Reunited in Lisbon
Our family… in a different light.
Arlette, Giacomo and I in Bairro Alto…..a stunningly beautiful section of old Lisbon…..after a harrowing drive in our rental car through town from the airport, ending with the tiniest corkscrew downramp in a tiny parking garage that literally seemed too small for the car to go through. Cars in big cities…..not the way to travel!
But here we are, happy as hell to be together again on a different continent, and exhilerated by the relief of navigating all the travails that one encounters while traveling.
I am astounded at European cities, which manage to cram modernity into streets made for horse carts. That is one of the most charming things about these places: How they were initially made for humans to navigate, and not cars, and how (in historical old sections of towns) these proportions remain. What this communicates is that humans are more important than their technologies, and I think that is a a key difference between America and Europe. In America work and technology almost seems to eclipse the human. Humans are there to serve the machine, whereas in Europe, wearied after thousands of years of war, and with the yoke of sustaining Imperialism in their rear view mirror, are now free to just be human; have long holidays, spend time at the cafe daily, and take pride in a history that spans thousands instead of a few hundred years. That is why we and so many come here on Holiday. Europe is a place made for humans. America is a place made for cars…..which does make driving back from the airport easier.
We spent not even a day in Lisbon, and are currently nested back in the cottage in Sao Luis, but will spend another couple days there at the end of June before flying to Maastricht, Nederlands.
Other than the narrow streets, amazing architecture, colorful buildings, cute trolleys, grand squares, public statues everywhere, what I notice about Portugal in general is the LIGHT. People talk about this in Italy….Tuscany in particular. But I see it here as well. It is a bit more clear and golden (when the sun is out).
