Love For Lisboa

by Brenna Holeman

Lisbon Portugal 1 Lisbon Portugal 2 Lisbon Portugal 3 Lisbon Portugal 4 Lisbon Portugal 5 Lisbon Portugal 6

Lisbon, Portugal

I went to Lisbon a few Aprils ago. I spent my days there simply and quietly; it rained a lot of the time. Every night I ate a communal dinner with the other people in the hostel, traditional Portuguese arroz de marisco and jugs of red wine, all you could eat and drink. After eating we sang songs by Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake, then stumbled on to sidestreet bars to hear local singers fill the night air with melancholy and music. In the day I would buy sweet pasteis de nata and coffee, sit in cafés in Rossio Square and just watch the people go by, writing whatever I could of it all in my journal. Thinking of my time in Portugal, I can’t help but ache to see it again. I can’t help but ache to walk the cobblestoned streets of Baixa, to sip strong espresso in Bairro Alto, to rummage for antique treasures in Alfama, to smell the sea, to purchase kumquats and salted fish in the market, to stand in some tiny crowded bar listening to Fado singers, people and port wine alike sloshing out into the streets. I can’t help but ache to see it again.

You may also like

4 comments

Vanda August 14, 2010 - 4:53 pm

We have a word for that ache – it’s called Saudade 🙂

Reply
Brenna August 15, 2010 - 9:20 am

What a lovely word!

Reply
Why I Love Basilicata - This Battered Suitcase February 2, 2015 - 6:34 pm

[…] being said, there are certain places I really do love, and recommend wholeheartedly. Portugal springs to mind, as does London (seriously, I really love London). I recently wrote about how much I loved […]

Reply
Louise March 18, 2016 - 2:19 pm

Hi Brenna, this is beautiful! I’m currently exploring Portugal, and loving it! Which hostel did you stay at in Lisbon?

Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.