Lisbon: My Clandestine Love Affair

When I booked my flights to Lisbon a few months ago, I was super excited. I was heading to western Europe: endless stretch of ocean, true summer sunshine (not the feeble 25 degrees), a good dose of that spicy Latin culture and of course the FOOD! I had visions of crowded cobbled roads, lively fiestas and me dancing in the street to some local music performed by street artists. 

EX-CI-TING!

Um, well...I didn’t get that. Oh wait! I did get cobbled roads (a LOT of them).

          
But back to my story.

 
The first two days I was like, “Where is everybody?” I only seem to see tourists with their bulky cameras and folded maps, and the almost empty subway stations were a sad affair. Considering I arrived on a weekend, I expected more action, but the most action I got were a bunch of tourists gathered around a ticket machine, trying to figure out how to buy their metro cards. Where was my music? Where are the spunky laughing locals I could hang out with? Where’s my fiesta?

 
So, I spent the weekend touring the old town center and Belém in the lonely streets of Lisbon under the merciless Portuguese sun with temperatures reaching 42°C (that’s over 107°F). Heatstroke, anyone? Every piece of shade was a blessing and I don’t think I ever drank so much water in my entire life. But it was beautiful. I particularly loved Jerónimos Monastery with it’s soaring columns and Manueline architectural style. I could have spent my entire day there reading a book in one of its corners. It was a quiet Lisbon I did not expect, but a Lisbon I became fond of. 

 
Then came Monday. And with it, the entire population of the country. The subway was jam-packed, the streets were bustling, and the restaurants were full to bursting. Locals have returned en masse from their weekend getaway. I found out that locals head to the beach on weekends and literally spend their entire day there. So that’s where they’ve been! I also discovered that Lisbon doesn’t truly get alive until it gets dark and during the summer that isn’t until around nine in the evening. Previously empty alleys were littered with small tables around which guests dined on authentic Portuguese cuisine. Music floated out of open bar doors, and people - so many people - filled the streets and added excitement and life to the atmosphere.

 
The charm of Lisbon is like a secret you don’t get to know right away. It’s a clandestine love affair held under the moonlight and in lonely streets. It will leave you disappointed and doubtful at first, and then curious for more. On the plane back home, I tried to gather my thoughts and feelings. There was no badabing-badaboom moment in Lisbon, but there was this subtle feeling welling inside that made me smile. It’s like that fading dream of a kiss that lingers on your lips in the morning. 

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Travel Tips :: Vatican

Three things I wish I’d known before I visited Vatican City:

1. Summer Clothing 
----> You are not allowed to wear anything that exposes your thighs and shoulders. Now, i did know this so I wore leggings and a light sweater. What I did not know is that there was a way around this rule. Especially during the hot summer months, we just have to wear something airy and light. Walking around in the searing heat with pants and a sleeved top can become unbearable. Based on experience, my tip would be to wear your normal summer clothing (skirt/shorts/dresses) and then bring a large light scarf/shawl which you could drape over your shoulders or wrap around your legs when entering St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum (Yes! They also check your clothing in the museum). Afterwards, you can easily roll it up and store it away in your bag. No need to sweat for the rest of the day.

2. Waiting in line
----> The queue to St. Peter’s Basilica may look daunting but it’s not half as bad as it looks. The progress was fairly quick. For the Vatican Museum, it is best not to get there before opening time. I was standing in line before it was open and the queue was ridiculously long, going down the entire one side of the museum and right around the block. By the time I came out though (around noon time), the queue was less than half than it was in the morning. Once the museum opens, people are admitted quickly and efficiently.

3. Cupola
----> You can go up to the Cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica. A few people I know didn’t know that this is possible. Luckily, I had the great pleasure of having a priest based in Rome take me and my companions on a private tour around the Vatican. It was like having an insider tell you about all those little secrets the public doesn’t know. He brushed up our history, told anecdotes and pointed out things to us that a regular tourist would have overlooked (like the pope’s window). He told us about the cupola. So, if you are not afraid of heights then take time to got up. You will be treated with a wonderful view of the interior of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican and Rome.

If my tips helped just one person, I’m happy with that! I hope you have a wonderful time! 

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To Truly See the Vatican

Once upon a time in a place not so far away is a city state that attracts millions of visitors every year. Hoards of tourists fill its famous square and marvel at the grandness of its basilica. But then between a sojourn in Venice and the wild escapades in Rome, the foolish tourists leave this city state and forget the marvels it has to offer. When they go back home they recount stories of the Coliseum, they recall their romantic gondola ride, and they show pictures of themselves supporting the leaning tower of Pisa; the small city state already forgotten. 

   
Then one day, a newbie blogger spends days wondering which city she should feature on her blog first. She considered top destinations like Paris and London but then opted for that small city state that seems to have been neglected for far too long. 

 
She closed her eyes and tried to relive that summer day as she was rounding the corner and spotting the majestic columns of the square through an arch for the first time. She remembered walking through four rows of towering columns and being in awe. Then she saw the basilica. She thought it looked simple and small in the vast square but when she entered it she promised never to judge something from the outside. 

 
The basilica was art and art was the basilica. 

 
Faith seemed so tangible within those walls and history was speaking from every corner. In her mind’s eye she was standing again before the Pieta, she was sliding her fingers over the mosaic tiles, and she was holding the rails at the top of the cupola and looking at the country and city beyond. It was all beautiful.

 
The newbie blogger resurfaced from her reminiscing, got out her laptop and began to write. She titled the post: “To Truly See the Vatican”. 

 
You have to have a different mindset when you visit the Vatican. Don’t think fun, crazy, adventure or romance. Think culture, history, art, and faith. Think solitude, reflection, and quiet appreciation, and then you will truly see all that this city state has to offer.

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Discovering Passions

  Have you ever felt like you are not doing what you are supposed to do? That there’s something else out there...something bigger, better...something more meaningful. Ever wondered if your chosen college degree, your current job, or even the city you live in is right for you? If not, then I am truly happy for you. You are one of the few blessed souls who has found their calling. If however you are in that situation of doubt and uncertainty then I know exactly how you feel. 

A few years back life was like a routine. I did what I had to do in order to do the same things the next day all over again. I was like a machine programmed to perform the tasks of life without really living. It took a toll on me eventually. I became unsatisfied, grumpy, and bored. I knew things had to change.

Then photography came into the picture. 

The first camera I bought with my own money was a Canon Ixus 90 IS. And it was DIGITAL -woah! I could actually see the picture I just took on an LCD screen! I was beyond amazed. AND I could take hundreds of crappy images and delete them to take another hundred more crappy images before getting that one sweet shot and I did not have to pay extra!

It wasn’t long until I realized that photography inspired me to see life through a beautiful filter. Suddenly a vandalized wall was a work of art. That old scowling man in the train would have made a wonderful portrait. Click! Oh! Those lines on his face speak of his life - and what a life it must have been! Simply beautiful. Did you notice the kaleidoscope of colors at sunset? I’m not talking about orange and red here. I’m talking about that subtlest shade of pink just beneath the clouds or that deep line of purple right between the blue and orange. Ever noticed that clouds turn blue at sunset?

I discovered a passion and it changed my life. 

Think of that one thing that excites you. What do you think about when you wake up in the morning or what do you daydream about when you sit in the bus? Traveling? Writing? Preaching? Acting? Dancing? Photography? Ask yourself. Is it the prospect of teaching or serving in charity causes? Is it ice skating or soccer? What’s that one thing that makes you smile and see life through a beautiful filter? Discover it. Then pursue it!

Thanks for reading!