I arrived in Lisbon 2.5 days before Jovan did, and I spent every hour excitedly waiting for him to come. Although exploring on my own was still enjoyable, I couldn’t help but feel like everything I was seeing would be better shared with him, and I wanted to wait to see all the best things for when he got there. So in a way, this time felt mostly like a countdown. But I was still able to enjoy the feeling of excitement that comes along with landing in an unexplored city. I spent the days walking many steps aimlessly. No destination in mind, the goal was purely to experience and observe. One of my favorite moments was sitting on a bench at a lookout point over the city, with someone nearby singing beautiful Portuguese songs. I sat here for a while, looking down on Lisbon with contentment. I had spent the morning reading with a coffee at a cafe, the similar contentment joining me then. My day followed a similar pattern - sitting down with these small moments of contentment, and then continuing to wander around the city. I found many places to sit, be with myself, and observe - parks, lookout points, restaurants, and cafes. I filled my days with a lot of walking, finding a resting point, and eating. Lisbon is one of the best cities to wander aimlessly in. Walking along the limestone and cobblestone streets, looking around at all the beautiful architecture and colorful tiles, there was so much beauty around me it felt romantic. They were simple days, and I enjoyed exploring but felt a little empty after leaving Helena and waiting for Jovan to arrive.
I woke up on Saturday morning on cloud 9, counting down the hours until Jovan was arriving that afternoon. I was so excited to spend the next 5 days together, exploring Lisbon until I left for my farm. I passed time in the morning by going to some thrift shops to look for sweaters. It had been pretty cold and gloomy here, and I knew the farm would be the same. Luckily I found a couple wool sweaters for $2 each. Happy with my purchases, I went to the park and read for a few hours until finally I could take the metro to the airport to surprise Jovan on his arrival. We couldn’t stop smiling the whole metro ride home, feeling this comfortable yet surreal feeling that we’re starting this journey together. Ironically, we got dinner at a Nepalese restaurant and shared stories from our time apart. After dinner was a mandatory pastel de nata stop, where we shared our first of MANY to come in this short week. Hand in hand, stomachs full off our delicious pastel de natas and Nepalese food, we walked all around the city, the warm yellow street lamps guiding our way home.
Sunday was another great day of exploring the city. We of course started the day off with our Lisbon staples: many steps walked and many pastel de natas eaten. One of our favorite resting points this day was at Buna coffee, where we sat on barstools right in front of a big open window. We felt the late afternoon breeze on us as we looked out at everyone going about their day. One woman sat with tulips, probably freshly bought at the farmers market. Others rode their bikes and walked their dogs. It’s a comfortable feeling doing something we’d ordinarily do at home, yet in a different environment it becomes a grand experience in our eyes because of all the newness and appreciation we feel.
After a long day of walking, we rewarded ourselves with a typical Portuguese meal - chicken with peri-peri oil, cheese, and our first taste of Portuguese wine. I’ve mentioned pastel de nata a lot already, but we truly became voraciously obsessed with them. After dinner, we couldn’t stop laughing at how crazed we had become. We kept getting out of line to try and time when the warm pastel de natas would be coming fresh from the oven, and we must’ve left and then rejoined the line three or four times. By the time we finally timed it just right to get a fresh batch, we couldn’t even eat them because they were so hot! We had to sit there patiently reflecting on our crazed behavior as we waited for them to cool down.
A couple gloomy weekdays reminded us to take a little step back and enjoy the soft resets that a moody day can bring us after several long walking days. The change in weather also coincided with Jovan begrudgingly having to go back to work. His schedule is 3pm-11pm Portugal time, so we spent the mornings and early afternoon exploring by foot, stopping into new food places, and taking it easy with the changing weather. Two notable meals came about during this exploring. One of our favorites was lunch outside at lisbon ti e eu, delicious homemade cooking made with love. We sat outside in the old historic Alfama neighborhood and enjoyed the traditional flavors of cod, chorizo, octopus, and vinho verde.
Another favorite food spot was Landeau, where our eyes went wide as we tasted one of the best pieces of chocolate cake of our life. We took advantage of this morning and early afternoon time we shared together, trying to eat and explore as much as we could before 3pm hit. One of our mornings, we joined a 3.5 hour walking tour, which we had both never done before but surprisingly loved. Our guide was so passionate about Lisbon, and after our time with him we both felt we knew a lot more about the history of the city. He had such great enthusiasm, and his energy could make anyone fall in love with the city.
Fall in love we did, yet by mid-week, we both began to feel a small cloud over us. With Jovan still working, and the gloomy weather seeping into our days, I started to feel ready to leave Lisbon. As much as we truly enjoyed the city, we both felt the lack of freedom that comes with still having to work. Our days were formed around the time structure, staying up late and working from a small hotel room. After a few days in a big city I feel the itch to go explore outside of it. This type of trip would be wonderful and fulfilling in another instance, but for this specific travel intention, it felt like this wasn’t our hope for our travel, we were looking for more connection and raw adventure. Again I felt this feeling of a countdown, just waiting until April when we could really begin our travels in the way we want. Of course, the limbo period of this month was expected and needed to close out working. Despite the small cloud, we were both feeling so grateful to be together, even if the travel isn’t exactly what we wanted for now. Although feeling a little unfulfilled, we were still able to share so many amazing moments together despite these constraints. Some of our favorites came at 7pm, as we got into a rhythm of Jovan taking a break from work while we went to nearby neighborhood restaurants for dinner. I had one of the best (top 2) Indian meals ever here. We ordered the spiciest dish on the menu, and laughed so much about how stupid that decision was. I immediately needed a mango lassi to calm the fire burning in my mouth. The chef kept coming over to us, asking if the spice is okay. Even our waiter said he can’t handle the dish, and was impressed that we finished it all! Okay maybe that dish wasn’t my favorite, but it brought about the best mango lassi I’ve ever tasted. And some of the best naan, desserts, dosa, and another amazingly delicious curry.
As I prepare to leave for the farm, I’m feeling a lot of emotions. I don’t want to leave Jovan again, and am so sad to be apart for three weeks. But at the same time, I think it will be good for me to do my own thing while Jovan finishes his last few weeks of work. I’m looking forward to hopefully connecting with my 3 fellow WWOOFERS and Quinta owner, Miranda. I hope to learn new skills in gardening and olive oil production. I’m also really looking forward to the food aspect - all sharing meals together, cooking for one another, and incorporating freshly grown produce into the cooking. I hope we can all learn from one another, and that it’s a beneficial exchange for everyone. I’m a lot more excited than nervous, and I think this is a really sustainable way to travel. More than not having to spend money on food or accommodation in exchange for the work, which is a plus, the sustainable travel also comes from staying in one place for longer and really getting to know a local way of life. Jovan is off to explore northern Portugal! I’m jealous and wish I could also go, as I think I’d prefer it to Lisbon. He’ll be staying in more quaint, small towns with a lot more nature. He’s rented a cottage guesthouse for his first 4 nights, which sits on a nice garden and more land. I think it’ll be a really relaxing place for him to work from, and a much bigger space than just working in one room - I don’t think that’s the best for the mental. I think we’re both off to exciting new journeys after an indulgent week in Lisbon! Although beautiful, we’re both feeling ready for a change of pace :)
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