild the town went when that game ended. It was the most joyous group of people I've seen since Obama was elected president. Ericeira is a small town, but that didn't affect the level of energy on the streets. I celebrated, laughed and even did not one, but two cartwheels. It was a magical day.
Week 3: Just Dance
We returned to Lisbon the same day the futbol team was coming back. I missed the parade due to work, but honestly, after that weekend, it didn't even matter. I worked feliz como la lombriz remembering the waves and all the jokes that came out of that Sunday night.
That Saturday, I headed to Porto for one night to see what the fuzz was about. Everyone had been telling me that's the one city I couldn't miss, but to be honest, it was just OK. I went with one of my RY friends and former roommate, but we met a bunch of remotes that were also in town at the same time.
The funniest thing that happened on this flash trip was me bumping into one of my Bumble dates... from Lisbon! I was at a bar dancing and minding my business when I saw him across the floor. Holy shit, the world is a small place. Good thing he was the one nice date I had in Lisbon. I had another date that I'll be telling for years to come for all the wrong reasons. With this one, there was no spark, but no loss. I went over and said hi. He told me his dad was from there, so he was visiting and then we went our separate ways. Nice guy. I hope he finds a good girl soon.
We returned to Lisbon the same day the futbol team was coming back. I missed the parade due to work, but honestly, after that weekend, it didn't even matter. I worked feliz como la lombriz remembering the waves and all the jokes that came out of that Sunday night.
That Saturday, I headed to Porto for one night to see what the fuzz was about. Everyone had been telling me that's the one city I couldn't miss, but to be honest, it was just OK. I went with one of my RY friends and former roommate, but we met a bunch of remotes that were also in town at the same time.
The funniest thing that happened on this flash trip was me bumping into one of my Bumble dates... from Lisbon! I was at a bar dancing and minding my business when I saw him across the floor. Holy shit, the world is a small place. Good thing he was the one nice date I had in Lisbon. I had another date that I'll be telling for years to come for all the wrong reasons. With this one, there was no spark, but no loss. I went over and said hi. He told me his dad was from there, so he was visiting and then we went our separate ways. Nice guy. I hope he finds a good girl soon.
Porto Sunset.
Week 4:
Last week in Lisbon was so bittersweet. I went surfing again, packed my bags, had my last seafood meal and kissed the city goodbye. I had planned to spend the upcoming weekend in Lagos after I realized that if I followed Remote Year, I'd end up traveling a full day on my birthday. Not for me.
So, me and three others planned this epic southern adventure: Lagos to Sevilla to Marrakech to Rabat to meet the RY crew again. Imagine the most beautiful beach you've seen in your life, now imagine the perfect weather day... Multiply that by 10 and you'll start getting an idea of how beautiful Lagos is. Words and pictures can't describe it. I spent my birthday in the clearest,
bluest waters I've seen, surrounded by rock formations and caves. I spent hours in those waters, swimming, admiring the caves, the cliffs and trying not to panic when I went too deep. There was beauty everywhere I looked and I felt so grateful. So happy.
We went out that night, but didn't have a full-blown party night. We were feeling tired and mellow. It didn't matter to me. My
day was already made. I was run down the day after, probably got sun poisoned or dehydrated or a combination of both. I only got up to go kayaking, which we had booked and I couldn't allow myself to miss. It was my second time kayaking (first time was disastrous), it was very windy and my kayak partner was inexperienced. Two wrongs don't make a right. I wanted to get out of it in the first 5 minutes when I realized the sea is not as calm as it looks when you're in a wobbly boat. It was a struggle and I had a hard time enjoying it. Kayaking is not for me. Get me a boat next time. I'm 60, you guys. Once it was over, I hit the bed and didn't leave the apartment until the next day when we left for Sevilla.
My favorite things about Portugal
All good things come to an end, so this is "hasta luego" for Portugal. I've been joking that I'm going to move here if Trump wins. Here's why:
Food
- Snack Bars are small cafeterias found almost everywhere in Lisbon. The food is good and super cheap. Try the coconut flan and grilled sardines if they have it. Even if you don't like Sardines.
- Cervejaria Ramiro is the best seafood restaurant I've been to. There's usually a line unless you go when they open. It's 100% worth it, though.
- Mercado da Ribeira or Time Out Market sounds touristy, but it is actually a pretty popular spot for locals. Not every vendor is going to blow your mind, but 9 times out of 10, your meal will be pretty, pretty good.
- Walk! Full of hills and narrow streets, Lisbon is a pedestrian's city.
- Surf as much as you can. The water is cold (colder than NY), but the beaches are beautiful and classes are affordable. You won't even feel it with the wet suit. I went to Ericeira and Sintra.
- Hike in Sintra. It is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The fog, the castles, the city itself... it is magical. It's about an hour train ride from Lisbon and you can walk to the parks from the station. Ideally, I'd stay a night or two to take my time in the park, enjoy the city and make the trek to the beach.
Getting around
- So easy! Uber and metro are the best bets in Lisbon and Porto.
- Regional buses and trains are on time, affordable and comfortable.
- Scooters are a big thing for tourists there. A few remotes rented them and the process was fairly easy/inexpensive.
Obrigada, Portugal.
Lagos, Portugal