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. 

Thanks for reading!