Your writing is enticing and I feel a book growing as you meander from present to past recollections. You describe so well the feeling of nostalgia I have for visiting familiar places and memories.
A book... That's probably the best compliment I've had about my writing and the scariest thing anyone ever said to me at the same time 😄! Thank you, Kate!
Portuguese has a word for the feeling you describe: "saudade".
Love your writing! It feels like a heartfelt chat with a friend. I was in Lisbon for just 72 hours as a tourist, but it won my heart. Your post gives me a new sense of the local flavor. I got the same feeling of disconnection when i revisited my hometown..with social media, it feels like everything's blending together. It's getting tough to find that real homely taste.
You put a huge smile on my face, Bree! Thank you so much for reading and for your words!
I think this disconnect is inevitable when one is away for a certain amount of time. I have now been living abroad longer than I ever lived in Lisbon! And even if I have been back at least once a year, and some years more often... I think that even if I moved back now it would still not feel like being back home. It's an odd feeling.
Lisboa...Lisboa... sob o impiedoso sol de Verão... Lisboa é a minha cidade - antes de ser tua - mas também eu não lhe conheço todos os recantos e é bom que assim seja. Um ângulo de rua, a luz numa fachada, um vislumbre do Tejo e eis-me em casa - mesmo que nunca tenha estado naquele preciso lugar. Ah! E lembras-te dos chás nas "vicentinas" da rua de S. Bento!... Fomos várias vezes. Obrigada por me teres feito percorrer algumas das também minhas memórias "desta Lisboa que eu amo".
I love how you move back and forth between the present and your memories. And the whole idea that we can’t always recall exactly. And that slippery feeling of losing something (Ourselves? Our hearts? Our country?) I feel it too.
We gain a lot when we move to a new place, to a new country... and we lose a lot too. I'm happy this resonated with you.
It's weird, I didn't really mean to write this "postcard" this way, with the memories and everything... but when I started it became clear it was the only honest way to write about Lisbon.
Thank you for reading, Rachel, and for commenting!
By the way, totally unrelated - your croissants look amazing 😋
Your writing is enticing and I feel a book growing as you meander from present to past recollections. You describe so well the feeling of nostalgia I have for visiting familiar places and memories.
A book... That's probably the best compliment I've had about my writing and the scariest thing anyone ever said to me at the same time 😄! Thank you, Kate!
Portuguese has a word for the feeling you describe: "saudade".
Love your writing! It feels like a heartfelt chat with a friend. I was in Lisbon for just 72 hours as a tourist, but it won my heart. Your post gives me a new sense of the local flavor. I got the same feeling of disconnection when i revisited my hometown..with social media, it feels like everything's blending together. It's getting tough to find that real homely taste.
You put a huge smile on my face, Bree! Thank you so much for reading and for your words!
I think this disconnect is inevitable when one is away for a certain amount of time. I have now been living abroad longer than I ever lived in Lisbon! And even if I have been back at least once a year, and some years more often... I think that even if I moved back now it would still not feel like being back home. It's an odd feeling.
Lisboa...Lisboa... sob o impiedoso sol de Verão... Lisboa é a minha cidade - antes de ser tua - mas também eu não lhe conheço todos os recantos e é bom que assim seja. Um ângulo de rua, a luz numa fachada, um vislumbre do Tejo e eis-me em casa - mesmo que nunca tenha estado naquele preciso lugar. Ah! E lembras-te dos chás nas "vicentinas" da rua de S. Bento!... Fomos várias vezes. Obrigada por me teres feito percorrer algumas das também minhas memórias "desta Lisboa que eu amo".
I love how you move back and forth between the present and your memories. And the whole idea that we can’t always recall exactly. And that slippery feeling of losing something (Ourselves? Our hearts? Our country?) I feel it too.
We gain a lot when we move to a new place, to a new country... and we lose a lot too. I'm happy this resonated with you.
It's weird, I didn't really mean to write this "postcard" this way, with the memories and everything... but when I started it became clear it was the only honest way to write about Lisbon.
Thank you for reading, Rachel, and for commenting!
By the way, totally unrelated - your croissants look amazing 😋
Sometimes what we need to write is hiding behind what we plan to write.😊